Mission Control Center

Mission Control Center (MCC) is a unit that manages aerospace flights. MCC is often part of an aerospace agency. There are several such agencies in the world, the three biggest ones being:

*National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)
*Russian Federal Space Agency (FKA)
*European Space Agency (ESA)

The main task of an MCC is to manage space missions, usually from the point of liftoff until the landing or the end of the mission. A staff of flight controllers and other support personnel monitor all aspects of the mission using telemetry. The training for these missions usually falls under their responsibility as well.

NASA Mission Control Center

FKA Mission Control Center

The Mission Control Center of the Russian Federal Space Agency ( _ru. Центр управления полётами, also known by its acronym Цуп ("TsUP") is located in Korolyov, near the RKK Energia plant. It contains an active control room for the ISS, and a memorial control room for the Mir. In the latter the last few orbits of Mir before it burned up in the atmosphere are shown on screen.

Other important Mission Control Centers

* Beijing Aerospace Command and Control Center (BACCC) manages the Shenzou missions.
* Mobile Servicing System Control and Training at Saint-Hubert, Quebec, Canada. Supports Canadarm2 robotics operations.
* The Columbus Control Center (Col-CC) at the German Aerospace Center (DLR) in Oberpfaffenhofen, Germany. It is the mission control center for the European "Columbus" research laboratory at the International Space Station.
* The ATV Control Center (ATV-CC) is located at the Toulouse Space Centre (CST) in Toulouse, France. It will be the mission control center for the European Automated Transfer Vehicles, that will regularly resupply ISS.
* JEM Control Center and the HTV Control Center at the Tsukuba Space Center (TKSC) in Tsukuba, Japan manages operations aboard JAXA's Kibo ISS research laboratory and the resupply flights of the H-II Transfer Vehicle. JAXAs satellite operations are also based here.
* The Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), manages all of NASAs unmanned spacecraft.
* European Space Operations Centre (ESOC) responsible for ESAs satellites and space probes.
*Titov Main Test and Space Systems Control Centre, Mission control center in Krasnoznamensk, Russia.

See also

* Control center solutions
* Flight controller
* Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center
* Manned Space Programs
* Project Apollo
* Space Shuttle program
* Jet Propulsion Laboratory

External links

* [http://www.cr.nps.gov/nr/twhp/wwwlps/lessons/101space/101visual2.htm National Park Service mission control page]
* [http://www.aerospace-technology.com/projects/johnsoon/ Space-Technology.com mission control page]
* [http://www.nasa.gov/centers/johnson/about/index.html NASA's Johnson Space Center page]
* [http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/shuttle/reference/mcc/index.html NASA's MCC page]