Apollo 11, Behind the scenes......... Flight controllers are personnel who aid space flight by working in such Mission Control Centers as NASAs Mission Control Center or ESAs European Space Operations Centre. Flight controllers work at computer consoles and use telemetry to monitor various technical aspects of a space mission in real time. Each controller is an expert in a specific area and constantly communicates with additional experts in the back room. The Flight Director, who leads the flight controllers, monitors the activities of a team of flight controllers and has overall responsibility for success and safety. This article primarily discusses NASAs flight controllers at the Johnson Space Center (JSC) in Houston. The various national and commercial flight control facilities have their own teams, which may be described on their own pages. NASAs Flight Controllers The room where the flight controllers work was called the Mission Operations Control Room (MOCR, pronounced moh-ker), and now is called the Flight Control Room (FCR, pronounced ficker). The controllers are experts in individual systems, and make recommendations to the Flight Director involving their areas of responsibility. Any controller may call for an abort if the circumstances require it. Before significant events, the Flight Director will go around the room, polling each controller for a GO / NO-GO decision, a procedure also known as a launch status check. If all factors are good, each controller calls for a GO, but if there is a problem requiring a hold or an abort, the call is NO GO. Another form of this is STAY / NO STAY, when the spacecraft has completed a maneuver and has now parked in relation to another body, including spacecraft (or space stations), orbiting the Earth or the Moon, or the Lunar landings. Controllers in MOCR/FCR are supported by the backrooms, teams of flight controllers located in other parts of the building or even at remote facilities. The backroom was formally called the Staff Support Room (SSR), and is now called the Multi-Purpose Support Room (MPSR, pronounced mipser). Backroom flight controllers are responsible for the details of their assigned system and for making recommendations for actions needed for that system. Frontroom flight controllers are responsible for integrating the needs of their system into the larger needs of the vehicle and working with the rest of the flight control team to develop a cohesive plan of action, even if that plan is not necessarily in the best interests of the system they are responsible for. Within the chain of command of the MCC, information and recommendations flow from the backroom to the frontroom to FLIGHT and then, potentially, to the onboard crew. Generally, a MOCR/FCR flight control team is made up of the more seasoned flight controllers than the SSR/MPSR, though senior flight controllers cycle back to support in the backroom periodically. One example of the usefulness of this system occurred during the descent of the Eagle Lunar Module, when 1202 and 1201 program alarms came from the LM. GUIDO Steve Bales, not sure whether to call for an abort, trusted the experts in the Guidance backroom, especially Jack Garman, who told him that the problem was a computer overload, but could be ignored if it was intermittent. Bales called GO!, Flight Director Kranz accepted the call and the mission continued to success. Without the support of the backroom, a controller might make a bad call based on faulty memory or information not readily available to the person on the console. The nature of quiescent operations aboard the International Space Station (ISS) today is such that the full team is not required for 24/7/365 support. FCR flight controllers accept responsibility for operations without MPSR support most of the time and the MPSR is only staffed for high-intensity periods of activity, such as joint Shuttle/ISS missions. The flight controllers in the FCR and MPSR are further supported by hardware and software designers, analysts and engineering specialists in other parts of the building or remote facilities. These extended support teams have more detailed analysis tools and access to development and test data that is not readily accessible to the flight control team. These support teams were referred to by the name of their room in Mission Control, the Mission Operations Integration Room (MOIR) and are now collectively referred to by the name of their current location, the Mission Evaluation Room (MER). While the flight controllers and their backrooms are responsible for real-time decision-making, The MOIR/MER provides the detailed data and history needed to solve longer-term issues. Unmanned U.S. space missions also have flight controllers but are managed from separate organizations, either the Jet Propulsion Laboratory or the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory for deep-space missions or Goddard Space Flight Center for near-Earth missions. Each flight controller has a unique call sign, which describes the positions responsibilities. The call sign and responsibility refer to the particular console, not just the person, since missions are managed around the clock and with each shift change a different person takes over the console. Flight controller responsibilities have changed over time, and continue to evolve. New controllers are added, and tasks are reassigned to other controllers to keep up with changing technical systems. For example the EECOM handled Command and Service Module communication systems through Apollo 10, which was afterward assigned to a new position called INCO. Responsibility Flight controllers are responsible for the success of the mission and for the lives of the astronauts under their watch. The Flight Controllers Creed states that they must always be aware that suddenly and unexpectedly we may find ourselves in a role where our performance has ultimate consequences. Well-known actions taken by flight controllers include: The Apollo 11 Lunar Module computer was overloaded because the astronauts forgot to switch off their upper-stage radar before switching on the downward-pointing radar. Guidance officer Steve Bales had only a few seconds to determine whether it was safe to land anyway or to abort the mission mere feet above the moon. Bales was later honored for his role in the mission, when he was selected to accept the NASA Group Achievement Award from President Richard Nixon on behalf of the Apollo 11 mission operations team. During the launch of Apollo 12, the Saturn V was struck by lightning which knocked out all telemetry and multiple command module systems, Seconds before mission abort, EECOM controller John Aaron determined that switching to the backup electrical power distribution filter would fix all the problems at once. During space shuttle mission STS-51-F, a main engine failed during ascent to orbit. Subsequently, indications were received of a second engine beginning to fail, which would have caused a mission abort, possibly including loss of the shuttle. Booster officer Jenny Howard Stein determined that the anomalous readings on the second engine were a sensor error and not an engine problem. At her direction the crew inhibited the sensor, which saved the mission and possibly the crew. Common flight control positions There are some positions that have and will serve the same function in every vehicles Flight Control team. The group of individuals serving in those positions may be different, but they will be called the same thing and serve the same function. Flight Director (FLIGHT)-Leads the flight control team. Flight has overall operational responsibility for missions and payload operations and for all decisions regarding safe, expedient flight. This person monitors the other flight controllers, remaining in constant verbal communication with them via intercom channels called loops. Mission Operations Directorate (MOD)-Is a representative of the senior management chain at JSC, and is there to help the flight director make those decisions that have no safety-of-flight consequences, but may have cost or public perception consequences. The MOD cannot overrule the Flight Director during a mission. Capsule Communicator (CAPCOM)-Generally, only the Capsule Communicator communicates directly with the crew of a manned space flight. During much of the U.S. manned space program, NASA felt it important for all communication with the astronauts in space to pass through a single individual in the Mission Control Center. That role was designated the Capsule Communicator or CAPCOM and was filled by another astronaut, often one of the backup- or support-crew members. NASA believes that an astronaut is most able to understand the situation in the spacecraft and pass information in the clearest way. For long-duration missions there is more than one CAPCOM, each assigned to a different shift team. After control of U.S. spaceflights moved to the Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center in the early 1960s, each CAPCOM used the radio call-sign Houston. When non-astronauts are communicating directly with the spacecraft, CAPCOM acts as the communications controller. As of 2011, non-astronauts from the Space Flight Training branch also function as CAPCOM during ISS missions, while the role was filled solely by astronauts for shuttle missions. Flight Surgeon (SURGEON)-Directs all medical activities during the mission. Monitors crew health via telemetry, provides crew consultation, and advises the flight director. A private communication channel can be established between astronauts and the flight surgeon, to provide doctor-patient confidentiality. Public Affairs Officer (PAO)-Provides mission commentary to supplement and explain air-to-ground transmissions and flight control operations to the news media and the public. The individual filling this role is often referred to colloquially as The Voice of Mission Control. Apollo flight control positions The flight control positions used during the Apollo era were predominantly identical to the positions used for the Mercury and Gemini vehicles. This was because of the similarity of the vehicle design of the capsules used for the three programs. Booster Systems Engineer (BOOSTER)-Monitored and evaluated performance of propulsion-related aspects of the launch vehicle during prelaunch and ascent. During the Apollo program there were three Booster positions, who worked only until Trans Lunar Injection (TLI); after that, their consoles were vacated. Booster had the power to send an abort command to the spacecraft. All Booster technicians were employed at the Marshall Space Flight Center and reported to JSC for the launches. Control Officer (CONTROL)-Responsible for the Lunar Module guidance, navigation and control systems. Essentially the equivalent of the GNC for the Lunar Module. Electrical, Environmental and Consumables Manager (EECOM)-Monitored cryogenic levels for fuel cells, and cabin cooling systems; electrical distribution systems; cabin pressure control systems; and vehicle lighting systems. EECOM originally stood for Electrical, Environmental and COMmunication systems. The Apollo EECOM was responsible for CSM communications through Apollo 10. Afterward the communication task was moved to a new console named INCO. Perhaps the most famous NASA EECOMs are Seymour Sy Liebergot, the EECOM on duty at the time of the oxygen tank explosion on Apollo 13, and John Aaron, who designed the drastically-reduced power budget for its return. Aaron also saved the Apollo 12 mission by realizing that the capsules backup power filter would solve all of the seemingly-unrelated problems caused by a lightning strike. Flight Activities Officer (FAO)-Planned and supported crew activities, checklists, procedures and schedules. Flight Dynamics Officer (FDO or FIDO)-Responsible for the flight path of the space vehicle, both atmospheric and orbital. During lunar missions the FDO was also responsible for the lunar trajectory. The FDO monitored vehicle performance during the powered flight phase and assessed abort modes, calculated orbital maneuvers and resulting trajectories, and monitored vehicle flight profile and energy levels during re-entry. Guidance Officer (GUIDANCE or GUIDO)-Monitored onboard navigational systems and onboard guidance computer software. Responsible for determining the position of the spacecraft in space. One well-known Guidance officer was Steve Bales, who gave the go call when the Apollo 11 guidance computer came close to overloading during the first lunar descent. Guidance, Navigation, and Controls Systems Engineer (GNC)-Monitored all vehicle guidance, navigation and control systems. Also responsible for propulsion systems such as the Reaction and Control System (RCS) and the CSM main engine. Instrumentation and Communications Officer (INCO)-Responsible for all data, voice and video communications systems, including monitoring the configuration of in-flight communications and instrumentation systems. Duties also included monitoring the telemetry link between the vehicle and the ground, and overseeing the uplink command and control processes. The position was formed from the combination of LEM and CSM Communicator positions. Network (NETWORK)-Supervised the network of ground stations that relayed telemetry and communications from the spacecraft. Organization and Procedures Officer (O&P)-Supervised the application of mission rules and established techniques to the conduct of the flight. Retrofire Officer (RETRO)-Drew up abort plans and was responsible for determination of retrofire times. During lunar missions the RETRO planned and monitored Trans Earth Injection (TEI) maneuvers, where the Apollo Service Module fired its engine to return to earth from the moon. Telemetry, Electrical, EVA Mobility Unit Officer (TELMU)-Monitored the Lunar Module electrical and environmental systems, plus lunar astronaut spacesuits. Essentially the equivalent of the EECOM for the Lunar Module. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Posted on: Wed, 23 Jul 2014 22:41:19 +0000