Did You Know: Space – What is mission control?
The work that astronauts do would be impossible without mission control.
It is a place where many people work to help space missions and astronauts in space.
People work in mission control every hour of the day, every day of the year.
Keeping watch
There are lots of big screens, or monitors, in mission control. They let the people working there keep a close watch on the spacecraft and the astronauts.
Support teams
Teams of people on the ground provide support for astronauts working in space. They help astronauts with many jobs, including space walks and experiments.
Instant information
The ground team at mission control gather data from the spacecraft. They study it to help make decisions about what to do next on the mission.
What jobs do people have in mission control?
Spacecraft communicator
The person at mission control who communicates with astronauts in space is called a CAPCOM, or capsule communicator.
Flight surgeon
A flight surgeon is a doctor who gives astronauts advice on how to stay healthy. If an astronaut gets hurt in space, the surgeon will tell them what they need to do to recover.