Beginning in 1961, U.S. manned space missions were controlled from this room, "Mercury Control," at Cape Canaveral, Florida. NASA engineers monitored key elements of the mission's trajectory, fuel consumption, the astronaut's vital signs, and other data as the spacecraft orbited above. In the event of a problem or emergency, controllers were able to make quick decisions based on these data, as well as other information that the crew in space did not have access to.
In 1965, NASA moved the facility to Houston and renamed it "Mission Control," where it was used for Gemini, Apollo, and Shuttle missions.
Caption:
Beginning in 1961, U.S. manned space missions were controlled from this room, "Mercury Control," at Cape Canaveral, Florida.
Type: Artifact
Image Date: ca. 1962
Credit: National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution
Origin: National Aeronautics and Space Administration, National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution
