>> The camera's coming.
>> Hey flight director Mary Lawrence.
>> Oh hey.
>> Do you think you have a few minutes to tell us everything
about Mission Control Houston?
>> Sure.
>> So can we follow you into the control room?
>> Yeah let's go.
I'm about to start my shift.
>> So what's it like at Mission Control?
>> We fly space ships; it's awesome.
>> Do you have a shift every day?
>> Not every day.
I have a string of shifts every few weeks.
>> How many shifts are there per day?
>> Three.
>> And how many other flight directors are there?
>> There's 26.
>> Oh man I hope I'm allowed back here.
So what exactly does a flight director do?
>> The flight director is the lead of the flight control team,
so they're the final decision maker
in all human space flight operations.
>> What's a flight controller?
>> They do all the work.
>> What was your first day on console like?
>> It was pretty quiet; the crew was sleeping.
>> Is this mission control?
>> This is one of the back rooms that supports.
>> Oh, how many back rooms are there?
>> There's several.
>> How many people support the people in Mission Control?
>> Could be a handful, could be hundreds during busy times.
>> What is done in the back rooms that helps
out the flight controllers?
>> They're kind of the second set of eyes.
They help out the work load at each of the consoles.
>> Where's the real mission control?
>> Oh, can we go in?
>> Sure.
>> Whoa. So this is Mission Control.
>> This is it.
>> What mission is controlled here?
>> International Space Station.
>> Where do you control other missions?
>> Down the hall, around the corner.
>> How many control rooms are in this building?
>> There's three.
>> How many people are usually in this room?
>> Could be six, could be 20 something.
>> Is there assigned seating?
>> There is.
>> What do the patches mean?
>> These patches represent missions
that have been flown out of this room.
>> What time does it close?
>> We never close.
>> How many mission controls support the Space Station
across the world?
>> Primarily there's five across the world.
>> So this is where the flight director sits?
>> It is.
>> Oh hi.
>> Hi.
>> What's the hardest part about being a flight director?
>> Constantly being aware that there's six people on orbit
who are depending on you to keep them safe.
>> And the most rewarding?
>> Seeing them return safely to Earth
when their mission's complete.
>> How many acronyms do you have to learn?
>> T-M-T-C.
>> What did you study in school to prepare
for being a flight director?
>> Mechanical engineering.
>> So are there a lot of pilots that are flight controllers?
>> Some are, but it's not a requirement to do the job.
>> How long do you have to train to be a flight controller?
>> It takes about a year.
>> What's that training like?
>> Pretty vigorous.
We simulate ISS onboard operations,
only we break a lot more stuff.
>> They're called simulations right?
>> That's correct.
>> How long can they last?
>> About a length of a shift, so about nine hours.
>> What's the coolest part about working in this room?
>> Understanding all the history that's happened here
over the years.
>> So when you switch shifts how long is that hand over?
>> About 30 to 45 minutes.
>> Are all the systems run from desktops?
>> That's correct.
>> Do you deal with the same software updates we do?
>> Yes, we have to keep our computers free from viruses too.
>> So what does this button do?
>> Hey.
>> Oh.
>> No.
>> Sorry about that.
So what are you listening to?
>> They're called voice loops.
>> And how many people do you listen to at one time?
>> Hopefully only one if I'm doing my job correctly.
>> Does the flight director fly the Space Station?
>> Not exactly.
>> So who does?
>> Sir Isaac Newton does.
>> So is that true Mary?
>> ADCO helps.
>> Oh, hey ADCO.
So what exactly does ADCO stand for?
>> Attitude, Determination, and Control Officer.
>> That explains the [inaudible].
So how do you deal with orbital debris?
>> We use thrusters on the Russian segment
and get out of the way.
>> Can astronauts fly the station from the inside?
>> They sure can.
>> Is there a cruise control?
>> It's a little more complicated than that.
>> Can you make the station do a barrel roll?
>> I could; I probably wouldn't be here much longer.
>> Do you need a space ship driver's license?
>> That's my certification.
>> So Mary, each flight controller looks
at a specific part?
>> That's right, everyone has a very specific responsibility
as part of the team.
>> Does everyone talk to the astronauts?
>> Not everyone; that's CAPCOM's job.
>> I heard that you have to be an astronaut to be a CAPCOM.
>> Not all the CAPCOMs are astronauts;
some are former flight controllers or instructors.
>> So is there a phone number
for the International Space Station?
>> Yes.
>> Could you just type it in my phone really quick?
>> We'll call you.
>> Oh okay.
Well what is the time zone of the Space Station?
>> Greenwich Mean Time, GMT.
>> Why is that?
>> There's control centers all over the world
so we just picked somewhere in the middle.
>> What is a shift like when the crew is sleeping?
>> It's pretty quiet.
We're mostly just planning for the next day.
>> Are you allowed food and drink in here?
>> Yes.
>> What happens if a flight controller gets sick?
>> We call someone else.
>> What happens if an astronaut gets sick?
>> They call the doctor here on the ground
and take a sick day if they need to.
>> Oh. Who's sitting here?
>> This is ground control.
>> What does ground control do?
>> Ground control's responsible
for everything here on the ground.
>> Oh, hey ground control.
Is there any communication delay from the ground to orbit?
>> Not really.
>> And how often do you lose signal from the Station?
>> A couple times per shift.
>> How long do those last?
>> Could be anywhere from one minute to 30 minutes.
>> What happens if Mission Control loses power?
>> We have backup power.
>> How high are the satellites
that communicate with the station?
>> Twenty three thousand miles.
>> And how high is the station?
>> Two hundred and fifty miles.
>> What's the official language on the station?
>> Actually the remote interface officer would know that one.
>> Oh it's English.
>> Do flight controllers know multiple languages?
[ Foreign Language Spoken ]
So Mary, how fast does the station orbit the Earth?
>> Seventeen thousand five hundred miles per hour.
>> Okay give me some context.
>> So that's five miles a second.
That's from here to New York City in four and a half minutes.
>> Is there a speed limit?
>> Sort of.
We don't have enough time for the details.
>> So how many times does the station pass
over Mission Control every day?
>> Sometimes not at all, sometimes a couple times a day.
We like to go out and wave hello to the crew as they pass over.
>> How many times has the station orbited the Earth?
>> Over 100,000.
>> Have you flown any other missions in this room?
>> This is the former shuttle flight control room.
>> So what's going on right now?
>> This is called LOS; it's a temporary loss of signal.
This is when we take our breaks.
>> And what do you get to do on those breaks?
>> We play Yahtzee.
Just kidding.
We get food, we go to the bathroom, we get coffee.
>> Do you think any future missions will be controlled
from this building?
>> Possibly.
It could be the O'Ryan missions; EM1 and EM2 are flown from here.
>> What is the farthest any human has ever traveled?
>> We've been to the moon,
so the Apollo 13 crew has been 250,000 miles from Earth.
>> Wow. What is the longest time a NASA astronaut has ever been
in space?
>> Commander Scott Kelley was on orbit
for 340 days; that's almost a year.
>> Wow that's a long time.
But how long will those Mars missions be?
>> Could be a year, maybe two.
>> Wow. Okay so one last question, is failure an option?
>> No.
>> Well thank you Mary for taking your time
to answer everything about Mission Control.
I'm sure there are more questions
but we'll save those for another time.
>> Sure.
>> Take care.
>> Bye.
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