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Mission Control: Inventing the Groundwork of Spaceflight
“We have all seen NASA’s mission control centers at moments of both triumph and tragedy. Johnson makes a significant contribution to spaceflight history by analyzing their pivotal role.”—Roger Launius, associate director for collections and curatorial affairs, National Air and Space Museum
“Addresses a critical yet neglected topic in the history of space exploration, namely the role of mission controllers on the ground, without whom little could have ever been accomplished in space.”—Paul E. Ceruzzi, author of A Concise History
“Mission control centers are where the action happens in spaceflight. This book looks at three important centers, comparing them to each other and revealing their similarities and differences.”—David Christopher Arnold, author of Spying from Constructing America’s Satellite Command and Control Systems
Brave astronauts, flaring rockets, and majestic launches are only one side of the story of spaceflight. Any mission to space depends on years—if not decades—of work by thousands of dedicated individuals on the ground. These are the people whose voices offer a friendly link to Earth in the void of space, whose hands maneuver rovers across the face of planets, and whose skills guide astronauts home. This book is a long-overdue history of three major centers that have managed important missions since the dawn of the space age.
In Mission Control , Michael Johnson explores the famous Johnson Space Center in Houston, the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, and the European Space Operations Centre in Darmstadt, Germany—each a strategically designed micro-environment responsible for the operation of spacecraft and the safety of passengers. He explains the motivations behind the location of each center and their intricate design. He shows how the robotic spaceflight missions overseen in Pasadena and Darmstadt set these centers apart from Houston, and compares the tracking networks used for different types of spacecraft.
Johnson argues that the type of spacecraft and the missions they controlled—not the nations they represented—defined how the centers developed, yet these centers ended up playing vital national roles as space technology became a battleground for international power struggles in the Cold War years and even after. The most visible part of a conflict that was just as real as the wars in Korea, Vietnam, and Afghanistan and caused great global anxiety, mission control centers have served as symbols of national security in the public eye and pivotal links in the history of modern technology.
“Addresses a critical yet neglected topic in the history of space exploration, namely the role of mission controllers on the ground, without whom little could have ever been accomplished in space.”—Paul E. Ceruzzi, author of A Concise History
“Mission control centers are where the action happens in spaceflight. This book looks at three important centers, comparing them to each other and revealing their similarities and differences.”—David Christopher Arnold, author of Spying from Constructing America’s Satellite Command and Control Systems
Brave astronauts, flaring rockets, and majestic launches are only one side of the story of spaceflight. Any mission to space depends on years—if not decades—of work by thousands of dedicated individuals on the ground. These are the people whose voices offer a friendly link to Earth in the void of space, whose hands maneuver rovers across the face of planets, and whose skills guide astronauts home. This book is a long-overdue history of three major centers that have managed important missions since the dawn of the space age.
In Mission Control , Michael Johnson explores the famous Johnson Space Center in Houston, the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, and the European Space Operations Centre in Darmstadt, Germany—each a strategically designed micro-environment responsible for the operation of spacecraft and the safety of passengers. He explains the motivations behind the location of each center and their intricate design. He shows how the robotic spaceflight missions overseen in Pasadena and Darmstadt set these centers apart from Houston, and compares the tracking networks used for different types of spacecraft.
Johnson argues that the type of spacecraft and the missions they controlled—not the nations they represented—defined how the centers developed, yet these centers ended up playing vital national roles as space technology became a battleground for international power struggles in the Cold War years and even after. The most visible part of a conflict that was just as real as the wars in Korea, Vietnam, and Afghanistan and caused great global anxiety, mission control centers have served as symbols of national security in the public eye and pivotal links in the history of modern technology.
216 pages, Hardcover
First published October 18, 2015
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
May 28, 2016
With all the writing skill of your average undergrad, Johnson spends 160 pages on excruciating minutiae. Have you ever wondered whether mission control at JPL had tile or carpeted floors in 1972 (carpet), or, more importantly, what color that flooring was (blue)? If so, then congratulations! You're the most boring person in the world and this is the perfect book for you.
September 19, 2019
This book covers what was (to me) a little known and neglected aspect of space flight, the ground based mission control centres of NASA, JPL and ESA. Although evidencing a great depth of research and thought, the book at times reads a bit flat and gets caught in simple time-line descriptions. I felt it was no failing on the part of the author, Michael Johnson, but more a reflection of the lack of focus on these installations by the public and researchers in favour of the spacecraft themselves.
The book is worth the time to read.
The book is worth the time to read.
December 3, 2017
This book wasn't that interesting: it shares really basic knowledge which would be shared during a tour on the premises but lacks anything interesting for anyone wanting to learn anything more than how many square feet a certain mission control center covers...
March 5, 2017
Definitely an academic work which would work best as a reference. I found myself sometimes wishing for much less detail (paragraphs and paragraphs listing computer upgrades and antenna locations) and more detail (fascinating hints of the people who worked at the early mission control centers). Nevertheless, the author writes clearly and it is a fascinating overview of the history of Houston, JPL, and their European counterpart, as well as their tracking networks. What I would now love to read is a book about the early days in the 60s and the bureaucratic shuffle that was necessary to get these programs together, particularly some biographies of the people involved.
September 25, 2017
This book was thoroughly disappointing. The book is meant to be an academic account of the similarities and differences of the modern mission controls around the world, including JPL and the ISS control centers in Houston, Huntsville, and Germany. However, at only 160 pages and little to no quotes from expert interviews, the book is both bland and flat. The discussion of the ESA control center is so cursory that I'm not even sure it should have been included.
There was a great opportunity here to actually turn this into a research project that explores the genesis and evolution of mission control. An interview with Chris Kraft to establish how he had his initial idea would be a great hook. Then look at the changes that happened and how the changing mission of NASA and technology around the world drove them. Johnson makes no attempt at analysis. Instead, you are left wondering what the point was. Hopefully someone else has more time to make another, better attempt.
For readers interested in the topic looking for an alternative, try Rick Houston's "Go, Flight!"
There was a great opportunity here to actually turn this into a research project that explores the genesis and evolution of mission control. An interview with Chris Kraft to establish how he had his initial idea would be a great hook. Then look at the changes that happened and how the changing mission of NASA and technology around the world drove them. Johnson makes no attempt at analysis. Instead, you are left wondering what the point was. Hopefully someone else has more time to make another, better attempt.
For readers interested in the topic looking for an alternative, try Rick Houston's "Go, Flight!"
August 22, 2019
This is one of the few books I know of that looks at the ground segment of spaceflight. In 160 pages of text, you get a high-level history of Johnson Space Center, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, and the European Space Agency. This is written as a more technical history, in that it focuses on these ground control centers and their systems, not the personal stories of the people involved. If you're looking for something similar to Gene Kranz's Failure is Not an Option, you will be disappointed. While informative, the writing here is very dry. Mission Control reminded me of books published by Praxis or Copernicus for the technically-minded layman; lots of information, good for learning or reference but not something you read for light entertainment or for a gripping story.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews