N/ AFactsNational Aeronauttcs andSpace Administration

Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center

Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center

This booklet tells you about the NASA Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center, the heart ofAmerica's manned space flight programs. JSC, as it's called, is homebase for the astronauts.The scene from Mission Control Center of flight controllers monitoring our men and womenin space is a familiar one to television viewers. Besides these visible personnel of the mannedspace flight programs, there are thousands of others dedicated to the space operations,research and engineering, and Support segments of the JSC mission.

At JSC, your space center, many of the facilities and operations are unique. For example,astronauts train in simulator's designed to give them the experience of functioning in zerogravity. Scientists and technicians in special laboratories work on the precious lunar samplesbrought back from the Moon during the Apollo missions.

JSC is one of nine National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) field installations.Currently, we are assigned a major role in the development of the Nation's first permanentlymanned Space Station.

We at JSC take pride in our continuing contributions to America's space explorationprograms. We are enthusiastically committed to the NASA team that is guaranteeing ourNation's preeminence in space.

Aaron CohenDirectorNASA Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center

Front Cover

Astronaut Bruce McCandless takes a historic spacewalk duringSpace Shuttle mission 41-B, February 7, 1984.

Flight co'ntrollers in the flight control room at Johnson SpaceCenter monitor extravehicular activity during Space Shuttlemission 41-B,

Aerial view of the Johnson Space Center.

BACKGROUND

In May 1961, President John F. Kennedy challengedthe Nation to an ambitious space program that wouldput a man on the Moon before the end of the decade.NASA's Space Task Group at Langley Research Center,Virginia, needed more room to do the job of turning thedream into reality. By July, NASA had drawn up thecriteria fora new space center. The site had to providethese essentials: availability to water transport, aconvenient military base, a commercial jet airport, anestablished university specializing in science andspace-related research, a major telecommunicationsnetwork, a pool of contractor and industrial support,adequate water and energy supplies, a mild climateyear round, a culturally active community, and at leastfour square kilometers to build on.

After an investigation of many prospective locations for the Center's mission. JSC is organizationally dividedaround the United States, a 1620-acre site near into several directorates, with each directorate respon-Houston, Texas, was selected. In September 1961, it sible for a specific function--spacecraft development,was announced that the Manned Spacecraft Center astronauttraining, orspaceflightplanning, forexample.would be built on prairie land 25 miles southeast of Thesystemisflexibleandthedirectoratesarefrequentlydowntown Houston, Texas, near EIlington Air Force realigned to keep pace with the changing directionsBase, and on the shore of Clear Lake, an inlet of and dimensions of manned space flight. Some of theGalveston Bay. Much of the land had been donated to original JSC directorates have reorganized, merged,NASA by Rice University. or split into separate groups; new directorates are

created as needed. Directorates are responsible to thePersonnel of the Space Task Group began moving to Center Director who, in turn, is responsible to thethe Houston area where they worked in temporary Office of Space Flight at NASA Headquarters infacilities while construction of the new center prog- Washington, D.C.ressed. On July 4, 1962, Houston threw the biggest

parade and barbecue in its history to honor the arrival Today, more than 80 astronauts are among the 3250of the seven original astronauts. The Manned Space- Federal employees at JSC. Another 9650 contractorcraft Center officially opened in September 1963, and personnel work at or near JSC to support Centerwas renamed in honor of the late President Lyndon B. operations.Johnson in February 1973.

The facilities are designed and built to house the widevariety of technical and scientific disciplines required

In the winterof 1962,the land donatedby RiceUniversityfor the MannedSpacecraftCenterwasstillbeingusedforgrazing.

ASTRONAUT SELECTIONAND TRAININGSince 1959, when the names of the first seven Americanastronauts were known by every school child, ourspace age pioneers have inspired and fascinated manypeople. Every year, the space center receives hundredsof letters from students asking, "How do I become an

astronaut?"

NASA reviews annually its expected workload and thesize of the astronaut corps to determine if a newrecruitment program is needed. Current regulationsrequire that United States citizens be given firstpreference for appointment to Astronaut Candidatepositions. NASA anticipates that there will be anadequate source of such qualified citizens for theindefinite future.

In the Space Shuttle era there are three classificationsof space flight crewmembers: pilots, mission special-ists, and payload specialists. The latter are selected bythe payload developer who trains them in the technicaland scientific objectives of their mission. Payloadspecialists come to JSC for a short course to makethem familiar with the Space Shuttle vehicle, crewoperations, housekeeping, and emergency proceduresfor their specific flight.

Space flight preparation includes experiencing a brief period ofweightlessness in the KC-135 aircralt.

For pilot and mission specialist astronauts, it's back tothe classroom for courses in mathematics, meteor-ology, guidance and navigation, astronomy, physics,and computers. They must keep up with currentdesign, development, and modifications of spacecraft,payloads, and launch vehicles, and they attend engi-neering conferences and reviews at JSC, other NASAcenters, and at contractor facilities.

Astronauts train for space flight through simulationactivities. Periods of weightlessness are simulated forup to a half-minute in a modified KC-135 aircraft.During this zero-gravity, the astronaut practices drink-ing, eating, and using various types of equipment.Longer periods of weightlessness are simulated underconditions of "neutral bouyancy" in a specially designedwater tank large enough to hold full-scale mockupsofspacecraft components and equipment. Sharp flyingskills are maintained through regular use of high-performance aircraft assigned to JSC.

Astronaut John Creighton trains In the cockpit of the simulator in theShuffle Avionics Integration Laboratory.

MISSION

As the focal point for America's manned space flightprograms, the JSC mission includes

• design, development, and testing of spacecraftand associated systems for manned space flights

• a major role in the development of a permanentlymanned space station

• selection and training of astronauts and missionspecialists and training of payload specialists

• participation in the areas of medical, scientific,and engineering experiments

As part of its responsibility for the Space Transporta-tion System, JSC operates a Customer IntegrationOffice for managing the integration of the customer'spayl'oad into theSTS. The customer may be NASA, theDepartment of Defense, or commercial organizations.A payload integration manager is assigned to eachcustomer to serve asasingle point of contact between

the customer and the STS for technical integration. The solid rocket boosters fire and Space Shuttle Columbia lifts offfrom Launch Pad 39A at Kennedy Space Center, Florida, on mission

JSC maintains aircraft at nearby Ellington Field for STS-4.astronaut training, research programs, and adminis-trative travel. The space center also operates the WhiteSands Test Facilities at Las Cruces, New Mexico,where propulsion systems tests are conducted.

The scope of the Space Shuttle program is a worldwideproject. Hundreds of contractor and subcontractorfirms throughout the United States and Canada provideSpace Shuttle hardware and software. Space agenciesin Europe develop certain experiments and equipment.Other NASA centers with Space Shuttle responsibilitiesinclude the John F. Kennedy Space Center in Florida

for launch and recovery facilities, and Marshall Space This insignia was designed for the Spacelab 1 mission STS-9. TheFlight Center in Alabama for main engines, booster flight, which included experiments from many nations, was a jointrockets, and external tank. maneuver of NASA and the European Space Agency (ESA).

Commander Vance S. Brand and pilot Robert F. Overmyer on the flight deck of Space Shuttle Columbia during mission STS-5.

FACILITIES •J

Of the 100 buildings that comprise JSC, many contain /!equipment unique to spacecraft and manned space /flight programs• The following are usually open to the

i!public. ,_

Visitor Center

Actual and replica rockets, spacecraft, space suits, andmemorabilia from every facet of the Nation's spaceprogram fill the Visitor Center where films are showndaily. The Center is open every day of the year, exceptChristmas Day, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Mission Control Center VisitorsviewtheLTA-8,atreinerversionoftheLunarModule. During

the Apollo Program, the LTA-8 was, in every respect but propulsion,

From this control center all manned space flights are aworkingLunarModule.controlled after lift-off. The rows of consoh_s in the

room are manned by flight controllers, specialists in all Lunar Sample Buildingphases of manned spacecraft systems. They studydata, monitor progress, and provide information and The major portion of the 800 pounds of lunar materialadvice during a mission. When missions are not in collectedontheMoonduringthesixApollomissionsisprogress, simulations of mission configurations and stored and tested here. Visitors can view types of lunarevents are run to train the controllers and astronauts samples gathered and the processing procedures usedfor flight conditions, at JSC. Several lunar samples can be seen in the sterile

cabinets of the laboratory•Mission Simulation and Training Facility

Mockup and Integration LaboratoryVisitors can view the full-scale trainers used byastronauts and engineers to prepare for the three AstronautsusethisfacilityfrequentlytobecomefamiliarSkylab missions flown in 1973-74. Featured are the with the flight deck and middeck of the Orbiter. Thecommand module, Apollo telescope mount, multiple hi-fidelity Orbiter forward compartment can be pivoteddocking adapter, airlock, and orbital workshop trainers, vertically into launch position or can remain horizontalThese are high-fidelity trainers made more realistic in the landing position. Engineers use this trainer forwith suited manikins placed throughout. Audio tapes stowage fit-check and refitting for various missions.explaining the functions of each trainer are located in The payload bay section is used to fit-check payloadthe respective areas, mockups.

The Shuttle Mockup and Integra-tion Laboratory is a facility fre-quently used by astronauts intraining and by planners of in-space activity. The plywood full-scale mockup of the Orbiter'scabin and cargo bay section,with vertical stabilizer and

thruster mockups, is on view tothe public.

Space Shuttle simulators are realistic flight trainers

used by astronauts, engineers, and technicians toprepare for flights on the Space Shuttle. The motion

. base simulator isaduplicateoftheflightcompartment

._ of the Orbiter and simulates in great detail the sights,sounds, and feel of the cockpit during the launch andre-entry phases of a flight. The fixed base simulatorprimarily depicts the on-orbit operations sights andsounds experienced by the missions specialistscontrolling payload operations.

As a service to educators, JSC has established aTeachers' Resource Center to serve teachers in NorthDakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma,Texas, Colorado, and New Mexico. The purpose of thecenter is to provide educators with an accessiblesource of aerospace materials suitable for use inclassrooms and for other educational or instructionalapplications. Facilities include a slide library andduplication equipment; video tape programs withequipment for viewing and duplication; lesson plansthat can be duplicated, and NASA publications andlithographs relative to the space program. The LunarSample Education Program is available to educatorsafter they are properly certified.

A father and son view two Moon rocks on display in the VisitorCenter. The samples were obtained during the Apollo 12 and Apollo15 expeditions to the Moon. In all, astronauts brought back morethan 800 pounds of lunar material.

Other special-purpose buildings are not open to thepublic. The Space Environment Simulation Laboratorycontains vacuum tanks in which hardware can be

subjected to space-like vacuum and to temperatureextremes. In the Vibration and Acoustic Test Facilityhardware is buffeted by devices that simulate theshakes and sounds of launch and landing; in contrast,the Anechoic Chamber Test Facility is completelysilent. Thick foam baffles covering walls, floor, andceiling absorb stray signals during spacecraft com-munication tests.

The Weightless Environment Training Facility, knownas the WET-F, consists of a water tank that simulateszero gravity. A full-scale mockup of the Orbiter payloadbay can be placed in the tank. The WET-F is anessential tool in the design, testing, and developmentof spacecraft and crew equipment, and in determinationof extravehicular capabilities and workload limits. Forastronauts, training in the WET-F provides familiaritywith planned crew activities and dynamics of bodymotion under weightless conditions.

Astronaut George D. Nelson, mission specialist on mission 41-C,rehearses in the WET-F for an extravehicular task. He is equipped inthis underwater simulation with a mockup of the manned maneuver-ing unit, a gaseous-nitrogen-propelled backpack device.

THE FUTURE

As NASA scientists, engineers, and technicians developthe Nation's first permanently manned space station,their vision boldly stretches to new frontiers. In 1986,the National Commission on Space issued a reportproposing a step-by-step effort for America's futurespace activities. The Commission wants the UnitedStates to open the inner solar system for scientificinquiry, exploration, and enterprise leading to humanoutposts on the Moon by 2005 and on Mars by 2015.

Dr. Thomas O. Paine, former NASA Administrator andCommission Chairman, declared when issuing thereport"...the power of technology is so great, not onlytoday, but as we see it advancing over the next 20years, that it will be the decision of America, and theleadership that we provide to the rest of the world, thatwilldeterminewhattheworldofthe21stcenturywillbelike. We're not predicting it, we are simply trying to saywhat we can make happen."

An artist's concept of the Space Station.

NASA-JSC