Saving Apollo Mission Control

Next they have to pump cigarette smoke through the HVAC system to replicate the 60’s-70’s atmosphere

Fun Fact, the original large screens in mission control were actually metal coated glass not screens. Behind the glass plates was the projection room, know as the bat cave. It contained huge xenon lamp projectors as its light source. the actual images where pre cut like photo etching, where as the trace lines for the mission progress where scribed using diamond tipped scribes behind the plates. These scribes were linked to XYZ plotters which used converted data from the telemetry computers, these would scrape away a line of coating allowing light to shine through. Mind blowing.

Is that room on the national register of historic places? If not, it certainly should be!

Back in 2005 while touring JSFC, our group was lead to Bldg. 30 and upstairs into the Apollo mission control viewing gallery and the tour guide asked us all to be seated. I took my seat and watched the presentation and continued on the centers tour. Years later, I found out that I had sat in the same seat that Queen Elizabeth sat in which was forbidden to be seated in.... (The night cleaning crew neglected to replace the "DO NOT SIT HERE" sign.) I found this out on a return visit to the center and building 30 and saw that placard sitting on the seat cushion.

I was 7 years old in July, 1969, and watched everything that was ever broadcast about the Apollo missions from 1969 to 1972. This place is on my 'bucket list' of places I would like to visit. Thank you to all those involved with bringing this important piece of history back to life!

I didn't realize that the room has been preserved. Having lived through those times, it make me very happy that it is being valued. Gene Kranz is still one of my heroes as are all those (then) young men who did amazing things.

Those "uncomfortable" old office chairs were actually quite comfortable, in fact much more so than many new office chairs available today. I spent quite a few years sitting in them before the company I worked for eventually was forced to replace them when OSHA required 5 legs on office chairs rather than 4. Those old plastic coffee cups with the burlap inside used to be everywhere. You could buy a set of 6 at the supermarket for 99 cents. Those weren't nearly as tacky as some of the variations that you could find in tourist traps that had little glittery fish and mermaids inside them.

I was in this room recently and I can say they did a wonderful job. I almost cried when the room lit up. Truly a masterpiece of restoration. Side note I met Jene Kranz and Ed for Jene’s book signing. Jene was the most gracious man I ever met and Ed was hilarious. When my wife and I met Ed he’s was playing jokes on us the whole tour.

My parents got me out of bed to watch this in the UK. I was 5 1/2 years old and still remember it (although I was mostly bored at the time). Great job everybody x

R.I.P. Glynn Lunney. Thank you for your years of service at NASA and Rockwell.

I was privileged to get a private tour of this room about 10 years ago. One of the most remarkable memories is how clearly it still smelled like cigar smoke.

On this date I had my 17th birthday I can never forget this day and then 4 days later Tranquility Base here The Eagle has landed. I am glad that this has been preserved when people hundreds of years from now see this they will know who, what and why. Thanks to the space program of the United States and President Kennedy for setting the pace.

I always get a lump in my throat when I watch the old videos of the Apollo Moon landings.........

the amount of effort putting into this just makes me so happy almost looked like nothing happened after the the 70s

The restoration of Mission Control is worth every cent spent to make it happen. I was 12 years old and grounded at home because I broke the rules. We sat in front of our TV to witness live the landing and first step on the moon. Our windows rattled as we all shouted at the top of our voices as Neil Armstrong stepped onto the surface of the moon. I remember my street being void of people as this was aired live. We even had a few neighbors in our living room creating a standing room only, yet you could hear a pin drop!! I am emotional as I watch this video, this takes me back to my twelfth year!! Thank You!

The P-tube canisters are how the space between the two front rows of consoles got the nickname "the trench". Apparently the empty canisters tended to accumulate up there in front and someone observed that when a bunch of the empty canisters ended up on the floor it looked like the trench around a piece of field artillery that had become full of expended artillery shells.

The Mission Control Room will always be my cathedral. I remember July 20, 1969, and all the other days of Apollo missions as though they were yesterday. Thank you so much for preserving this place. It needs to kept forever.

My dad worrked on some of the Apollo tracking ships,the stories he used to tell me about them were amazing.I remember see a documentary about the early Mercury project and the started the program showing the old control room,the consoles had the instrumentation removed with the wires hanging out of the holes.These guys are doing the right thing!

It is so refreshing to see that quality and attention to detail is still important to true professionals!

Its worthy to note that they actually built TWO identical Lunar Excursion Modules or LEMs for that mission. One went to NASA to be sent to the moon, the other was in a hanger in Grumman in Bethpage, NY. Anyone who worked on the LEM stayed at the plant when the LEM was in operation. When the mission was over, they lushed the duplicate LEM out into the parking lot, spray painted camo green and left there. I used to see it every day when I would go to & from my HS. They used the NASA guppy to come pick it up and they flew out at night under cover of darkness. I lived 1/4 mile from end of the runway and when the Guppy came in to land, it looked way to low and thought it was going to crash. My best friends father was in charge of wiring for the LEM and was very proud that day. When he cam home after the mission he looked very tired from the many long hours at the plant.