By Natasha Lomas, 9 April 2009 14:00
Nasa Mission Control Center: Houston we have a problem
Nasa's Mission Control Center (MCC) in Texas is surely high on many a tech enthusiast's list of dream places to visit. Here, teams of Nasa flight controllers sit behind banks of consoles to monitor and direct shuttle missions from the ground tracking station. The Johnson Space Centre's MCC also manages activity aboard the International Space Station where a rotating crew of astronaut scientists conduct various research experiments. All in all, a bit more exciting than mere remote-controlling a user's PC to fix a print problem then.
Flight controllers have shifts that average eight to 12 hours per day in front of the consoles with only five to 10 minute screen breaks every 90 minutes - but they are allowed to eat and drink at their desks.
Pictured above is the ISS control room at the Johnson Space Center in Houston.
Photo credit: Nasa
Comments
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1. Mike McNamara
Excellent list and great to see Akihabara as the first one.
I was visit lucky to go there in 1967 as a very young 'techie' in the Royal Navy! I brought back a special radio valve for my father who was a radio ham.
I went again with the Navy, but in 1980 also worked there installing a color scanner at a printing company and came back with 'bits' for my first personal computer.
Fascinating place that still holds its magic today
2. Olivier MJ Crépin-Leblond
Shocked to read:
"Pictured here is what is effectively the birth certificate of the internet - the first page of Berners-Lee's research proposal into Information Management which led to the creation of a world wide web. "
Having been a long-time reader of Silicon.com (ever since its birth), and having a lot of respect for Ms. Lomas, I am afraid to have to say that this time round, you're falling in the classic mistake of confusing the words "Internet" and "Web". Birth of Internet: late 60s. Birth of Web: late 80s. That's 20 years difference, sorry.