Space Flight Operations Facility

Space Flight Operations Facility (The Center of the Universe)
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
U.S. National Historic Landmark
The Space Flight Operations Center, a National Historic Landmark, has been operational and staffed every day since 1964.
Location	Building 230,Jet Propulsion Laboratory,Pasadena,California
Coordinates	34°12′3.91″N118°10′25.01″W
Area	122,074 square feet(11,340 m²)
Built	14th May 1964(14th May 1964)
Architect	NASA
NRHP referenceNo.	85002814
Significant dates
Added to NRHP	October 03, 1985
Designated NHL	October 3, 1985

TheSpace Flight Operations Facility(SFOF) is a building containing acontrol roomand related computing andcommunications equipmentareas at theJet Propulsion LaboratoryinPasadena,California.NASA'sDeep Space Networkis operated from this facility. The SFOF has monitored and controlled allinterplanetaryanddeep space explorationfor NASA and other international space agencies since 1964. The facility also acted as a backup communications facility for Apollo missions.

It was declared aNational Historic Landmarkin 1985 and is on theNational Register of Historic Places.

Public tours are available with advance planning.

History

In the early years, the operations control center of theDeep Space Networkdid not have a permanent facility. It was a makeshift setup with numerous desks and phones installed in a large room near the computers used to calculate orbits. In July 1961, NASA started the construction of the permanent facility, Space Flight Operations Facility (SFOF). The facility was completed in October 1963 dedicated on May 14, 1964. In the initial setup of the SFOF, there were 31 consoles, 100 closed-circuit television cameras, and more than 200 television displays to supportRanger 6toRanger 9andMariner 4.

Current operations

The Center of the Universe plaque

As of 2012, there were 22 spacecraft monitored from this facility. Depending on the operations of the spacecraft, they are scheduled to be online for 1 to 10 hours at a time. Notable is that the facility also processes the signal fromVoyager 1that is sent from about 11 billion miles from Earth.With data feeding into the Space Flight Operations Facility from every NASA spacecraft beyond low Earth orbit, includingrovers,orbiters,anddeep-space probes,there is a plaque in the middle of the room designating the facility "The Center of the Universe."

panaorama of the SFOF from the center of the room between the Cassini and Curiosity mission control consoles

See also

A list of other Deep Space Network facilities:

• Goldstone Deep Space Communications Complex
• Madrid Deep Space Communication Complex
• Canberra Deep Space Communication Complex

External links

• Official Site
• Aviation: From Sand Dunes to Sonic Booms, a National Park ServiceDiscover Our Shared HeritageTravel Itinerary
• Man in Space, an NHL Theme study