It was an historic sight – living legends who worked on the Apollo program reunited for a major milestone to the see the unveiling of restored Historic Mission Control consoles used to send humans to the Moon. The newly restored units arrived in a return flight to Ellington Airport by way of NASA’s Super Guppy.

NASA Johnson Space Center and Space Center Houston are leading the restoration of Historic Mission Control and yesterday marked a major milestone in the ongoing campaign to restore a National Historic Landmark before the Apollo 11 mission’s 50th anniversary in 2019.

Designed to carry oversized cargo, the Super Guppy airlifted the consoles from the Cosmosphere, a space museum in Hutchinson, Kansas. Luminaries of NASA Johnson Space Center’s Apollo program welcomed the consoles under a hangar at Ellington Airport. Together the alumni observed the restored consoles for the first time. Special guests from the Apollo-era included Will Davidson, Ed Fendell, Robert Grilli, Milt Heflin, Denny Holt, James Kelly, Thomas Loe, Glynn Lunney, Merlin Merritt, Bill Moon, Bill Reeves, and Milt Windler.

Johnson Space Center and Space Center Houston leadership were in attendance and spoke briefly about the work on the restoration and significance of restoring Historic Mission Control to its authentic Apollo-era configuration. Those in attendance included NASA Johnson Space Center director Mark Geyer, Space Center Houston president and CEO William T. Harris, NASA Johnson Space Center Apollo Mission Control restoration project manager Jim Thornton, and NASA Johnson Space Center director of flight operations Brian Kelly.

The leading science and space exploration learning center aims to restore Historic Mission Control as an authentic learning experience. “We want to keep the legacy of the Apollo-era alive and preserve Historic Mission Control,” said Harris. “Thanks to the combined efforts of so many people, future generations can experience this iconic room exactly as it was when Neil Armstrong made his historic first steps on the Moon.”

Restored consoles from the room were unveiled for the first time. The consoles revealed were used by the flight surgeon and capsule communication (CAPCOM). Located on the far left console of the second row was the flight surgeon. This position was held by a medical doctor, a flight systems officer who monitored the health of the astronauts. Immediately next to the flight surgeon was the CAPCOM. This was the only flight controller allowed to talk to the astronauts.

The history behind NASA’s historic Mission Operations Control Room spans more than 50 years and time took a toll on the room. The historic Mission Operations Control Room, used during the Gemini, Apollo and Space Shuttle eras, was in acute need of restoration. The project is restoring flight control consoles and reactivating mission situational awareness displays to recreate Apollo-era use of the wall-size screens. Furnishings such as carpeting, tile, paperwork, coffee cups and ashtrays in the room are being collected and restored to recreate the appearance of an active Mission Control room during the Apollo era. When completed, the room will accurately portray how the area looked the moment the first Moon landing occurred on July 20, 1969.