Frequently Asked Questions 

If you still have a question about the Russell Space Center, click here to send us a note and we'll be happy to answer you.  You can even sign up for "Space Shots," the Russell Space Center Email List!

1. How did you build the Star Sailor 1 Space Shuttle Simulator?
2. Are the astronauts REALLY sealed up in the simulator for 24 hours ?
3. Do the astronauts leave the simulator to go to the bathroom?
4. What does Mission Control do during a mission ?
5. How do you track the Space Shuttle on your computers ?
6. How long does it take to prepare for a mission ?
7. Why do you always have the Astronaut Crew on the front page of the web site?  What about the people who work in Mission Control?

How did you build the Star Sailor 1 Space Shuttle Simulator ?

The Star Sailor 1 (named by Josh V., STS-1) consists of two separate compartments that are built independently and then pushed together. Without going into too much boring detail, each room has a wooden base and an arched frame constructed of 1" PVC pipe. The frame is covered with white polyurethane sheeting obtained from a greenhouse supply company.  A door is cut into the sheeting to adjoin the two compartments (the flight deck and mid deck). At the aft end of the mid deck, there is an octagonal hatch through which the crew enters and exits.  Two dryer ducts channel a continuous supply of fresh clean air from the air conditioner to the simulator. 

There are two instrument panels for the commander and pilot that are made of wood and painted aircraft gray. There are 180 lighted switches that are powered by two 10 AMP DC power supply boxes. 

We also have a 50 square foot SpaceLab module added for the STS-2 Mission.  It is constructed from PVC drain pipe connected into a square prism and then covered with polyurethane sheeting.  It is accessed through a hole cut from the mid deck, and it has it's own ventilation system identical to that of the rest of the simulator.

If you'd like more detailed plans, email us.

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Are the astronauts REALLY sealed up inside the simulator for 24 hours ?

Absolutely! The astronauts on the STS-1 and STS-2 crews spent almost exactly 27 hours sealed inside the 164 square foot crew compartment (36 square feet are taken up by the instrument panels).  Everything must be stowed onboard before liftoff just like a real Shuttle flight--food, water, hygiene materials, sleeping bags, and clothing. 

Actually, according to former crew members, the time passes quickly because there is so much work to be done,  things like satellite deployments, experiments, and lots of routine "in-flight maintenance."  In fact, the STS-2 crew almost had to spend an additional 24 hours in the simulator because heavy fog at Kennedy Space Center made landing there impossible until the last minute and a "wave off" was looking inevitable.  The next landing opportunity would not have been until around 12 noon the next day!  That's the level of dedication that those on the Space Team have to every mission!

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Do the astronauts leave the simulator to go to the bathroom?

Nope!  More people ask us this question than any other. Believe it or not, there's a bathroom onboard the simulator. We call it Mr. Thirsty! It's about the size of a small phone booth, and it's completely private and sanitary. The toilet is a portable pump-flush toilet with a disinfectant and deodorizer.  Just like astronauts on the real Space Shuttle, our astronauts have to have a course in how to operate the onboard WCS--Waste Collection System.

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What does Mission Control do during a mission ?

The very best astronauts in the world could not even get off of the launch pad without a team of people supporting them every step of the way.  Our Flight Controllers who man the Mission Control Center (MCC) study and practice for months to intimately know their part of the mission.  During the mission, Flight Controllers must track the information continuously being downlinked via satellite (simulated satellite, that is) from the Shuttle.  This information is called telemetry, and it allows each Flight Controller to understand what the condition of the equipment and systems of the Shuttle.

In the event of a malfunction, or "mal," the Flight Controllers must work together to come up with a procedure that will fix the problem.  This can be as quick as a switch throw . . . or as elaborate and complicated as an emergency abort to a remote landing site somewhere in the world.  In addition to monitoring telemetry, they must track the Shuttle's position in space and design trajectories and maneuvers whenever necessary.  There are also Flight Surgeons to track the crew's health and a Flight Activities Officer to coordinate everything that happens during a mission.

Flight Controllers work in two-hour shifts on teams of nine people.  The three teams, Red Team, White Team, and Blue Team, are headed by a Flight Director who is responsible for everything  that happens during that shift.   

After their two-hour shift the Flight Controllers have a four-hour break that can be spent in the Off Duty room relaxing.  However, it's not unusual for a Flight Controller who is on their break to have to come back to assist their counterpart on another team if things start going wrong!  

Those in Mission Control rarely receive the glamorous glow of the spotlight that Astronaut Crew receives, but they take a huge amount of pride in what they do and they do it very well!  They are the real backbone of the Russell Space Center!

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How do you track the Space Shuttle on your computers ?

We are very fortunate to have the services of Mr. Dan Adamo who is a Flight Dynamics Officer for Mission Control, Johnson Space Center, Houston.  Mr. Adamo writes trajectories for NASA Shuttle missions and moonlights as the owner of his own software company called MacMission Control.   He has been very gracious in helping our program out at his own time and expense.  Mr. Adamo has written trajectories for our satellites and answered endless questions from our Space Team, and on February 1, 2000 he paid a personal visit to the Russell Space Center to work with our Astronaut Crew and Flight Control Teams .

We use two tracking programs written by Mr. Adamo.  These two state-of-the-art programs are called MacMECO and MacSPOC. With Mr. Adamo's help and a lot of practice on his two programs, our Flight Controllers have become very proficient at knowing exactly where the Space Shuttle is (as well as how fast it is moving and where it is going) at any given moment.  One of these programs, MacSPOC, has actually flown and been used onboard the Space Shuttle several times.

During STS-1 we relied entirely on a program developed for NASA by Dr. Dave Ransom called STS-PLUS. STS-PLUS reads orbital data that is in the form of something called Two Line Elements (TLE). A TLE contains all of the mathematical inputs for the computer, which then are transformed into an orbit that can be displayed and tracked on STS-PLUS' tracking screens. We wrote our own TLEs for STS-1 by taking the TLEs from a real Shuttle mission and then altering them so that they worked with our mission.  Since then, we have learned how to design our own trajectories using MacSPOC trajectory design capability and then writing the TLEs from other freely available software.

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How long does it take to prepare for a mission?

Months and months! Most mission dates are set about a year in advance and preparation takes place almost immediately. 

Space Team members apply and are selected around October.  Things start to really go into high gear around December and then peak during the three or four weeks before launch when training and practice becomes a full-time affair for everyone involved. The Space Team members also spend countless hours studying and practicing at home as well. They must be proficient on  many different types of software and have an understanding of advanced math and physics concepts that take many hours to master.

In addition to this you have many, many people--parents, students, teachers, and others--who spend hundreds of hours behind the scenes gathering supplies, coordinating dinners and sleeping arrangements, and juggling schedules. If anyone could ever add this all up, it would undoubtedly go well into thousands of hours. 

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Why do you always have the Astronaut Crew on the front page of the web site?  What about the people who work in Mission Control?  

Nobody works harder than our Mission Controllers!  NOBODY!  We are every bit as proud of them as we are the Astronaut Crew and both work equally hard to make every mission a success.  Our Mission Control Teams do the things they do simply because they take a huge personal stake in getting "their" Astronaut Crew back home safely.  It's a matter of team pride and personal pride and a lot of genuine heartfelt camaraderie between ALL of these young people who stick it out together through a very challenging program.  They do these things knowing that the astronauts are the "movie stars" of the program who receive most of the fancy news coverage and attention, while the Flight Controllers go on working quietly behind the scenes to make it all happen.  

That's why it is--and always will be--a longstanding RSC tradition to have the heroes of Mission Control standing "behind" the Astronaut Crew on our web page.  You see, that's what the Russell Space Center program is all about--teamwork and unselfishness at its finest!

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