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64-522: Starting in 2015, Space Florida manages and operates the facility under a 30-year lease from NASA. In addition to ongoing use by NASA, private companies have been utilizing the SLF since the 2011 end of the Space Shuttle program . The Shuttle Landing Facility covers 500 acres (2.0 km) and has a single runway, 15/33. It is one of the longest runways in the world , at 15,000 feet (4,600 m), and

128-591: A Senate resolution renaming the Manned Spacecraft Center in his honor. As  Senate Majority Leader , Johnson had sponsored the 1958 legislation which created NASA ; dedication ceremonies were held six months later on August 27. One of the artifacts displayed at Johnson Space Center is the Saturn V rocket. It is whole, except for the ring between the S-IC and S-II stages, and the fairing between

192-583: A Space Florida spaceport at a different location, with the September 2015 announcement that Blue Origin would manufacture their new orbital launch vehicle at Exploration Park , and launch the rocket from Launch Complex 36 . Space Florida has partnered with NASA on the following facilities: NASA%27s Johnson Space Center The Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center ( JSC ) is NASA 's center for human spaceflight in Houston , Texas (originally named

256-439: A crewed spacecraft clears its launch tower until it lands back on Earth, it is in the hands of Mission Control. The MCC houses several Flight Control Rooms, from which flight controllers coordinate and monitor the spaceflights. The rooms have many computer resources to monitor, command, and communicate with spacecraft. When a mission is underway, the rooms are staffed around the clock, usually in three shifts. JSC handles most of

320-543: A delegation which exerted particularly strong political pressure, prompting a personal inquiry to Webb from President Kennedy. Senators and congressmen from sites in Missouri and California similarly lobbied the selection team. Proponents of sites in Boston, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Norfolk, Virginia, went so far as to make separate presentations to Webb and the headquarters staff, so Webb added these additional sites to

384-556: A larger organization to lead the Apollo Program , with new test facilities and research laboratories. In 1961, Congress held hearings and passed a $ 1.7 billion 1962 NASA appropriations bill which included $ 60 million for the new crewed spaceflight laboratory. A set of requirements for the new site was drawn up and released to the Congress and general public. These included: access to water transport by large barges,

448-441: A memorial service honoring the astronauts. It was attended by 6,000 NASA employees and 4,000 guests, as well as by the families of the crew. During the ceremony, an Air Force band led the singing of "God Bless America" as NASA T-38 Talon supersonic jets flew directly over the scene in the traditional missing-man formation . All activities were broadcast live by the national television and radio networks. A similar memorial service

512-442: A moderate climate, availability of all-weather commercial jet service, a well-established industrial complex with supporting technical facilities and labor, close proximity to a culturally attractive community in the vicinity of an institution of higher education, a strong electric utility and water supply, at least 1,000 acres (400 ha) of land, and certain specified cost parameters. In August 1961, Webb asked Associate Director of

576-708: A new facility. This was constructed in 1962 and 1963 on land donated by the Humble Oil company through Rice University , and officially opened its doors in September 1963. Today, JSC is one of ten major NASA field centers and the city of Houston's primary cultural footprint, earning it the official nickname "Space City" in 1967. Johnson Space Center has its origins in NASA 's Space Task Group (STG). Starting on November 5, 1958, Langley Research Center engineers under Robert R. Gilruth directed Project Mercury and follow-on crewed space programs. The STG originally reported to

640-449: A record 283 mph (455 km/h), which still stands as of March 2023. Bohmer impressed the fact that the partnership agreement with NASA and the SLF to test the technology and designs and collect engineering data meant that "[B]y NASA allowing us access to a one-of-a-kind facility, we are given the opportunity to explore these technologies and share their benefits." In 2014, in an attempt at an unofficial production car speed record at

704-885: A swimming test. EVA training is conducted at the Sonny Carter Training Facility . Candidates are also trained to deal with emergencies associated with hyperbaric and hypobaric atmospheric pressures and are given exposure to the microgravity of space flight. Candidates maintain their flying proficiency by flying 15 hours per month in NASA's fleet of T-38 jets based at nearby Ellington Field. Johnson Space Center leads NASA's human spaceflight-related scientific and medical research programs. Technologies developed for spaceflight are now in use in many areas of medicine , energy , transportation , agriculture , communications , and electronics . The Astromaterials Research and Exploration Science (ARES) office performs

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768-551: Is 300 feet (91 m) wide. (Despite its length, astronaut Jack R. Lousma stated that he would have preferred the runway to be "half as wide and twice as long") Additionally, the SLF has 1,001 feet (305 m) of paved overruns at each end. The Mate-Demate Device (MDD), for use when the Shuttle was transported by the Shuttle Carrier Aircraft , was located just off the southern end of the runway. The runway

832-426: Is designated runway 15, or 33, depending on the direction of use. The runway surface consists of an extremely high- friction concrete strip designed to maximize the braking ability of the Space Shuttle at its high landing speed, with a paving thickness of 16.0 inches (40.6 cm) at the center. It uses a grooved design to provide drainage and further increase the coefficient of friction. The original groove design

896-600: Is home to Christopher C. Kraft Jr. Mission Control Center (MCC-H), the NASA control center that coordinates and monitors all human spaceflight for the United States. MCC-H directed all Space Shuttle missions, and currently directs American activities aboard the International Space Station . The Apollo Mission Control Center , a National Historic Landmark , is in Building 30. From the moment

960-560: Is home to NASA's astronaut corps , and is responsible for training astronauts from both the U.S. and its international partners. It also houses the Christopher C. Kraft Jr. Mission Control Center , which has provided the flight control function for every NASA human spaceflight since Gemini 4 (including Apollo , Skylab , Apollo–Soyuz , and Space Shuttle ). It is popularly known by its radio call signs "Mission Control" and "Houston". The original Manned Spacecraft Center grew out of

1024-686: Is the aerospace economic development agency of the State of Florida . Founded in 2006, it works with commercial space companies, other governmental agencies, and academic institutions to develop space-related infrastructure. The agency was created by consolidating three existing state space entities into a single new organization via the Space Florida Act , enacted in May 2006 by the Florida Legislature . The predecessor entities were

1088-774: The Ames Research Center John F. Parsons to head a site-selection team, which included Philip Miller, Wesley Hjornevik, and I. Edward Campagna, the construction engineer for the STG. The team initially came up with a list of 22 cities based on the climate and water criteria, then cut this to a short list of nine with nearby federal facilities: Another 14 sites were then added, including two additional Houston sites chosen because of proximity to Rice University . The team visited all 23 sites between August 21 and September 7, 1961. During these visits, Massachusetts Governor John A. Volpe and Senator Margaret Chase Smith headed

1152-737: The Florida Space Research Institute , and the Florida Aerospace Finance Corporation to create Space Florida. In 2012, Space Florida partnered with NanoRacks to host the Space Florida International Space Station (ISS) Research Competition. Participants competed to fly scientific research payloads in NanoLabs to the International Space Station . The experiments were then conducted on board

1216-563: The Goddard Space Flight Center organization, with a total staff of 45, including 37 engineers, and eight secretaries and human "computers" (women who ran calculations on mechanical adding machines). In 1959, the center added 32 Canadian engineers put out of work by the cancellation of the Avro Canada CF-105 Arrow project. NASA's first administrator, T. Keith Glennan , realized that the growth of

1280-705: The Google Lunar X PRIZE (GXLP), and, as such, had offered an additional US$ 2 million bonus to teams that might have launched their Google Lunar X PRIZE-winning missions from the state of Florida. In the event, the GXLP expired in 2018 before any team had even launched a rover mission to attempt to claim the prize. The Florida Space Authority was created as a Florida state government space agency by Florida's Governor and legislature in 1989. The Authority's mission (as authorized in Chapter 331, Part Two, Florida Statutes)

1344-586: The Human Space Flight Programs . Johnson Space Center was granted a five-year, $ 120-million extension of its agreement with the National Space Biomedical Research Institute at Baylor College of Medicine to study the health risks related to long-duration space flight. The extension will allow a continuation of biomedical research in support of a long-term human presence in space started by

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1408-611: The Manned Spacecraft Center ), where human spaceflight training, research, and flight control are conducted. It was renamed in honor of the late U.S. president and Texas native, Lyndon B. Johnson , by an act of the United States Senate on February 19, 1973. JSC consists of a complex of 100 buildings constructed on 1,620 acres (660 ha) in the Clear Lake Area of Houston . The center

1472-579: The Mercury Control Center located at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station launch center would become inadequate to control missions with maneuverable spacecraft such as Gemini and Apollo. Christopher Kraft and three other flight controllers began studying what was needed for an improved control center, and directed a study contract awarded to Philco 's Western Development Laboratory. Philco bid on and won

1536-685: The Space Task Group (STG) headed by Robert R. Gilruth that was formed to coordinate the U.S. crewed spaceflight program. The STG was based at the Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia , but reported organizationally to the Goddard Space Flight Center just outside Washington, D.C. To meet the growing needs of the US human spaceflight program, plans began in 1961 to expand its staff to its own organization, and move it to

1600-441: The U.S. Government 's Kennedy Space Center , the open access to the U.S. Air Force's Eastern Range over the open Atlantic Ocean to the east, and easy access to the range's tracking facilities made the location attractive on many margins. Among other potential users of the spaceport facility, SpaceX was reported to be considering Shiloh as one of several potential locations for building a commercial launch facility. Opponents of

1664-666: The X-37B uncrewed spacecraft. In October 2014, NASA signed agreement for the use of the facility, and Boeing upgraded the OPF-1 for the X-37B program. The X-37B ( OTV-4 mission) first used Kennedy Space Center 's Shuttle Landing Facility Runway 15 on May 7, 2017 at 11:47 UTC. Subsequently OTV-5 and 6 mission used Shuttle Landing Facility Runway 33 for landing. In 2012, NASA's Johnson Space Center 's Project Morpheus 's first vehicle arrived at KSC. Prior to arrival at KSC and throughout

1728-507: The physical science research at the center. ARES directs and manages all functions and activities of the ARES scientists who perform basic research in earth , planetary , and space sciences . ARES scientists and engineers provide support to the human and robotic spaceflight programs. The responsibilities of ARES also include interaction with the Office of Safety and Mission Assurance and

1792-597: The Apollo program, but Kennedy also made reference to the new Center: What was once the furthest outpost on the old frontier of the West will be the furthest outpost on the new frontier of science and space. Houston, ... with its Manned Spacecraft Center, will become the heart of a large scientific and engineering community. During the next 5 years the National Aeronautics and Space Administration expects to double

1856-557: The Florida Space Authority, the Florida Space Research Institute and the Florida Aerospace Finance Corporation. In 2008, Aviation Week magazine reported that the U.S. Air Force committed to lease Cape Canaveral Launch Complex 36 to Space Florida for future use by the Athena III launch system, but that program had not moved forward as late as 2013. In 2010, Space Florida became a "Preferred Partner" of

1920-762: The House Appropriations Committee, Bob Casey and Olin E. Teague were members of the House Committee on Science and Astronautics, and Teague headed the Subcommittee on Manned Space Flight. Finally, Sam Rayburn was Speaker of the House of Representatives." The land for the new facility was 1,000 acres (400 ha) donated to Rice by the Humble Oil company, situated in an undeveloped area 25 mi (40 km) southeast of Houston adjacent to Clear Lake near Galveston Bay . At

1984-611: The Rice University site to first place. Webb informed President Kennedy on September 14 of the decision made by him and deputy administrator Hugh Dryden in two separate memoranda, one reviewing the criteria and procedures, and the other stating: "Our decision is that this laboratory should be located in Houston, Texas, in close association with Rice University and the other educational institutions there and in that region." The Executive Office and NASA made advance notifications of

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2048-574: The S-II and S-IVB stages, and made of actual surplus flight-ready articles. It also has real (though incomplete) Apollo command and service modules, intended to fly in the canceled Apollo 19 mission . In June 2019, the restored Apollo Mission Control Center was opened for tourists. In the wake of the January 28, 1986, Space Shuttle Challenger disaster , President Ronald Reagan and First Lady Nancy Reagan traveled to JSC on January 31 to speak at

2112-590: The SLF, a Hennessey Venom GT recorded a top speed of 270.49 mph (435.31 km/h). In 2021, in a similar attempt at the SLF, the SSC Tuatara recorded a one-way speed of 286.1 mph (460.4 km/h) and a two-way average of 282.9 mph (455.3 km/h). In 2019, the Gulfstream G650ER of the multinational One More Orbit flight mission recorded the fastest circumnavigation of the Earth via

2176-563: The SLF, as have record-setting attempts by the Virgin Atlantic GlobalFlyer . The SLF has been the site of high performance automobile testing and speed record attempts. In 2010, NASCAR teams used the facility for vehicle testing. In 2012, Performance Power's Johnny Bohmer drove his Ford GT modified test car at the SLF, setting the Guinness World Records mark for 'Fastest standing mile – car' with

2240-588: The SLF. The final landing of a Space Shuttle occurred on July 21, 2011, by Atlantis for STS-135 . Discovery and Endeavour took off from the SLF on top of the Shuttle Carrier Aircraft for museums in Washington, D.C., and Los Angeles. In January 2014 it was announced that Boeing would lease the Orbiter Processing Facility at Kennedy Space Center to enable the U.S. Air Force to efficiently land, recover, refurbish, and re-launch

2304-573: The Shiloh location that would facilitate commercial space launch pads on the Florida Space Coast . These include working with the U.S. Air Force to see about converting some of the very large amount of unused military launch pads at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station (south of Shiloh) to state land that might be used as a commercial spaceport. The efforts in late 2014 to find an alternative ultimately came to fruition in 2015 to open

2368-524: The U.S. National Lab. Space Florida covered the costs of research payload transportation to the ISS for the eight winning applicants. The Space Florida ISS Research Competition is designed to inspire innovation and enable unique research opportunities and access for customers to the ISS. In the early 2010s, Space Florida proposed a commercial spaceport at Shiloh , in northern Brevard County , but those plans never came to fruition. Located immediately north of

2432-515: The U.S. space program would cause the STG to outgrow the Langley and Goddard centers and require its own location. On January 1, 1961, he wrote a memo to his yet-unnamed successor (who turned out to be James E. Webb ), recommending a new site be chosen. Later that year, when President John F. Kennedy set the goal to put a person on the Moon by the end of the decade, it became clear Gilruth would need

2496-470: The award, and the public announcement of the location followed on September 19, 1961. According to Texas A&M University historian Henry C. Dethloff , "Although the Houston site neatly fit the criteria required for the new center, Texas undoubtedly exerted an enormous political influence on such a decision. Lyndon B. Johnson was Vice President and head of the Space Council, Albert Thomas headed

2560-758: The center the Christopher C. Kraft Jr. Mission Control Center on April 14, 2011. In addition to housing NASA's astronaut operations, JSC is also the site of the former Lunar Receiving Laboratory , where the first astronauts returning from the Moon were quarantined , and where the majority of lunar samples are stored. The center's Landing and Recovery Division operated MV Retriever in the Gulf of Mexico for Gemini and Apollo astronauts to practice water egress after splashdown . On February 19, 1973, four weeks after Johnson's death, President Richard Nixon signed into law

2624-455: The contract to build the electronic equipment for the new Mission Control Center, which would be located in Building 30 of MSC rather than Canaveral or the Goddard Space Flight Center in Maryland. Construction began in 1963. The new center had two Mission Operations Control Rooms, allowing training and preparation for a later mission to be carried out while a live mission is in progress. It

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2688-535: The coordinating facility for the Constellation program , which was planned to replace the Shuttle program after 2010, but was canceled in 2009. The visitor center has been the adjacent Space Center Houston since 1994; JSC Building 2 previously housed the visitor center. The Johnson Space Center Heliport ( FAA LID : 72TX ) is located on the campus. About 3,200 civil servants, including 110 astronauts , are employed at Johnson Space Center. The bulk of

2752-557: The dynamics of body motion under weightless conditions. Building 31-N houses the Lunar Sample Laboratory Facility , which stores, analyzes, and processes most of the samples returned from the Moon during the Apollo program. The center is also responsible for direction of operations at White Sands Test Facility in New Mexico , which served as a backup Space Shuttle landing site and would have been

2816-414: The exception of STS-3 , which landed at White Sands Space Harbor ) while the landing facility continued testing and Shuttle crews developed landing skills at White Sands and Edwards, where the margin for error is much greater than SLF and its water hazards. On September 22, 1993, Discovery was the first Space Shuttle to land at night at the SLF on STS-51 . A total of 78 Space Shuttle missions landed at

2880-491: The facility. Columbia was the first Shuttle to arrive at the SLF via the Shuttle Carrier Aircraft on March 24, 1979. The runway was first used to land a Space Shuttle on February 11, 1984, when Challenger's STS-41-B mission returned to Earth. This also marked the first landing of a spacecraft at its launch site. Prior to this, all Shuttle landings were performed at Edwards Air Force Base in California (with

2944-695: The final review. Following its tour, the team identified MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa as its first choice, based on the fact the Air Force was planning to close down its Strategic Air Command operations there. The Houston Rice University site was second, and the Benicia Ordnance Depot in San Francisco was third. Before a decision could be made, however, the Air Force decided not to close MacDill, omitting it from consideration and moving

3008-635: The institute and NASA's Human Research Program through 2012. The Prebreathe Reduction Program is a research study program at the JSC that is currently being developed to improve the safety and efficiency of space walks from the International Space Station . The Overset Grid-Flow software was developed at Johnson Space Center in collaboration with NASA Ames Research Center . The software simulates fluid flow around solid bodies using computational fluid dynamics . The Texas Space Commission

3072-541: The nation was led by Vice-President Dick Cheney and his wife Lynne at Washington National Cathedral two days later. On September 13, 2008, Hurricane Ike hit Galveston as a category 2 hurricane and caused minor damage to the Mission Control Center and other buildings at JSC. The storm damaged the roofs of several hangars for the T-38 Talons at Ellington Field . The Johnson Space Center

3136-607: The north and south poles of 46 h 40 min 22 s. The Shuttle Landing Facility served as launch and landing site for the world speed record, certified by the Guinness World Records and the World Air Sports Federation Fédération Aéronautique Internationale . [REDACTED] Media related to Launch and Landing Facility at Wikimedia Commons Space Florida Space Florida

3200-477: The number of scientists and engineers in this area, to increase its outlays for salaries and expenses to $ 60 million a year; to invest some $ 200 million in plant and laboratory facilities; and to direct or contract for new space efforts over $ 1 billion from this Center in this City. The 1,620-acre (6.6 km ) facility was officially opened for business in September 1963. In 1961, as plans for Project Gemini began, it became increasingly clear that

3264-679: The planning and training of the U.S. astronaut corps and houses training facilities such as the Sonny Carter Training Facility and the Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory , a critical component in training astronauts for spacewalks. The Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory provides a controlled neutral buoyancy environment—a very large pool containing about 6.2 million U.S. gallons (23,000 m ) of water where astronauts train to practice extra-vehicular activity tasks while simulating zero-g conditions. The facility provides preflight training in becoming familiar with crew activities and with

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3328-635: The project, Morpheus vehicle tests were performed at other NASA centers; KSC was the site for advanced testing. Multiple tests, including free flight, were performed at the SLF in 2013–2014. Multiple vehicles and iterations of the vehicles were tested, due to upgrades and damages during this experimental test program. During the August 9, 2012, test at the SLF, a vehicle exploded; no one was injured. The SLF has also been used by commercial users. Zero Gravity Corporation , which offers flights where passengers experience brief periods of microgravity , has operated from

3392-456: The property would face a highway, and the total included another 20 acres (8.1 ha) reserve drilling site. Construction of the center, designed by Charles Luckman , began in April 1962, and Gilruth's new organization was formed and moved to the temporary locations by September. That month, Kennedy gave a speech at Rice University on the U.S. space program. The speech is famous for highlighting

3456-659: The proposed Shiloh launch location cite the potential for a negative impact on the natural environment because this area is home to several species listed as endangered or threatened. Even though the National Aeronautics and Space Administration ( NASA ) has yet to agree to turn over the land to the State of Florida for commercial development, NASA has agreed to let the Federal Aviation Administration lead an environmental impact study at

3520-494: The proposed site. SpaceX ended up selecting Brownsville, Texas to build its private spaceport . On May 2, 2013, the Volusia County Council voted 6-1 in favor of a commercial launch site at Shiloh. Though largely symbolic in nature, the vote was considered by many to be a critical step toward any future development of the proposed Shiloh location. In July 2014, after difficulties gaining support from environmental groups and others, Space Florida began looking for alternatives to

3584-401: The runway. The landing facility is managed by contractor EG&G , which provides air traffic control services, as well as managing potential hazards to landing aircraft, such as bird life. The Bird Team kept the facility clear of both local and migratory birds during Shuttle landings using pyrotechnics , blank rounds fired from shotguns and a series of 25 propane cannons arranged around

3648-431: The state's Governor through the governor's Office of Tourism, Trade, and Economic Development . Development of the space industry. Chapter 331 of the Florida Statutes specifically states that the FSA is not to be considered an "agency," even though it receives funding directly from the state of Florida, according to its website. With the Space Florida Act, enacted in May 2006, the Florida Legislature consolidated FSA,

3712-573: The time, the land was used to graze cattle. Immediately after Webb's announcement, Gilruth and his staff began planning the move from Langley to Houston, using what would grow to 295,996 sq ft (27,498.9 m ) of leased office and laboratory space in 11 scattered sites. On November 1, the conversion of the Task Group to MSC became official. Tracts of land in the vicinity of the Manned Spacecraft Center were either owned or being under exclusive control of Joseph L. Smith & Associates, Inc. NASA purchased an additional 600 acres (240 ha) so

3776-698: The workforce consists of over 11,000 contractors. As of October 2014, Stinger Ghaffarian Technologies took over United Space Alliance 's primary contract. As of June 2021, the center's director is Vanessa E. Wyche . NASA's astronaut training is conducted at the Johnson Space Center. Astronaut candidates receive training on spacecraft systems and in basic sciences including mathematics, guidance and navigation, oceanography, orbital dynamics, astronomy, and physics. Candidates are required to complete military water survival prior to beginning their flying instruction. Candidates are also required to become scuba -qualified for extravehicular training and are required to pass

3840-474: Was brought online for testing purposes during the uncrewed Gemini 2 flight in January 1965 and the first crewed Gemini flight, Gemini 3 in March 1965, though the Mercury Control Center still retained primary responsibility for control of these flights. It became fully operational for the flight of Gemini 4 the following June, and has been the primary flight control center for all subsequent U.S. crewed space missions from Project Gemini forward. NASA named

3904-410: Was established by Texas governor Greg Abbott on March 26, 2024 at Johnson Space Center. Astronauts, center directors, and other NASA employees are memorialized in a Memorial Grove near the main entrance and visitor badging center (building 110). Trees dedicated to the memory of astronauts and center directors are in a round cluster closest to the entrance, other employees are memorialized behind along

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3968-403: Was found to actually provide too much friction for the rubber used in the Shuttle's tires, causing failures during several landings. This issue was resolved by grinding down the pavement, reducing the depth of the grooves significantly. A local nickname for the runway is the "gator tanning facility", as some of the 4,000 alligators living at Kennedy Space Center regularly bask in the sunlight on

4032-413: Was held at the Johnson Space Center on February 4, 2003, for the astronauts who perished in the Space Shuttle Columbia disaster three days before, which was attended by President George W. Bush and First Lady Laura Bush . Although that service was broadcast live by the national television and radio networks, it was geared mainly to NASA employees and the families of the astronauts. A second service for

4096-427: Was to retain, expand and diversify the state's space-related industry. Chapter 331 gives FSA governmental powers similar to those of other types of transportation authorities ( airport , seaport , etc.) to support and regulate the state's space transportation industry. It was empowered to own, operate, construct, finance, acquire, extend, equip and improve spaceport infrastructure . The Florida Space Authority served

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