Mission Control

Thursday 16th June

Thursday began with a visit to the Russian Mission Control Centre (TsUP) in Korolev, 6 km North East of Moscow.

	At 10:01 we are on the bus, and a sighting of the Space Obelisk of the Memorial Museum of Cosmonautics (MMK) gives away our position as being on the North side of Moscow, near the VDNKh metro station. On the left the Television Tower gives away the position of Television Centre.

Twenty minutes later, at 10:21, we reach the city of Korolev, as indicated by a monument that clearly illustrates its main industry. Korolev (formerly Kaliningrad) is located 6km North East of Moscow, and was founded by (and subsequently named after) Sergei Pavlovich Korolev, the legendary Chief Designer behind the soviet space program. The city was founded to consolidate the activities of many people involved in the soviet space programme. The city was renamed in honour of its founder in 1998.

	We alight the bus and mill around in front of the main entrance while the arrangements are made for our entry.

At 10:27 we arrive at the Mission Control Center , also known as TsUP in Russian. TsUP was built in 1973 and is operated by TsNIIMash - the Central Research Institute for Machine Building, on behalf of the Russian Federal Space Agency FKA.

	After being ushered through the security at the main entrance, we are ascending the staircase just beyond it at 10:38.

Behind us, just above the main entrance, is a mural depicting the heroes of the Russian space program - Tsiolkovsky, Gagarin and Korolev.

Mission Control Room Briefing

	The introductory presentation concludes at 10:48, and there is a chance for some of us to be photographed in the seats normally occupied by cosmonauts during their post flight debriefings and media interviews.

At 10:52 - Ulf, Marisa, Kelly and Jennie in the Cosmonaut seats just before we were ushered out to see the ISS Control Room.

	At the top of the stairs we are ushered into a conference room used for press briefings and to debrief returning cosmonauts.

At 10:40am we are given an introductory briefing on the operation of the Mission Control Room which we are about to visit. The presentation was in Russian, with Lena (on the presenters left) providing an English translation.

The Mission Control Room

	We emerged on the observation balcony, with the large mission status displays clearly visible to our front.

The central display was a map showing the orbital track of the Photon-M2 spacecraft.

	The left hand display seems to contain the scheduled re-entry sequence for the spacecraft.

On the right hand display there seems to be a depiction of the spacecraft and below it the mission patch, proclaiming Foton M2 - Physics and Biology in Space

	Below us the rows of mission controllers work stations. Our visit had been timed to occur during a break in mission activity, so the area was largely deserted.

On the way back to the briefing room at 11:00 Ulf pauses in the corridor to pose next to a large globe. Behind him the walls are covered with posters commemorating all of the missions and crews of the Soviet and Russian space missions.

Medical Support and the ISS

	Back in the conference room the agenda moves to something more closely aligned to the purposes of the summer school - a briefing on the care and maintenance of cosmonauts by the facility's medical team.

We then retire to the control room from which operations on the International Space Station are managed.

	Another map screen displaying an orbital path - this time of the ISS. It seems the only locations on Earth worth labelling are Moscow, Baikonur (the Russian launch site in Kazakstan), Houston and Cape Canaveral.

One of the charts used to monitor cosmonaut activity

	The GMO's desk in the control room.

And here he is at his disk..

	Looks like Jennie has decided to lend a hand.

At 13:11, a last chance for questions before leaving the control room.

	The last stop on our tour was one of the medical offices for a chance to talk to some of the medical staff about their work.

Then it was time to make our way back through the corridoors of Mission Control to make our exit.

	At 14:15 the visit has concluded and we have left the building and are making our way back onto the bus..

And at 14:25 we are again passing the monument which heralded our arrival at Korolev.

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