The following articles were posted to the sci.space.history newsgroup in 2002. They are gathered here in one place for easy research and reading.
An image was posted by Marco Cecotti which is a map of the Mission Control Operations Room used in the Apollo flights.
Image from: http://perso.wanadoo.fr/max.q/mcc_3_map.gif
Hosted at site: http://perso.wanadoo.fr/max.q/main.htm
On Sat, 16 Feb 2002 18:20:38 +0000 (UTC), "Jorge R. Frank"
wrote:
>"Marco Cecotti" wrote in
>news:a4m6j1$jpu$1@wanadoo.fr:
>
>> I've just completed the first version of a map of the third floor of
>> the MSC Apollo Mission Control Center, with diagrams extracted from
>> "MCC Operational Configuration". Some areas are missing, I will try to
>> find detailed graphics...
>
>Nice... brings back memories.
>
>The unlabeled room between the "Control and Display Terminal Equipment" and
>the MOCR was known as the "batcave", and the unlabeled room to the right of
>the MOCR (directly to the right of the word "MOCR" and beneath the room
>labeled "Display and Timing Equipment") was known as the "simulation
>control area" (SCA). That's where Sim Sup and his team of instructors
>would sit while monitoring integrated simulations. Note the four large
>windows looking out into the MOCR so the instructors could watch their
>victi^w students in action.
>
>I'm sure James Summers could identify some of the other rooms. I know them
>by their shuttle-era functions, but some had definitely changed since
>Apollo.
Oh, this does bring back memories. Never heard it called the
"batcave", but it doesn't surprise me. It was mostly dark in there
with all kinds of mechanical noises when the projectors started
changing slides, etc.
The area directly above the word MOCR was the rear projection screens.
The big one in the middle is 10' high and 20' wide. The sides had 2
each of 10' by 10'. All the area that Jorge called the batcave was
full of projectors, mirrors, cables, etc.
There were several kinds of projectors back there. Some had dynamic
data scribed on them, some were point plotters (for the moving
spacecraft) and some had "back ground" slides. This equipment was
"dumb as a post". Each device took a sequence of commands to make it
do what you wanted. And there had to be timing intervals imbedded in
the command sequence. They forgot to tell us that when we started
working on Apollo in '65. The first time our guy fired up the big
10x20 projector, then gave it a "change background slide" command, the
slide was halfway back into the carrousel when the "rotate carrousel"
command hit and it did JUST EXACTLY WHAT WE TOLD IT TO. Sheared that
$500 background slide neatly in two!
As yes, memories, some pleasant, some not...
-----------------------
James Summers
IBM-ret, "old space guy".
Apollo 201, 202, 203, 204, 1, & 9 RTCC Support. Apollo 13 "back room".
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
"James Summers" wrote:
> Oh, this does bring back memories. Never heard it called the
> "batcave", but it doesn't surprise me. It was mostly dark in there
> with all kinds of mechanical noises when the projectors started
> changing slides, etc.
Oh yeah... definitely the "Bat Cave"... never heard it called anything else.
:)
> There were several kinds of projectors back there. Some had dynamic
> data scribed on them, some were point plotters (for the moving
> spacecraft) and some had "back ground" slides.
The "point plotters" were really cool. They were *literally* small mirrors,
maybe 2" square-ish or so, that had a stylus *scribe away* part of the
silver coating in the pattern to project onto the 10x20 projection display.
This could be either groundtrack data for the world map plots, or
ascent/entry dynamic data on those plots.
I have one of those "scribed mirrors" as a souvenir, just before we replaced
it with the original computer-driven "world map" application. It's in my
"box o' space stuff"... :)
> As yes, memories, some pleasant, some not...
I remember showing family and friends around the MCC and getting some
surprised responses at the somewhat "antiquated" systems, including the Bat
Cave projectors, the pneumatic tube hardcopy distribution system, and the
black&white TV monitors.
Roger
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
"Malcolm Bacchus" wrote:
> Another question though: surely there were more consoles in the Trench on
> the right of the diagram than are shown?
This is an Apollo-era diagram... some of the "traditional" Trench positions
hadn't made it down there yet. :)
Roger
=================================
Roger Balettie
former Flight Dynamics Officer
Space Shuttle Mission Control
http://members.aol.com/ramjetfdo/
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