Editing Johnson Space Center

{{Short description|NASA field center for human spaceflight}}
{{Use American English|date=January 2014}}
{{Use American English|date = July 2019}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=June 2012}}
{{Infobox organization
|full_name = Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center
|abbreviation = JSC
|image = File:Johnson_Space_Center_Composite_Areas.jpg
|image_size = 300px
|caption = Top to bottom, left to right: Aerial view of JSC with [[Space Center Houston]] in the foreground, [[Space Vehicle Mockup Facility]], [[Christopher C. Kraft Jr. Mission Control Center]], [[Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory]], and the [[Space Center Houston]] Saturn V exhibit.
|formation = {{Start date|1961|11|01}}{{sfnp|Grimwood|1963|p=152}}
|predecessor = [[Space Task Group]]
|owner = [[NASA]]
|location = [[Houston]], [[Texas]], United States
|staff = 3,200 civil service
|leader_name = Stephen Koerner (acting)<ref name="Koerner acting"/>
|leader_title = Director
|website = [http://www.nasa.gov/centers/johnson/home/index.html JSC home page]
|formerly = Manned Spacecraft Center
}}
The '''Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center''' ('''JSC''') is [[NASA]]'s center for [[human spaceflight]] in [[Houston]], Texas (originally named the '''Manned Spacecraft Center'''), where human spaceflight training, research, and [[flight controller|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 {{convert|1,620|acre|ha}} in [[Clear Lake (region)|Clear Lake]]. The center is home to [[NASA Astronaut Corps|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 controller|flight control]] function for every NASA human spaceflight since [[Gemini 4]] (including [[Apollo program|Apollo]], [[Skylab]], [[Apollo–Soyuz]], and [[Space Shuttle program|Space Shuttle]]). It is popularly known by its [[radio call sign]]s "Mission Control" and "Houston".

The original Manned Spacecraft Center grew out of 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 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 facilities#List of field centers|NASA field centers]] and the city of Houston's primary cultural footprint, earning it the official [[Nicknames of Houston|nickname]] "Space City" in 1967.

==History==
[[File:Robert_Gilruth_S87-26820.jpg|thumb|upright|Robert R. Gilruth, leader of the Space Task Group, became NASA's first director of the Manned Spacecraft Center in 1961.]]
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 the [[Goddard Space Flight Center]] organization, with a total staff of 45, including 37 engineers, and eight secretaries and [[Human computer|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.{{sfnp|Murray|Bly Cox|1989|pp=33-35}} NASA's first administrator, [[T. Keith Glennan]], realized that the growth of 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.{{sfnp|Dethloff|1993|p=36}} 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 a larger organization to lead the [[Apollo Program]], with new test facilities and research laboratories.<ref name=JSC>{{Cite web
| title = JSC History
| access-date = 2008-03-25
| url = http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/history/jsc_history.htm
}}</ref>

===Site selection===

In 1961, Congress held hearings and passed a $1.7&nbsp;billion 1962 NASA appropriations bill which included $60&nbsp;million for the new crewed spaceflight laboratory.{{sfnp|Dethloff|1993|p=38}} 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, 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 {{cvt|1000|acre}} of land, and certain specified cost parameters.{{sfnp|Dethloff|1993|p=38}} In August 1961, Webb asked Associate Director of 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.<ref name="TNO 12">{{cite book
 | last1 = Swenson
 | first1 = Loyd S. Jr.
 | first2 = James M.
 | last2 = Grimwood
 | first3 = Charles C.
 | last3 = Alexander
 | title = This New Ocean: A History of Project Mercury
 | publisher = [[NASA]]
 | series = Special Publication
 | volume = 4201
 | year = 1989
 | chapter = Chapter 12.3: Space Task Group Gets a New Home and Name
 | chapter-url = https://history.nasa.gov/SP-4201/ch12-3.htm
 | url = http://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/pao/History/SP-4201/toc.htm
 | access-date = June 1, 2011
 | archive-date = July 13, 2009
 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090713233748/http://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/pao/History/SP-4201/toc.htm
 | url-status = dead
 }}</ref> 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:
* Jacksonville, Florida ([[Green Cove Springs, Florida|Green Cove Springs]] [[Naval Air Station]])
* Tampa, Florida ([[MacDill Air Force Base]])
* [[Baton Rouge, Louisiana]]
* Shreveport, Louisiana ([[Barksdale Air Force Base]])
* Houston, Texas ([[San Jacinto Ordnance Depot]])
* Victoria, Texas ([[Victoria Regional Airport|FAA Airport; former Foster Air Force Base]])
* Corpus Christi, Texas ([[Naval Air Station Corpus Christi]])
* San Diego, California ([[Camp Elliott]])
* San Francisco, California ([[Benicia Arsenal]]){{sfnp|Dethloff|1993|p=39}}
 
Another 14 sites were then added, including two additional Houston sites chosen because of proximity to [[Rice University]].<ref name=JSC/> 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 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,<ref>{{cite news |last1=Korsgaard |first1=Sean |title=Williamsburg recalls watching Apollo 11 and helping crew get there |url=https://www.vagazette.com/news/va-vg-moon-landing-anniversary-0717-story.html#nt=oft12aH-1gp5 |access-date=24 July 2019 |work=Virginia Gazette, Daily Press |agency=Tribune Media |date=20 July 2019 |archive-date=July 24, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190724133658/https://www.vagazette.com/news/va-vg-moon-landing-anniversary-0717-story.html#nt=oft12aH-1gp5 |url-status=dead }}</ref> went so far as to make separate presentations to Webb and the headquarters staff, so Webb added these additional sites to the final review.{{sfnp|Dethloff|1993|p=39}}

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 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 the award, and the public announcement of the location followed on September 19, 1961.{{sfnp|Dethloff|1993|p=40}} 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 (American politician)|Albert Thomas]] headed the House Appropriations Committee, [[Robert R. Casey|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."{{sfnp|Dethloff|1993|pp=41-42}}

The land for the new facility was {{cvt|1000|acre|ha}} donated to Rice by the [[Humble Oil]] company, situated in an undeveloped area {{cvt|25|mi|km}} southeast of Houston adjacent to [[Clear Lake (Galveston Bay)|Clear Lake]] near [[Galveston Bay]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://news.rice.edu/2009/07/16/houston-we-have-a-space-program/|title=Houston, we have a space program|access-date=October 12, 2015|archive-date=January 6, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170106190610/http://news.rice.edu/2009/07/16/houston-we-have-a-space-program/|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name="Schulman">{{cite book | author=Schulman, Bruce J. | title=From Cotton Belt to Sunbelt: Federal Policy, Economic Development, and the Transformation of the South 1938–1980 | publisher=Duke University Press | year=1994 | page=149 | isbn=978-0-8223-1537-7 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vwcGbPRuM9oC}}</ref>{{sfnp|Dumoulin|1988}} At the time, the land was used to graze cattle.{{sfnp|Dethloff|1993|p=40}} Immediately after Webb's announcement, Gilruth and his staff began planning the move from Langley to Houston, using what would grow to {{cvt|295996|ft2|m2}} of leased office and laboratory space in 11 scattered sites.<ref name="TNO 12"/> On November 1, the conversion of the Task Group to MSC became official.{{sfnp|Grimwood|1963|p=152}}

===Construction and early operations===

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.<ref name="AW-1963">[https://archive.org/stream/Aviation_Week_1963-06-17#page/n63/mode/1up "Space" is our product]. // ''Aviation Week & Space Technology'', June 17, 1963, v. 78, no. 24, p. 127.</ref>
NASA purchased an additional {{cvt|600|acre|ha}} so the property would face a highway, and the total included another {{cvt|20|acre|ha}} reserve drilling site.{{sfnp|Dethloff|1993|p=48}} 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.<ref name="TNO AppC">{{cite book
 | last1 = Swenson | last2 = Grimwood
 | last3 = Alexander
 | title = This New Ocean: A History of Project Mercury
 | publisher=[[NASA]]
 | series = Special Publication
 | volume = 4201
 | year= 1989
 | chapter = Appendix C: Organization Charts
 | chapter-url = https://history.nasa.gov/SP-4201/ch12-3.htm
}}</ref> That month, Kennedy gave a speech at Rice University on the U.S. space program. The speech is famous for highlighting the Apollo program, but Kennedy also made reference to the new Center:

{{Quote|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 the number of scientists and engineers in this area, to increase its outlays for salaries and expenses to $60&nbsp;million a year; to invest some $200&nbsp;million in plant and laboratory facilities; and to direct or contract for new space efforts over $1&nbsp;billion from this Center in this City.|John F. Kennedy|Speech at Rice University, September 12, 1962<ref name="Rice Speech">[[John F. Kennedy]], [http://www.jfklibrary.org/Historical+Resources/Archives/Reference+Desk/Speeches/JFK/003POF03SpaceEffort09121962.htm "Address at Rice University on the Nation's Space Effort"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100506113709/http://www.jfklibrary.org/Historical%2BResources/Archives/Reference%2BDesk/Speeches/JFK/003POF03SpaceEffort09121962.htm |date=May 6, 2010 }}</ref>}}

The {{cvt|1620|acre|km2|adj=on}} facility was officially opened for business in September 1963.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.lmu.edu/Page42430.aspx|title=Charles Luckman Biography|year=2007|publisher=Loyola Marymount University|access-date=July 6, 2009|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081013050429/http://www.lmu.edu/Page42430.aspx|archive-date=October 13, 2008|df=mdy-all}}</ref><ref>"Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center". ''NASAFacts''. JSC 04264 Rev D.</ref>

====Mission Control Center====
{{Main|Christopher C. Kraft Jr. Mission Control Center}}
[[File:Mission Operations Control Room at the conclusion of Apollo 11.jpg|thumb|right|Mission Operations Control Room 2 at the conclusion of [[Apollo 11]] in 1969]]
In 1961, as plans for [[Project Gemini]] began, it became increasingly clear that 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 controller]]s 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 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.{{sfnp|Dethloff|1993|pp=85-86}}

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 was brought online for testing purposes during the uncrewed [[Gemini 2]] flight in January 1965{{sfnp|Dethloff|1993|p=85}} 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 mission]]s from Project Gemini forward.<ref name="Schulman"/>{{sfnp|Dumoulin|1988}}

NASA named the center the Christopher C. Kraft Jr. Mission Control Center on April 14, 2011.<ref name="nasa.gov">[http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/behindscenes/kraft_mcc.html NASA - NASA Names Mission Control for Legendary Flight Director Christopher Kraft] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200413090145/http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/behindscenes/kraft_mcc.html |date=April 13, 2020 }}. Nasa.gov (2011-04-14). Retrieved on 2013-09-06.</ref>

===Apollo program===
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 [[quarantine]]d, and where the majority of [[lunar sample]]s are stored. The center's Landing and Recovery Division operated [[MV Retriever|MV ''Retriever'']] in the Gulf of Mexico for Gemini and Apollo astronauts to practice water egress after [[Splashdown (spacecraft landing)|splashdown]].{{Citation needed|date=January 2021}}

On February 19, 1973, four weeks after Johnson's death, President [[Richard Nixon]] signed into law a Senate resolution renaming the Manned Spacecraft Center in his honor. As&nbsp;[[Party leaders of the United States Senate|Senate Majority Leader]], Johnson had sponsored the [[National Aeronautics and Space Act|1958 legislation which created NASA]];{{sfnp|Nixon|1973}}{{sfnp|New York Times|1973}} dedication ceremonies were held six months later on August 27.<!--{{Citation needed|date=January 2021}}--><ref name=scdehel>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=wCNIAAAAIBAJ&sjid=LYEMAAAAIBAJ&pg=2820%2C4503091 |work=Victoria Advocate |location=(Texas) |agency=Associated Press |title=Space center dedication held |date=August 28, 1973 |page=1A}}</ref>

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 the S-II and [[S-IVB]] stages, and made of actual surplus flight-ready articles. It also has real (though incomplete) [[Apollo (spacecraft)|Apollo]] command and service modules, intended to fly in the [[canceled Apollo missions|canceled Apollo 19 mission]].{{Citation needed|date=January 2021}}

In June 2019, the restored Apollo Mission Control Center was opened for tourists.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/06/29/science/apollo-11-mission-control-nasa.html|title=NASA Reopens Apollo Mission Control Room That Once Landed Men on Moon|last=Brown|first=David W.|date=2019-06-29|work=The New York Times|access-date=2019-07-01|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331}}</ref>

===Space Shuttle program===
[[Image:Columbia makeshift memorial.jpg|thumb|Entrance to JSC on February 1, 2003, with a makeshift memorial to the victims of the [[Space Shuttle Columbia disaster|Space Shuttle ''Columbia'' disaster]]]]
In the wake of the January 28, 1986, [[Space Shuttle Challenger disaster|Space Shuttle ''Challenger'' disaster]], President [[Ronald Reagan]] and First Lady [[Nancy Reagan]] traveled to JSC on January 31 to speak at 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.{{Citation needed|date=January 2021}}

A similar memorial service was held at the Johnson Space Center on February 4, 2003, for the astronauts who perished in the [[Space Shuttle Columbia disaster|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 the nation was led by Vice-President [[Dick Cheney]] and his wife [[Lynne Cheney|Lynne]] at [[Washington National Cathedral]] two days later.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0302/06/se.03.html|title=CNN LIVE EVENT/SPECIAL: Remembering the Columbia 7: Washington National Cathedral Memorial for Astronauts|date=February 6, 2003|access-date=September 15, 2011|publisher=CNN |first=Judy|last=Woodruff|author-link=Judy Woodruff}}</ref>

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.<ref name="IkeDamage">{{Cite web | title = Ike Damage To NASA-JSC Light | work = Aviation Week | author = Frank Morring Jr. | date = 2008-09-16 | access-date = 2009-10-18 | url = http://www.aviationweek.com/aw/generic/story.jsp?id=news/Hurri091608.xml&headline=Ike%20Damage%20To%20NASA-JSC%20Light%20&channel=space }}{{dead link|date=January 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> The storm damaged the roofs of several hangars for the T-38 Talons at [[Ellington Field]].<ref name="IkeDamage"/>

==Facilities==
{{Further|List of buildings in the Johnson Space Center}}

The Johnson Space Center 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 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 controller]]s 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.{{Citation needed|date=January 2021}}

JSC handles most of 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&nbsp;million U.S. gallons (23,000 m<sup>3</sup>) of water where astronauts train to practice [[extra-vehicular activity]] tasks while simulating [[zero-g]] conditions.<ref name="pmid18619137">{{cite journal |author=Strauss S |title=Space medicine at the NASA-JSC, neutral buoyancy laboratory |journal=Aviat Space Environ Med |volume=79 |issue=7 |pages=732–3 |date=July 2008 |pmid=18619137 }}</ref><ref name="pmid15892545">{{cite journal |vauthors=Strauss S, Krog RL, Feiveson AH |title=Extravehicular mobility unit training and astronaut injuries |journal=Aviat Space Environ Med |volume=76 |issue=5 |pages=469–74 |date=May 2005 |pmid=15892545 |url=http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/asma/asem/2005/00000076/00000005/art00008 |access-date=2008-08-27}}</ref> The facility provides preflight training in becoming familiar with crew activities and with the dynamics of body motion under weightless conditions.<ref name=history/>

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.{{Citation needed|date=January 2021}}

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 the coordinating facility for the [[Constellation program]], which was planned to replace the Shuttle program after 2010, but was canceled in 2009.{{Citation needed|date=January 2021}}

The visitor center has been the adjacent [[Space Center Houston]] since 1994; JSC Building 2 previously housed the visitor center.{{Citation needed|date=January 2021}}

The [[Johnson Space Center Heliport]] {{Airport codes|||72TX}} is located on the campus.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.airnav.com/airport/72TX|title=AirNav: 72TX - Johnson Space Center Heliport}}</ref>

==Personnel and training==
[[File:Apollo 11 training in Houston.jpg|thumb|[[Apollo 11]] astronauts Neil Armstrong (left) and Buzz Aldrin train in Building 9 on April 18, 1969.]]
[[File:NASA Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory Astronaut Training.jpg|thumb|left|A shuttle astronaut training in the [[Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory]]]]

About 3,200 civil servants, including 110 [[astronaut]]s, are employed at Johnson Space Center. The bulk of the workforce consists of over 11,000 contractors. As of October 2014, Stinger Ghaffarian Technologies took over [[United Space Alliance]]'s primary contract.<ref>{{Cite web|url = http://www.nasa.gov/press/2014/july/nasa-awards-mission-operations-support-contract|title = NASA Awards Mission Operations Support Contract|date = 14 July 2014|website = NASA.gov|publisher = NASA}}</ref> Deputy director Stephen Koerner was appointed the center's acting director in February 2025.<ref name="Koerner acting"/>

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.<ref name=history>{{cite web |url=http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/shuttle/reference/factsheets/asseltrn.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19990427184715/http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/shuttle/reference/factsheets/asseltrn.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=1999-04-27 |title= Astronaut Selection and Training |author=NASA |access-date=2008-08-27}}</ref> Candidates are required to complete military water survival prior to beginning their flying instruction. Candidates are also required to become [[Scuba diving|scuba]]-qualified for extravehicular training and are required to pass a swimming test.<ref>{{cite journal |vauthors=Fitzpatrick DT, Conkin J |title=Improved pulmonary function in working divers breathing nitrox at shallow depths |journal=Undersea Hyperb Med Abstract |volume=30 |issue=Supplement |pages=763–7 |year=2003 |pmid= 12862332|url=http://archive.rubicon-foundation.org/1273 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110811173841/http://archive.rubicon-foundation.org/1273 |url-status=usurped |archive-date=August 11, 2011 |access-date=2008-08-27}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |vauthors=Fitzpatrick DT, Conkin J |title=Improved pulmonary function in working divers breathing nitrox at shallow depths |journal=Aviat Space Environ Med |volume=74 |issue=7 |pages=763–7 |date=July 2003 |pmid=12862332 |url=http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/asma/asem/2003/00000074/00000007/art00011 |access-date=2008-08-27}}</ref> 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.<ref name=history/> Candidates maintain their flying proficiency by flying 15 hours per month in NASA's fleet of T-38 jets based at nearby Ellington Field.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/flyout/t38flyout.html|title=T-38s Soar as Spaceflight Trainers|date=20 April 2011|publisher=NASA|first=Steven|last=Siceloff|access-date=August 10, 2021|archive-date=April 27, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110427090258/https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/flyout/t38flyout.html|url-status=dead}}</ref>

==Research==
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]].<ref>{{cite report |url=http://www.nasa.gov/centers/johnson/pdf/167745main_FS_JSC508c.pdf |title=Johnson Space Center: Exploring the science of space for the future of Earth |author=NASA |access-date=2008-08-27 |publisher=[[NASA]] |archive-date=April 10, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200410160215/https://www.nasa.gov/centers/johnson/pdf/167745main_FS_JSC508c.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref>

The [[Astromaterials Research and Exploration Science Directorate|Astromaterials Research and Exploration Science (ARES) office]] performs 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 sciences|earth]], [[planetary sciences|planetary]], and [[space sciences]]. ARES scientists and engineers provide support to the [[human spaceflight|human]] and [[robotic spacecraft|robotic spaceflight]] programs. The responsibilities of ARES also include interaction with the [[Office of Safety and Mission Assurance]] and the [[Flight controller#Current and former NASA human space flight programs|Human Space Flight Programs]].<ref>{{Cite web | title = Astromaterials Research Office | work = Johnson Space Center | access-date = 2009-10-18 | url = http://ares.jsc.nasa.gov/kr.cfm | url-status = dead | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20091010160225/http://ares.jsc.nasa.gov/kr.cfm | archive-date = October 10, 2009 | df = mdy-all }}</ref>

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 the institute and NASA's [[Human Research Program]] through 2012.<ref>{{Cite news
| title = Johnson Space Center to continue biomedical research
| work=Houston Business Journal
| access-date = 2009-10-18
| url = http://houston.bizjournals.com/houston/stories/2007/10/01/daily20.html
| date=2007-10-02
}}</ref>

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]].<ref>{{Cite web
| title = Comparison of V-4 and V-5 Exercise/Oxygen Prebreathe Protocols to Support Extravehicular Activity in Microgravity
| work=NASA Technical Reports
| access-date = 2009-10-18
| url = https://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp?R=1020700&id=7&as=false&or=false&qs=No%3D40%26Ns%3DHarvestDate%257c1%26N%3D4294888873
}}</ref>

The [[Overflow (software)|Overset Grid-Flow]] software was developed at Johnson Space Center in collaboration with [[NASA Ames Research Center]]. The software simulates [[Fluid dynamics|fluid flow]] around solid bodies using [[computational fluid dynamics]].{{Citation needed|date=January 2021}}

The [[Texas Space Commission]] was established by Texas governor [[Greg Abbott]] on March 26, 2024 at Johnson Space Center.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-03-26 |title=Gov. Greg Abbott announces launch of Texas Space Commission at Johnson Space Center in Houston |url=https://www.khou.com/article/tech/science/space/gov-greg-abbott-nasa-johnson-space-center-announcement-houston/285-fbbfcf3c-864b-4b01-ad31-27f2c8f8fb30 |access-date=2024-03-27 |website=khou.com |language=en-US}}</ref>

==List of JSC directors==
The following persons had served as the Johnson Space Center director:<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nasa.gov/centers-and-facilities/johnson/johnson-space-center-directors/ |title=Johnson Space Center Directors |date=April 2, 2015 |publisher=NASA}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nasa.gov/history/historic-personnel/#centers |title=Personnel |publisher=NASA}}</ref>

{| class="wikitable"
|-
!{{abbr|No.|Number}}
!Image
!Director
!Term start
!Term end
!Notes
|-
|1
|[[File:Robert Gilruth S87-26820.jpg|70px]]
|[[Robert R. Gilruth]]
|November 1, 1961
|January 17, 1972
|<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nasa.gov/people/robert-r-gilruth/ |title=Robert R. Gilruth |publisher=NASA}}</ref>
|-
|2
|[[File:Chris Kraft.jpg|70px]]
|[[Christopher C. Kraft Jr.]]
|January 17, 1972
|August 7, 1982
|<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nasa.gov/people/christopher-c-kraft-jr/ |title=Christopher C. Kraft, Jr. |publisher=NASA}}</ref>
|-
|3
|[[File:Gerald Griffin.jpg|70px]]
|[[Gerald D. Griffin]]
|August 8, 1982
|January 14, 1986
|<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nasa.gov/people/gerald-d-griffin/ |title=Gerald D. Griffin |publisher=NASA}}</ref>
|-
|4
|
|[[Jesse W. Moore]]
|January 23, 1986
|October 2, 1986
|<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nasa.gov/people/jesse-w-moore/ |title=Jesse W. Moore |publisher=NASA}}</ref>
|-
|5
|[[File:Aaron Cohen - GPN-2002-000100.jpg|70px]]
|[[Aaron Cohen (Deputy NASA administrator)|Aaron Cohen]]
|October 12, 1986
|August 20, 1993
|<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nasa.gov/people/aaron-cohen/ |title=Aaron Cohen |publisher=NASA}}</ref>
|-
|6
|[[File:Dr. Carolyn Huntoon, JSC Director.jpg|70px]]
|[[Carolyn L. Huntoon]] 
|January 6, 1994
|August 4, 1995
|<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nasa.gov/people/carolyn-l-huntoon/ |title=Carolyn L. Huntoon |publisher=NASA}}</ref>
|- bgcolor="#e6e6aa"
|Acting
|rowspan="2" bgcolor="#ffffff" |[[File:George W.S. Abbey, JSC Center Director (28233336931).jpg|70px]]
|rowspan="2" bgcolor="#ffffff" |[[George W. S. Abbey]]
|August 4, 1995
|January 23, 1996
|<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nasa.gov/people/george-w-s-abbey/ |title=George W.S. Abbey |publisher=NASA}}</ref>
|-
|7
|January 23, 1996
|February 23, 2001
|
|- bgcolor="#e6e6aa"
|Acting
|[[File:JSC Acting Director Roy S. Estess (27411457904).jpg|70px]]
|[[Roy S. Estess]]
|February 23, 2001
|March 31, 2002
|<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nasa.gov/people/roy-s-estess/ |title=Roy S. Estess |publisher=NASA}}</ref>
|-
|8
|[[File:Jefferson D. Howell.webp|70px]]
|[[Jefferson D. Howell Jr.]]
|April 1, 2002
|November 23, 2005
|<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nasa.gov/centers-and-facilities/johnson/building-on-a-mission-the-project-management-building-home-to-the-centers-directors-part-5/ |title=Building on a Mission: The Project Management Building, Home to the Center’s Directors – Part 5 |date=March 9, 2022 |first=John |last=Uri |publisher=NASA}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nasa.gov/people/jefferson-d-howell-jr/ |title=Jefferson D. Howell, Jr. |publisher=NASA}}</ref>
|-
|9
|[[File:MichaelCoats.jpg|70px]]
|[[Michael L. Coats]]
|November 23, 2005
|December 31, 2012
|<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www3.nasa.gov/home/hqnews/2005/nov/HQ_05402_coats_jsc_director.html |title=NASA Names Former Astronaut New Johnson Center Director |date=November 7, 2005 |publisher=NASA}}</ref><ref name="nasa-2013jun">{{cite web |url=https://www.nasa.gov/news-release/ochoa-named-johnson-space-center-director-coats-to-retire/ |title=Ochoa Named Johnson Space Center Director; Coats To Retire |date=June 5, 2013 |publisher=NASA}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nasa.gov/centers-and-facilities/johnson/building-on-a-mission-the-project-management-building-home-to-the-centers-directors-part-6/ |title=Building on a Mission: The Project Management Building, Home to the Center’s Directors – Part 6 |date=April 13, 2022 |first=John |last=Uri |publisher=NASA}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nasa.gov/people/michael-l-coats/ |title=Michael L. Coats |publisher=NASA}}</ref>
|-
|10
|[[File:Ellen Ochoa, official portrait (cropped).jpg|70px]]
|[[Ellen Ochoa]]
|January 1, 2013
|May 24, 2018
|<ref name="nasa-2013jun" /><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nasa.gov/history/building-on-a-mission-the-project-management-building-home-to-the-centers-directors-part-7/ |title=Building on a Mission: The Project Management Building, Home to the Center’s Directors – Part 7 |date=May 11, 2022 |first=John |last=Uri |publisher=NASA}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nasa.gov/people/ellen-ochoa/ |title=Ellen Ochoa |publisher=NASA}}</ref>
|-
|11
|[[File:Mark Geyer, official portrait.jpg|70px]]
|[[Mark S. Geyer]]
|May 25, 2018
|May 3, 2021
|<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nasa.gov/news-release/nasa-announces-new-director-of-johnson-space-center/ |title=NASA Announces New Director of Johnson Space Center |date=May 14, 2018 |publisher=NASA}}</ref><ref name="nasa-2021may">{{cite web |url=https://www.nasa.gov/news-release/johnson-space-center-director-mark-geyer-moves-to-new-role/ |title=Johnson Space Center Director Mark Geyer Moves To New Role |date=May 3, 2021 |publisher=NASA}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nasa.gov/people/mark-s-geyer/ |title=Mark S. Geyer |publisher=NASA}}</ref>
|- bgcolor="#e6e6aa"
|acting
|rowspan="2" bgcolor="#ffffff" |[[File:Vanessa E. Wyche in 2022.jpg|70px]]
|rowspan="2" bgcolor="#ffffff" |[[Vanessa Wyche]]
|May 4, 2021
|June 29, 2021
|<ref name="nasa-2021may"/>
|-
|12
|June 30, 2021
|February 24, 2025
|<ref name="nasa-2025feb">{{cite web |url=https://www.nasa.gov/news-release/nasa-administrator-names-johnson-and-kennedy-center-directors/ |title=NASA Administrator Names Johnson and Kennedy Center Directors |date=June 30, 2021 |publisher=NASA}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nasa.gov/news-release/nasa-names-acting-associate-administrator-more-leadership-changes/ |title=NASA Names Acting Associate Administrator, More Leadership Changes |date=February 24, 2025 |first=Abbey A. |last=Donaldson |publisher=NASA}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nasa.gov/people/vanessa-e-wyche/ |title=Vanessa E. Wyche |publisher=NASA}}</ref>
|- bgcolor="#e6e6aa"
|acting
|[[File:SpaceX Demo-2 Launch Attempt (NHQ202005270033).jpg|70px]]
|[[Stephen Koerner]]
|February 25, 2025
|Present
|<ref name="Koerner acting">{{cite web |url=https://www.nasa.gov/centers-and-facilities/johnson/nasa-names-stephen-koerner-as-acting-director-of-johnson-space-center/ |title=NASA Names Stephen Koerner as Acting Director of Johnson Space Center |date=February 25, 2025 |publisher=NASA}}</ref>
|-
|}

==Memorial Grove==
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 a road on the facility leading to the main entrance.<ref>{{cite web|title=Memorial Grove Map|url=https://starport.jsc.nasa.gov/upload/facilities/MemorialTrees%20(2).png|publisher=NASA|access-date=July 19, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170305001945/https://starport.jsc.nasa.gov/upload/facilities/MemorialTrees%20(2).png|archive-date=March 5, 2017|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Memorial Trees - Starport|url=https://starport.jsc.nasa.gov/en/about-us/memorial-trees|website=starport.jsc.nasa.gov|date=January 4, 2022 }}</ref>

==Space Shuttle retirement==
JSC put in a bid to display one of the retired [[Space Shuttle orbiter]]s, but was not selected.<ref>{{cite news|last=Berger|first=Eric|title=Houston we've had a problem: 'Space City' snubbed in bid for retired space shuttle|url=http://blogs.chron.com/sciguy/archives/2011/04/houston_weve_had_a_problem_space_city_snubbed_in_b.html|newspaper=Houston Chronicle|access-date=April 12, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110417074410/http://blogs.chron.com/sciguy/archives/2011/04/houston_weve_had_a_problem_space_city_snubbed_in_b.html|archive-date=April 17, 2011|url-status=dead|df=mdy-all}}</ref>

==Gallery==

{{Gallery
|width=200
|Image:NASA Johnson Space Center, Houston, Texas.JPG|A 2010 photo of JSC from the [[International Space Station]]
|Image:Challenger Ferry Flight Flyover of Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center.jpg|[[Space Shuttle Challenger|Space Shuttle ''Challenger'']] atop its [[Shuttle Carrier Aircraft]] over JSC in 1983
|Image:Mission control center.jpg|[[Christopher C. Kraft Jr. Mission Control Center|Mission Control Center]] in 2005
|Image:US Navy 060512-N-7665S-070 Deputy Chief of Naval Operations for Resources, Requirements and Assessments Vice Adm. Lewis W. Crenshaw, Jr. tours the Johnson Space Center in Houston during Navy Week 
Houston.jpg|Shuttle simulator in Building 9 in 2006
|Image:Aerial View of the Johnson Space Center - GPN-2000-001112.jpg|Aerial view of the complex from 2.000 feet, c 1989
|File:NASA Commercialization Training Camp and NFL 3.jpg|JSC [[Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory]]
}}

==See also==
{{Portal|Texas|United States|Politics|Spaceflight}}
* [[Johnson Space Center shooting]]
* [[Yuri Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center]]

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

==Further reading==
* {{cite book | last=Dethloff | first=Henry C. | title=Suddenly Tomorrow Came ... A History of the Johnson Space Center| publisher=National Aeronautics and Space Administration | year=1993 | author-link= Henry C. Dethloff | chapter=Chapter 3: Houston - Texas - U.S.A.| isbn=978-1502753588 | chapter-url=http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/history/suddenly_tomorrow/suddenly.htm }}
* {{cite book | chapter-url=http://science.ksc.nasa.gov/shuttle/technology/sts-newsref/sts-jsc.html | last=Dumoulin | first=Jim | year=1988 | title=NSTS Shuttle Reference Manual | chapter=LYNDON B. JOHNSON SPACE CENTER | publisher=NASA: Kennedy Space Center | access-date=Jan 19, 2010 | archive-date=January 14, 2012 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120114105848/http://science.ksc.nasa.gov/shuttle/technology/sts-newsref/sts-jsc.html | url-status=dead }}
* {{cite book
 | first = James M. | last = Grimwood
 | title = Project Mercury: A Chronology
 | location = [[Washington D.C.]]
 | publisher= [[NASA]]
 | series = Special Publication
 | volume = 4001
 | year = 1963
 | page = 152
 | chapter = PART III (A) Operational Phase of Project Mercury, May 5, 1961 through May 1962
 | chapter-url = https://history.nasa.gov/SP-4001/p3a.htm
 | url =https://history.nasa.gov/SP-4001/cover.htm
}}
* {{cite book| first1 = Charles | last1 = Murray | first2 = Catherine | last2 = Bly Cox | title = Apollo: The Race to the Moon | location = New York | publisher = Simon and Schuster| year = 1989 | isbn = 0-671-61101-1}}
* {{cite news|last=New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1973/02/20/archives/houston-space-center-is-named-for-johnson.html|title=Houston Space Center Is Named for Johnson|date=February 20, 1973|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|page=19}}
* {{cite web|url=http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/index.php?pid=4109#axzz1RbWN5hpf|title=50 – Statement About Signing a Bill Designating the Manned Spacecraft Center in Houston, Texas, as the Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center|first=Richard M.|last=Nixon|date=February 19, 1973|author-link=Richard Nixon|access-date=July 9, 2011}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center}}
* [http://www.nasa.gov/centers/johnson/home/index.html Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center]
* [https://historycollection.jsc.nasa.gov/JSCHistoryPortal/history/suddenly_tomorrow/suddenly.htm ''Suddenly, tomorrow came... A history of the Johnson Space Center'' (PDF format) 1993]
* [http://www.nasa.gov/centers/johnson/about/history/jsc40/jsc40_pg1.html ''JSC Celebrates 40 Years of Human Space Flight'' September 2001] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211129123358/https://www.nasa.gov/centers/johnson/about/history/jsc40/jsc40_pg1.html |date=November 29, 2021 }}
* ''Roundup'', official newsletter [https://historycollection.jsc.nasa.gov/JSCHistoryPortal/history/roundups/roundups.htm ''Roundup'' archive 1961-2001] [https://roundupreads.jsc.nasa.gov/ ''Roundup'' archive 2003-present] 
* [https://historycollection.jsc.nasa.gov/JSCHistoryPortal/history/oral_histories/HollowayTW/hollowaytw.htm NASA Johnson Space Center Oral History Project – Interview with Thomas W. 'Tommy' Holloway]
* [https://www.nps.gov/articles/000/america-s-space-program-exploring-a-new-frontier-teaching-with-historic-places.htm ''"America's Space Program: Exploring a New Frontier"'', a National Park Service Teaching with Historic Places (TwHP) lesson plan]
* [https://www.nps.gov/subjects/travelaviation/index.htm Aviation: From Sand Dunes to Sonic Booms, a National Park Service ''Discover Our Shared Heritage'' Travel Itinerary]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20110711015556/http://www.footagevault.com/search_results?q=MOCR&f=all Mission Control Archive Footage]

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