Houston We Have a Podcast · National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

Mission Control: Station in Motion

·51 min·5 clips

Discover how NASA's Mission Control team works 24/7 to keep the International Space Station safe in orbit.

This episode details three specific flight controller roles within NASA's International Space Station Mission Control. Host Dane Turner introduces experts Krista Farrell, Joe Scalora, and Logan Burke. Each officer manages a critical subsystem for the station's orientation, trajectory, and power. The Attitude Determination and Control Officer, or ADCO, is responsible for the station's orientation and pointing. Krista Farrell explains the ADCO console handles the control moment gyroscopes that physically turn the station. Joe Scalora represents the Trajectory Operations and Planning Officer, or TOPO, role. The TOPO manages the station's orbital path, speed, and altitude. This includes planning for reboosts using visiting vehicles to counteract atmospheric drag. Logan Burke covers the Station Power, Articulation, and Thermal Control Officer, or SPARTAN, position. The SPARTAN console oversees the solar arrays that generate all station power and the batteries that store it. A key insight is that the station's control moment gyroscopes are spun by electricity, allowing for movement without expending propellant. The TOPO must account for atmospheric drag, which can vary significantly with solar activity. SPARTAN officers manage the complex articulation of solar arrays to track the sun while avoiding collisions with other station components. The station's massive solar arrays can produce up to 120 kilowatts of power. Controllers use a detailed "power budget" to allocate electricity to every experiment and system. Mission Control operates continuously, with teams working in shifts around the clock to monitor the station. The tone is educational and professional, clearly explaining complex engineering roles. The style is conversational and interview-based, with the host asking clarifying questions. This episode would appeal to space enthusiasts and anyone interested in the detailed engineering behind space station operations. Listeners seeking high-level space policy or astronaut stories might find the technical focus too specialized.

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