Twin control rooms at NASA\u2019s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, are actively supporting real-time mission operations in lunar orbit as part of the agency\u2019s Artemis II mission, helping ensure astronaut safety and mission success as the crew prepares to return to Earth Friday, April 10.<\/p>\n
The LUCA (Lunar Utilization Control Area) and LESA (Lander Engineering Support Area) rooms are part of the Huntsville Operations Support Center at NASA Marshall. While the spaces look nearly identical, the two are more like fraternal twins in their focus areas: LUCA primarily supports Artemis science operations, while LESA will provide engineering support for landing astronauts on the Moon.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Huntsville Operations Support Center at NASA Marshall can be adapted to the needs of the agency\u2019s missions, and LUCA and LESA are some of our newest configurable control rooms for the Artemis campaign,\u201d said Harish Chandranath, Payload and Mission Operations Division Human Landing Systems project lead at Marshall. \u201cIn addition to supporting Artemis, our Huntsville Operations Support Center teams also support the Commercial Crew Program, the SLS (Space Launch System) rocket, and International Space Station science operations.\u201d<\/p>\n
Support center services include work to manage spacecraft command and telemetry, local and remote voice services for international connections, live and recorded video services, and a telescience resource kit \u2013 special software that makes sure two computers far apart can communicate without missing any information and without human help. All Huntsville Operations Support Center services can be tied into both the LUCA and LESA rooms, giving operators the capability to use data and communicate with scientists and experts around the world.<\/p>\n
During Artemis II, teams in LUCA are supporting first-of-their-kind science operations designed to better understand the effects of deep space \u2013 such as microgravity and radiation \u2013 on crew physiology, immune response, and performance. The data gathered during the mission will inform future crewed flights to the Moon.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, teams in LESA are observing Artemis II mission operations in real time, which is a critical opportunity to refine processes and prepare for future crewed landings on the Moon\u2019s surface. For Artemis missions, members of NASA\u2019s Human Landing System Mission Insight Support Team \u2013 including engineers, safety leads, flight operations experts, and technical authorities \u2013 will operate from LESA to monitor lander systems and support key decision-making.<\/p>\n
Through the Artemis program, NASA is returning humans to the Moon for scientific discovery, economic opportunity, and to build the foundation for the first crewed missions to Mars \u2013 for the benefit of all.<\/p>\n
To learn more about the Artemis program, visit:<\/p>\n