Helping Out with STS-95

I work as a flight controller in the Mission Control Center, but I don't work every single shuttle mission. I was not assigned to work on STS-95 (the shuttle flight with John Glenn) as a flight controller. However, I did get a chance to work for the Public Affairs Office.

During normal shuttle flights, 10-20 reporters are at the Johnson Space Center. But, during this last mission, we had over 500 reporters here! The Public Affairs Office needed help handling all the extra media attention. So, they asked for volunteers -- and I volunteered. They assigned me to work in the "Crow's Nest". This is an area overlooking the Front Room in Mission Control (where the Flight Director and the most experienced flight controllers sit). In the Crow's Nest, the television reporters would give their news reports LIVE. It is the same thing as when you see a news reporter go LIVE to any location -- they say something like "I'm here live at Mission Control...." Then the reporter would tell what was going on at that point during the mission.

It was fun working there. I was able to meet some nice camera crew and reporters. My job really wasn't that hard, I just had to watch everyone and make sure they didn't use cell phones while they were in the building. Using a cell phone in the building might mess up the communication loops the flight controllers are using to talk on -- which would be a bad thing!

Anyway, everyone here at JSC seems very happy that the flight is over, and we are glad it went well.