Pioneer Deep Space Station, Goldstone Deep Space Communications Complex

Built in 1958, this was the first antenna to support the unmanned exploration of space. It tracked both unmanned and manned space missions and first demonstrated the technological achievements necessary to track deep space vehicles. Many of its design features were incorporated into later improved antennas at dozens of additional tracking stations around the world.

The site is currently inactive. Few modifications have occurred, and it retains a high degree of integrity. A fence and the dry desert air provide protection. The site is isolated and receives few visitors. It is not interpreted.

Original Mission Control Center, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station

This mission control center was built in 1957 and was used for all Mercury flights and the first three Gemini flights. The center took over flight control when the rocket left the pad and maintained it through splashdown. In 1965 this function was transferred to the Johnson Space Center.

The center is in good condition and retains a high degree of integrity. The tour bus stops at the center, and a film, narrative tape, and lighted consoles are used to interpret the facility and its significance to the Man in Space story.

Space Flight Operations Facility, Jet Propulsion Laboratory

This site, built in 1963, illustrates the role of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in the effort to explore the moon, planets, and solar system. Projects Viking, Voyager, Pioneer, Ranger, and Mariner opened new worlds for exploration and human understanding. The operations facility is the hub of a vast communications network that controls unmanned vehicles in space.

The site has been continually modified over the years to keep abreast technologically and accommodate new programs, but it continues to function as a control center and retains its overall original historic fabric. It is open to organized groups and receives a fair number of visitors each year. Visitors may view ongoing projects as personnel control the lighted monitors and screens. Interpretive media is limited, but a talk by on-site personnel explains the importance of this site. There is no visitor center at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. An auditorium and exhibit area are open to organized groups. There is no interpretive media relating to the Man in Space story.

Apollo Mission Control Center, Johnson Space Center

This control center (common name--mission control center) was built in 1965 and provided flight control for nine Gemini flights and all Apollo flights. It was to Apollo mission control that Neil Armstrong reported his famous words that man had landed on the moon.

The center is an ongoing NASA facility and has been modified to accommodate space shuttle flights. Despite modifications, it continues to have a high degree of integrity. Large numbers of people visit the center in tour groups; however, they tour a mission control room on the second floor rather than the control room that was used for most Gemini and Apollo flights. The mission control center is part of the self-guided tour. Tours are regularly scheduled, and NASA personnel give talks in the control room that focus on existing programs, particularly the space shuttle. The Johnson visitor center provides brochures about the mission control center.

Rogers Dry Lake, Edwards Air Force Base

Rogers Dry Lake (historic name--Muroc Dry Lake) has been closely associated with the flight testing of advanced aircraft that opened the way to space. The natural attributes of clean air, ideal weather, isolated location, proximity to variable terrain, and a large dry lake bed provide a perfect environment in which to flight-test aircraft on the cutting edge of aviation and aerospace technology. From the Bell X-1 flight in 1947--the first plane to break the sound barrier--to the landing of the space shuttle Columbia in 1981, Rogers Dry Lake has been the scene of some of the most important events in aviation history.

Because of favorable climatic conditions, the dry lake retains its original integrity. Currently in use, the dry lake is integral to both Edwards Air Force Base and NASA's Dryden Flight Research Facility; the Air Force is responsible for the lake's management and maintenance. There are no formal tours of the lake bed; however, a limited number of organized tours are given. An overview of the lake and its significance is given at the nearby Jimmy Doolittle Airpark. Once a year the base hosts an open house of its facilities. There is no Air Force visitor center; however, NASA operates a visitor center that could provide media interpreting Rogers Dry Lake.