I was fortunate enough to have spent 12 years working at NASA's Johnson Space Center as a Flight Dynamics Officer. While I no longer work for NASA, the goals of the space program are still very dear to me.

I remember the astronauts who put their lives on the line every mission to futher man's exploration of the unknown, and, perhaps more importantly, the hundreds of dedicated men and women who work behind the scenes every mission. These people perform the pre-flight training, Flight Design, and, as I did for so many years, the real-time Flight Control.

The Flight Controllers of the Mission Operations Directorate provided the oversight, the monitoring, the planning, the guidance, and the control for every manned mission since the Mercury Program. With the advent of the much more complex Space Shuttle, the role of Mission Control became more and more critical.

One line of the Flight Controller's Creed reminds us

"to always be aware that suddenly and unexpectedly we may find ourselves in a role where our performance has ultimate consequences".

That one phrase shows that the dedication and commitment shown by those in Mission Control has to be (and is!) beyond reproach.

This is not to say that we did not have our fun times in the MCC. I was caught on NASA Television during one mission throwing a huge strawberry across the MCC to our CAPCOM!

I will remember them all fondly, and I wish each and every one the best of luck and continued success.

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