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Astronomy & Space vocabulary · Space Missions & Launches

Mission control

Meaning in astronomy & space, with examples

nounCommon term

In astronomy & space, mission control means: The team and the room on the ground that monitor a spaceflight, talk to the crew or spacecraft and make decisions during the mission.

In Turkish: görev kontrol merkezi, görev kontrol

How it is used

Used with or without 'the'. Flight controllers sit at consoles in roles such as flight director. Mission Control in Houston is the best-known example; crews often call it simply 'Houston'.

Example sentences

  1. Mission control told the crew to close the hatch and wait for new data.

  2. The team in mission control cheered when the rover's first images arrived.

Common collocations

  • Mission Control Center
  • contact mission control
  • flight controllers in mission control
  • missionA planned flight or project in space with a specific goal, such as sending a probe to Mars or taking a crew to a space station.
  • launchThe act of sending a rocket, spacecraft or satellite up from the ground into space. As a verb, to send it up in this way.
  • astronautA person who is trained to travel and work in space on board a spacecraft or a space station.
  • countdownThe counting of time backwards to the moment of launch, during which teams check that the rocket, the weather and the launch range are ready.

More terms: Space Missions & Launches

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