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National Aeronautics and Space Administration Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center Houston, Texas 77058 AC 713 483-5111

Rh Brian Welch Release No. 90-028

Flight control for STS-31, the thirty-fifth voyage of the Space Shuttle, will follow the same procedures and traditions common to all-U.S. manned space flights since the Mission Control Center was first used in 1965.

Responsibility for conduct of the mission will revert to the Mission Control Center (MCC) in Houston once Discovery's two solid rocket boosters ignite. Mission support will begin in the MCC about five hours prior to launch and will continue around-the-clock through the landing and post-landing activities.

The mission will be conducted from Flight Control Room One (FCR-1) on the second floor of the MCC located in Bldg. 30 at Johnson Space Center.

Three teams of flight controllers will alternate shifts in the control center and in nearby analysis and support facilities. The handover between each team takes about an hour and allows each flight controller to brief his or her oncoming colleague on the course of events over the previous two shifts. Change-of-shift press conferences with offgoing flight directors generally take place 30 minutes to an hour after the shift handovers have been completed.

The three flight control teams are referred to as the Ascent/Entry/Orbit 1, Orbit 2 and Planning teams. Generally, the STS-31 crew's working day is split between the Orbit 1 and Orbit 2 shifts.

The ascent phase will be conducted by Flight Director Ronaid D. (Ron) Dittemore. Once Discovery is in orbit, this shift is known as Orbit 1 and will be headed by STS-31 Lead Flight Director William D. {Bill) Reeves. Some of the flight control positions will be staffed by the same personnel for both Ascent/Entry and Orbit 1 operations. Other positions will alternate between specialists in launch/landing activities and orbital operations. On the final day of the mission, Flight Director N. W. (Wayne) Hale will head the Entry team for Discovery's landing phase. As is the traditional practice, Hale