Johnson Space Center

The Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center (JSC) is NASA's center for human spaceflight in Houston, Texas. It was originally named the Manned Spacecraft Center and was renamed in honor of the late U.S. president and Texas native, Lyndon B. Johnson, by an act of the United States Senate on February 19, 1973.

JSC is a huge complex of 100 buildings spread over 1,620 acres (660 hectares) in Clear Lake. It is home to NASA's astronaut corps and is where astronauts from the U.S. and its international partners are trained. The center also houses the Christopher C. Kraft Jr. Mission Control Center, which has managed the flight control for every NASA human spaceflight since Gemini 4. This includes missions like Apollo, Skylab, Apollo–Soyuz, the Space Shuttle, and Artemis. People often call it by its radio call signs "Mission Control" and "Houston".

The original Manned Spacecraft Center started as the Space Task Group (STG) led by Robert R. Gilruth. It was first based at the Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia but reported to the Goddard Space Flight Center near Washington, D.C.. As the U.S. human spaceflight program grew, plans were made to build a new facility. This new center was built in 1962 and 1963 on land donated by the Humble Oil company through Rice University, and it opened in September 1963. Today, JSC is one of ten major NASA field centers and helped earn Houston the official nickname "Space City" in 1967.

History

The Johnson Space Center began as part of NASA's Space Task Group (STG). Starting in 1958, engineers at Langley Research Center, led by Robert R. Gilruth, worked on Project Mercury and later human space missions. The group reported to the Goddard Space Flight Center and grew quickly. As the U.S. space program expanded, a new location was needed to support bigger missions like the Apollo Program.

Choosing a location for the new center took time. In 1961, after reviewing many places, Houston, Texas was selected. It offered good weather, transportation links, and space for growth near Rice University. The center officially opened in 1963 on a large area of land donated for the purpose.

The Johnson Space Center became very important for controlling space missions. A new Mission Control Center was built to manage more complex flights. It first helped with uncrewed tests and later became the main control point for all U.S. human space missions.

The center was renamed the Johnson Space Center in 1973 to honor President Lyndon B. Johnson, who had supported NASA's creation. Today, it remains a key place for training astronauts, researching space, and controlling missions from Earth.

Facilities

Further information: List of buildings in the Johnson Space Center

The Johnson Space Center is where NASA controls and watches over all human spaceflights for the United States. The main control room, called the Christopher C. Kraft Jr. Mission Control Center, directs missions like those of the Space Shuttle and current work on the International Space Station. From the time a spacecraft leaves Earth until it returns, Mission Control guides it every step of the way.

The center also helps train astronauts. One important training place is the Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory, a huge pool where astronauts practice moving and working in conditions that feel like zero gravity. This helps them get ready for spacewalks. The center also stores special samples brought back from the Moon.

Personnel and training

About 3,200 civil servants, including 110 astronauts, work at Johnson Space Center, with over 11,000 contractors also helping with the work. Astronaut training happens here, where candidates learn about spacecraft, basic sciences like mathematics and physics, and how to survive in water. They also need to be good swimmers and learn to work in conditions that copy space travel. They practice flying and learn to handle many different situations to stay safe.

Research

The Johnson Space Center leads important research for NASA about human space travel. Scientists there study how space affects health and how to keep astronauts safe. They also work on technologies that help doctors, build better cars, grow more food, improve phones, and create new machines.

One team at the center studies rocks and soil from Earth and space to help astronauts explore other planets. They also work with doctors to understand how long trips in space might affect people’s health. The center created special software to understand how air and water move around objects, which helps design better spacecraft.

List of JSC directors

The Johnson Space Center has had many directors over the years who helped guide its work.

No.	Image	Director	Term start	Term end
1		Robert R. Gilruth	November 1, 1961	January 17, 1972
2		Christopher C. Kraft Jr.	January 17, 1972	August 7, 1982
3		Gerald D. Griffin	August 8, 1982	January 14, 1986
4		Jesse W. Moore	January 23, 1986	October 2, 1986
5		Aaron Cohen	October 12, 1986	August 20, 1993
6		Carolyn L. Huntoon	January 6, 1994	August 4, 1995
Acting		George W. S. Abbey	August 4, 1995	January 23, 1996
7			January 23, 1996	February 23, 2001
Acting		Roy S. Estess	February 23, 2001	March 31, 2002
8		Jefferson D. Howell Jr.	April 1, 2002	November 23, 2005
9		Michael L. Coats	November 23, 2005	December 31, 2012
10		Ellen Ochoa	January 1, 2013	May 24, 2018
11		Mark S. Geyer	May 25, 2018	May 3, 2021
acting		Vanessa Wyche	May 4, 2021	June 29, 2021
12			June 30, 2021	February 24, 2025
acting		Stephen Koerner	February 25, 2025	September 3, 2025
13		Vanessa Wyche	September 3, 2025	Present

Memorial Grove

The Memorial Grove is a special area near the main entrance of the Johnson Space Center. It honors astronauts, center directors, and other NASA workers. Trees are planted there to remember them. Some trees are close to the entrance, while others line a road leading to the main door.

Space Shuttle retirement

The Johnson Space Center asked to show one of the retired Space Shuttle orbiters, but it was not chosen.