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Photo Gallery: NASA names Mission Control after first flight director
April 15, 2011
— NASA is recognizing Christopher C. Kraft Jr., America's first human space mission flight director, by naming the Mission Control Center in his honor for his service to the nation and its space programs.
Johnson Space Center director Mike Coats made it official April 14 at a dedication ceremony and unveiling of a new nameplate, designating the legendary building as the Christopher C. Kraft Jr. Mission Control Center.
"Dr. Kraft's life stands as a testament to his dream of exploring space. A dream he realized here on Earth in this building and at this center through his engineering and managerial expertise," said Coats.
NASA's first flight director Christopher C. Kraft, Jr. stands below the nameplate dedicating Johnson Space Center's Mission Control Center in Houston, Texas in his name.
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Former flight director and Johnson Space Center director Christopher Kraft speaks during the April 14, 2011 Mission Control Center dedication ceremony.
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More than two dozen past and present NASA flight directors pose together following the ceremony honoring Christopher Kraft.
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A new nameplate is unveiled dedicating the Johnson Space Center's Mission Control Center after Christopher C. Kraft, Jr., the "father of Mission Control."
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Former flight director Glynn Lunney speaks at the dedication ceremony. The podium used for the event was the same used in 1962 by President Kennedy at Rice University to challenge the nation to go to the moon.
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Eugene Kranz, who was named a flight director by Christopher Kraft, speaks at the MIssion Control Center dedication ceremony.
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NASA Johnson Space Center director Mike Coats presents Christopher and Betty Kraft with a dedication plaque naming Mission Control the Christopher C. Kraft, Jr. Mission Control Center.
