To the Moon and Back: Preserving NASA’s Apollo Mission Control in Houston, Texas

 

How do you restore one of the world’s most iconic landmarks when it’s a lower priority for NASA due to dwindling budgets and existing turf wars? From the Mission Operations Control Room (MOCR-2) on the third floor of Building 30 at the Manned Spacecraft Center (now the Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center (JSC)), Flight Controllers managed the first human lunar landing with Apollo 11 on July 20, 1969, and giving American citizens a common point of national identity and pride that directly contributed to U.S. global influence and scientific partnerships.

Despite its significance to American history, the Apollo Mission Control Center (MCC) became a threatened National Historic Landmark in 2015 having gone largely unmanaged since its decommissioning 20 years earlier. Under the pressure to reduce the federal footprint and NASA’s disinterest in funding historic preservation activities, the protection and restoration of the Apollo MCC was an ongoing and unresolved battle for decades. 

In 2018, Dr. Adam Graves led the team behind the successful restoration and preservation of Mission Control and was awarded National Trust’s President’s Award for National Leadership in Historic Preservation, the ACHP’s Chairman’s Award, and the Texas Historical Commission’s Governor’s Award for Historic Preservation among others. Understanding and documenting the historic resource right down to its cigarette-filled amber ashtrays, committing to restore the MCC and its consoles back to the Apollo era, while seeking support and funding partners, all came to a successful culmination just prior to the 50th Anniversary of the first moon landing.

This presentation will discuss in detail the $5 million restoration that returned the Apollo Mission Control Center in Houston, Texas, to its former mid-century glory. From Apollo Flight Controller interviews and donations to hidden discoveries, wallpaper, carpets, upholstery, consoles, artifacts, lighting, and an amazing Visitor’s Experience program, no stone went unturned to bring back to life one of the most significant historic places in the world. Drama, resolve, hard work, tears, and joy best describe the experience that was the Apollo Mission Control Center Restoration!

About Dr. Graves:

Adam Graves, Ph.D. is originally from Crandall, Texas and is a proud resident of Waxahachie. He earned degrees in Anthropology from the University of Wyoming and the University of Oklahoma. Dr. Graves has nearly 30 years of experience and is a nationally recognized subject matter expert for a wide range of environmental topics including archaeological investigations, historic architectural assessments and design guidelines, historic restoration and rehabilitation, Historic American Engineering Records (HAER) documentation, National Register Nominations, federal cultural resources management plans and Programmatic Agreements, and tribal consultation to name a few. He is a published author of several archaeological works, former Adjunct Professor of Anthropology at Sheridan College, Wyoming, has made substantial contributions in the fields of history and architectural history through his work at NASA JSC, and is currently co-owner of the consulting firm, Forty-One G Services.