NASA Johnson Space Center

NASA's Johnson Space Center has served as a hub of human spaceflight activity for more than half a century. As the nucleus of the nation's astronaut corps and home to International Space Station mission operations and a host of future space developments, the center plays a pivotal role in surpassing the physical boundaries of Earth and enhancing technological and scientific knowledge to benefit all of humankind.

Established in 1961 on nearly 1,700 acres southeast of downtown Houston as the Manned Spacecraft Center, the bustling core of space activity was renamed in 1973 to honor the late president and Texas native, Lyndon B. Johnson. From the Mercury, Gemini, Apollo and Space Shuttle Programs to the International Space Station and Orion, Johnson's nearly 14,000 person workforce helps bolster NASA's standing as an institution where creative and talented problem solvers push the boundaries of explorations innovation.

Every one of the more than 500 NASA astronauts and space explorers from our international partners who has crossed the threshold of the International Space Station or flown on the space shuttle has trained at Johnson. In the Space Vehicle Mockup Facility, astronauts, engineers and other mission support professionals learn skills and procedures to operate the orbiting laboratory on full-scale modules. In facilities around the 200-plus building center, a precision air-bearing floor, a partial gravity simulator and a virtual reality simulator, among other training facilities, prepare astronauts to live and work in microgravity. At Johnson's satellite facilities close to the center, they maintain their flying skills in T-38 jets and practice spacewalks at the Neutral Buoyancy Lab.

NASA missions that explore new frontiers and expand understanding of how humans live and work in space are planned and supported from the Christopher C. Kraft, Jr. Mission Control Center. A host of engineers, scientists and mathematicians help the men and women living in low Earth orbit utilize the space station to its fullest capabilities, test new technologies, and sustain the life of the orbiting laboratory through 2020. Some of the agency's experts in human spaceflight work with private companies to develop safe, reliable and affordable commercial vehicles to transport humans and cargo to low Earth orbit.