There was a fun article in the BBC Future site published yesterday in which Richard Hollingham gives his opinion on the five coolest mission control rooms of all time.

We’re ranked No. 3 (thanks!), and we can certainly confirm that:

“Even though they are dealing with satellites, emotions can still run high [See We are at Mars!]. During launches, the main control room, a moodily-lit space with curved consoles facing the main screens, is staffed by a wide range of specialists responsible for the wellbeing of their spacecraft.”

ESOC Main Control Room, Darmstadt. Credit: ESA/J. Mai

ESOC Main Control Room, Darmstadt. Credit: ESA/J. Mai

You’ll find many more pictures of our (cool!) control facilities via Flickr and our main web site.