Flight director specialists

For some flight directors it is time to… go home. Flight directors train specifically for certain flight phases. There are five specialised teams for each ATV phase: ground, launch, rendezvous, docking, refuelling and reentry.

Each specialist team has a prime and a backup and for the two ‘ground specialists’ their work is done for the day. They will return to the ATV control room in a few shifts to relieve their colleagues during ATV-4’s free-flying phase – after a well deserved rest.