NASA Launch Control Room for United Space Alliance/NASA

Operators: 250
Product(s): Diversity, Identity, Other Millwork

The Challenge

The client, United Space Alliance, is the prime contractor for NASA's Space Shuttle Program, responsible for the day-to-day operations and management of the U.S. Space Shuttle fleet.

Evans began working on their launch control room revitalization project in December, 2001. Since then, this project, which is one of three Firing Rooms at NASA used to control the launch of the Space Shuttle, has consisted of 10 different phases and multiple prototypes.

As a point of interest, these Control Rooms can be seen on television each time there is a Space Shuttle launch (along with the Mission Control Center in Houston, which was also done by Evans in 1994). This is also the first time in nearly 30 years that these rooms have received a complete overhaul, with each new room nearly 10,000 square feet in size.

Needless to say, along with this exciting project, there were some key challenges Evans had to address.

Because of the client?s very unique equipment requirements, extreme attention to detail was necessary in the design of this console solution in order to accommodate such custom equipment.

Also, the design of the facility itself generated some challenges. The entire East wall of the Control Room was floor to ceiling glass, which in turn generated problems with glare on the monitors that Evans needed to address in its design.

Essentially, due to the very nature of this client?s business, they were understandably very detail oriented and Evans had to ensure it was just as detail-oriented in its custom solution.

The Evans Solution

The Evans team worked diligently with the client to ensure every detail was addressed. Because of the very nature of this project, Evans went above and beyond to ensure the client?s requirements were either met or exceeded.

As an example, due to the very unique requirements of the Launch Control Room itself, and the number of different groups that work within the facility, Evans was required to design 5 different style consoles for the room.

In addition, each different console design required a prototype that was reviewed by as many as 250 operators before proceeding to manufacturing.

In fact, for the final factory acceptance of the Management Room consoles, NASA and USA representatives visited Evans HQ to view and evaluate the consoles that they would be using during future Shuttle launches.

By working this closely with the client, it allowed Evans to receive instant feedback and in turn, effectively meet their requirements and ensure each detail was efficiently addressed.

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