NASA 's Johnson Space Center (JSC ) in Houston, Texas, has been the home of human spaceflight operations since its inception in 1961. The first US manned spaceflight controlled from its iconic Mission Control Center was in 1965. From JSC 's control center, engineers also helped place humans on another celestial body for the first time, operated 135 Space Shuttle missions, and expanded human spaceflight to an international endeavor. Housed on more than 1,600 acres just south of downtown Houston, the center is the curator for the precious samples returned from the moon, the base for the trainingof astronauts, and the developer of innovative engineering to support future exploration deep into the solar system and world-class technical research on earth.
The images from the Johnson Space Center's extensive Imagery Repository reflect the innovation, commitment, and accomplishments of the thousands of individuals who worked at this institution during its first 50 years to provide the nation with an avenue to space and the moon.