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Jargon guide to Mission Control

Capcom, Flight, GNC, Surgeon… These Mission Control buzz words appear on many space films, but who are these people and what role do they play in keeping the mission on track and the crew alive?

Flight: Flight Director. Call sign 'Flight' - leader of the flight control team. Responsible for overall mission and decisions that will keep the crew safe and healthy, whilst maximising results.

Mod: Mission Operations Director. Call sign 'Mod' - the main liaison between the control room and the upper echelons of the main space agencies running the mission.

Capcom: Spacecraft Communicator. Call sign 'Capcom' - serves as the primary communicator between flight control and astronauts. The abbreviation is a throwback to early manned spaceflight, when the first spacecraft were actually capsules.

FDO: Flight Dynamics Officer. Call sign 'Fido' - defines Pegasus' performance and capability during aerobraking and orbital manoeuvres. Plans the burns to get in and out of planetary orbits and co-ordinates advice on lander manoeuvres.

GDO: Guidance Officer. Call sign 'Guidance' - ensures the onboard navigation and onboard guidance computer software guarantees Pegasus is always on target.

Surgeon: Flight Surgeon. Call sign 'Surgeon' - monitors crew activities, co-ordinates medical operations control team, provides crew consultation, advises Flight Director of the crew's health.

Prop: Propulsion Systems Engineer. Call sign 'Prop' - monitors and evaluates reaction control and orbital manoeuvering systems during all phases of flight, and manages propellants and other consumables available for manoeuvres.

GNC: Guidance, Navigation & Control Systems Engineer. Call sign 'GNC' - monitors all vehicle guidance, navigation and control systems. Notifies Flight Director and crew of impending abort situations, advises crew regarding guidance malfunctions.

EECOM: Emergency, Environmental & Consumables Systems Engineer. Call sign 'EECOM' - monitors on-board life-support systems, cabin pressure, temperature control systems, air and water recycling systems.

EGIL: Electrical Generation & Integrated Lighting Systems Engineer. Call sign 'Eagle' - monitors cryogenic levels of fuel cells, electrical generation, distribution systems, vehicle lighting.

INCO: Instrumentation and Communications Systems Engineer. Call sign 'INCO' - plans and monitors in-flight communications and instrumentation systems configurations.

GC: Ground Control. Call sign 'GC' - directs maintenance and operation activities affecting Mission Control hardware, software and support facilities, and the big global network of dishes that listen out for communications from Pegasus.

Science: Science Officer. Call sign 'Science' - co-ordinates the complete programme of science undertaken in flight, planetary and moon orbit and on the surfaces of worlds visited.