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    • -THE TRENCH- the space advocacy website of former Flight Dynamics Officer Roger Balettie
    • Flight Dynamics Officer
      • What is a Flight Dynamics Officer?
        • – Ascent
        • – Orbit
        • – Entry
      • My Last Day as a FDO
      • My last FDO Console Log Book entries
      • Reflections on my career as a FDO
      • STS-76: Letters from the Lead FDO
    • Mission Control
      • Mission Control Center
      • What is the FDO looking at?
      • The Flight Controller’s Creed
      • Logos in Mission Control
      • Mission Control – 50 years
      • Atomic Fireballs
      • Space Shuttle Worldwide Landing Sites
      • STS-109 re-entry photos
    • Tributes and Essays
      • Remembering Discovery
      • The Cathedral
      • “We Came Here, You and I…”
      • Icarus Rising
      • 30 years on: Lessons from Challenger
      • Remembrance
      • Why have a space program?
      • The BIG Picture (by John Young)
      • If you can’t be good, be colorful
      • High Flight
      • Space exploration is ‘destiny’
      • Mir Space Station Website – Interview
      • Correcting some misconceptions…
      • Space- and NASA-related blog entries

      • Countdown-featured-imageCountdown
      • Tango-Delta-featured-imageTango Delta
      • Words-on-a-Chalkboard—featured-imageWords on a Chalkboard
      • Apollo-11-What-We-SawApollo 11: What We Saw
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  • BLOG
    • Random Ramjet Ramblings
    • Last four blog posts

      • Countdown-featured-imageCountdownIt's been 40 years since the launch of STS-1, and the excitement of that day never faded.
      • Tango-Delta-featured-imageTango DeltaA new adventure on the red planet has begun.
      • Words-on-a-Chalkboard—featured-imageWords on a Chalkboard35 years ago, I saw two faded words on a chalkboard. They influenced the rest of my NASA career.
      • Pumpkin-Princess—featured-imagePumpkin PrincessGrandpa's Little Princess is almost one and got to experience her first fall Pumpkin Patch!
    • Close
  • CONTACT
  • Countdown
    It's been 40 years since the launch of STS-1, and the excitement of that day never faded.
  • Tango Delta
    A new adventure on the red planet has begun.
  • Words on a Chalkboard
    35 years ago, I saw two faded words on a chalkboard. They influenced the rest of my NASA career.
  • Apollo 11: What We Saw
    Repost of Bill Whittle's fantastic "Apollo 11: What We Saw" video series.
  • Incremental Successes
    Another historic day in United States Human Spaceflight with the launch of SpaceX Crew Dragon on the DM-2 mission.
  • Demanding Situations
    Apollo 13 was more than just a "successful failure".
  • If you can’t be good, be colorful
    Always be COLORFUL!
  • Per Aspera
    A review of "Ad Astra" with a focus towards the deeper plot.
  • A woodpecker did WHAT?
    In 1995 on STS-70, a woodpecker brought the US space program to a sudden halt.

The links below cover a range of topics, from specific information on “What is a FDO?” to some information on life and operations in the MCC to various essays and tributes…

Contact me!

Flight Dynamics Officer

What is a FDO?
– Ascent
– Orbit
– Entry

My last day on console

My last FDO Log Book entries

Reflections on my career

STS-76: Letters from the Lead FDO

Mission Control Center

Mission Control Center Overview

What is the FDO looking at?

“The Flight Controller’s Creed”

Logos in Mission Control

Mission Control – 50 years

Atomic Fireballs in the MCC

Space Shuttle landing sites

Tributes

Words on a Chalkboard

Remembrance

“We Came Here, You and I…”

“Icarus Rising”

“High Flight”

Essays

Remembering Discovery

The Cathedral of Manned Spaceflight

“The Big Picture” (by John Young)

“Why have a space program?” (by Jim Lovell)

“30 years on: Lessons from Challenger”

“Challenger: Correcting some misconceptions…”

Space exploration is ‘destiny’

Mir Space Station website interview
STS-109 Entry photos

Space- and NASA-related blog entries

Travel
Photos
Space
Blog
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