menu
  • HOME
  • TRAVEL
  • PHOTOS
  • SPACE
    • -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

      • Apollo-11-What-We-SawApollo 11: What We Saw
      • Incremental-Successes—featured-imageIncremental Successes
      • Demanding-Situations—featured-imageDemanding Situations
      • Be-ColorfulIf you can’t be good, be colorful
    Close
  • BLOG
    • Random Ramjet Ramblings
    • Last four blog posts

      • Pumpkin-Princess—featured-imagePumpkin PrincessGrandpa's Little Princess is almost one and got to experience her first fall Pumpkin Patch!
      • Apollo-11-What-We-SawApollo 11: What We SawRepost of Bill Whittle's fantastic "Apollo 11: What We Saw" video series.
      • Incremental-Successes—featured-imageIncremental SuccessesAnother historic day in United States Human Spaceflight with the launch of SpaceX Crew Dragon on the DM-2 mission.
      • Demanding-Situations—featured-imageDemanding SituationsApollo 13 was more than just a "successful failure".
    • Close
  • CONTACT
  • 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.
  • Apollo 50: Go for the Moon.
    It's finally here: the full video of "Apollo 50: Go for the Moon" projection show!
  • Next Giant Leap
    It's time for that Next Giant Leap. Back to the Moon and on to Mars.
  • One Giant Influence
    Celebrating that "One Giant Step" and the personal influence it had...

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

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”
“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
© 1995 - 2021 -balettiedotcom- | All rights reserved.
Website designed by Balettie Consulting, Inc.
  • Follow
  • Follow
  • Follow
  • Follow
  • Home
  • Travel Journals
  • Photo Albums
  • Space Exploration
  • Mission Control
  • Blog
  • Contact