During much of the U.S. manned space program, NASA felt it was important for all communication with the astronauts in space to pass through a single individual in the Mission Control Center. That role was designated the capsule communicator or capcom and was typically filled by another astronaut, often one of the backup crew members. For long duration missions, there would be more than one capcom, each assigned to a different shift team. After control of U.S. spaceflights moved to the Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center in the early 1960s, capcoms used the radio callsignHouston. Human spaceflight is space exploration with a human crew, and possibly passengers (in contrast to dog-manned space missions, which are remotely-controlled or robotic space probes). ... The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), which was established in 1958, is the agency responsible for the public space program of the United States of America. ... U.S. Space Shuttle astronaut Bruce McCandless II using a manned maneuvering unit. ... Mission control center (MCC) is a unit that manages aerospace flights. ... An aerial view of the complete Johnson Space Center facility in Houston, Texas in 1989. ... The 1960s, or The Sixties, in its most obvious sense refers to the decade between 1960 and 1969, but the expression has taken on a wider meaning over the past twenty years. ... In broadcasting and radio communication, a callsign or call sign (also call letters) is a unique designation for a transmitting station. ...
Suddenly, the Apollo 1 capsule was in flames, and there was nothing anyone could do – not even Stuart Roosa who was the CapCom (CapsuleCommunicator) that day.
The Apollo 1 space capsule was consumed by a terrible fire in which all three astronauts perished.
Stuart Roosa was CapsuleCommunicator (CapCom) when the emergency call from the Apollo 1 astronauts came.