Meaning & use
mission control
Last updated
Meaning
noununcountable
The place and team that guide and keep in contact with a spacecraft during its flight.
Grammar: Usually takes a singular verb: 'Mission control is monitoring the launch.'
Patterns
- mission control center
- contact mission control
- mission control reported
Mission control lost contact with the spacecraft for two minutes.
The astronauts radioed mission control to report a problem.
Mission control is located in Houston, Texas.
Common combinations
- mission control center
- The mission control center was filled with engineers.
- contact mission control
- The pilot tried to contact mission control.
- mission control room
- We visited the mission control room during the tour.
- mission control team
- The mission control team worked through the night.
Synonyms and how they differ
- control center
- More general; 'mission control' is specific to space missions.
Word family
- mission noun
- A special task or journey, especially into space.
- controller noun
- A person who directs operations from mission control.
Commonly confused: mission control or missionary?
mission control vs missionary
A person sent to spread a religion; not related to space.
Practice
Complete the sentence: The astronauts communicated with ______ during the spacewalk.
Choose one answer.
Only 'mission control' refers to the team that guides spacecraft. The other options are unrelated: 'missionary' is a religious worker, 'mission statement' is a company's goal, and 'mission impossible' is a phrase meaning a hopeless task.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “mission control”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.