ATMOS ATLAS 3 POCC Images Payload Operations Control Center (POCC) Commanding, health monitoring, and capture of the data of the ATMOS instrument during the ATLAS 3 mission was done at the Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) Payload Operations Control Center in Huntsville, Alabama. POCC Staffing   ATMOS took measurements of the atmosphere around the clock, so a POCC team was on duty 24 hours a day during the mission. The ATMOS POCC team was made up of personnel from JPL, MSFC, and KSC, many of whom are shown here. In the background of these pictures is the ground support equipment with which the ATMOS shuttle data was recorded. Computer equipment in the area was used to monitor the health and status of the instrument, to modify instructions for commanding the instrument, particularly to point it at the sun, and for access to the internet and the Data Processing Facility at JPL. Celebrating a successful contribution! Students from the University of Alabama at Huntsville, Atmospheric Science Program also worked as part of the team, assisting with commanding of the instrument. Part of the data recorded at the POCC was sent back to the ATMOS Data Processing Facility (DPF) at JPL, so that an awaiting team of international scientists could see and analyze the results processed by the DPF while the shuttle was still in orbit. Go back to the previous page.