Mission commander is the title given to the astronaut in command of an official United States space mission. The mission commander has final authority concerning decisions made aboard the mission spacecraft. The title was first used by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) during the Apollo program of the 1960’s and early 1970’s. The Gemini program of the mid-1960’s, which preceded the Apollo program, used the term command pilot for the same role. Gemini was the first U.S. space program in which the missions were crewed by more than one astronaut. Apollo is the only space program in history to send humans to the moon.
Early mission commanders, like the early astronauts, were chosen from among military test pilots. Test pilots were chosen mostly for their ability to make carefully reasoned decisions under extreme pressure. The first civilian mission commander was Neil Armstrong. Before joining the astronaut program in 1962, Armstrong had been a test pilot on the X-15 rocket plane. The X-15 was a joint project between the U.S. Air Force and NASA. As command pilot of Gemini 8, Armstrong demonstrated his skill in handling a dangerous situation when the ship experienced severe control problems while docked (connected) to another vehicle. He and his crewmate David R. Scott undocked, regained control, and made an emergency ocean landing unharmed. Armstrong went on to serve as mission commander on the Apollo 11 mission. On that mission, he became the first person to set foot on the moon.
The space shuttle program also used the title mission commander. NASA flew 135 shuttle missions from 1981 through 2011, each with a mission commander. Several astronauts served as commander of more than one shuttle flight.
Space programs of other nations also designate mission commanders. Mission command of the International Space Station rotates among the United States, Russia, and the other station partners. Space missions launched by private companies, such as trips for the purpose of space tourism, may also have mission commanders. However, this role may differ from that of a traditional mission commander.
