Fifty years of space exploration and history with Johnson Space Center's Mission Control

HOUSTON (KTRK) -- Fifty years ago today, space missions all began at Johnson Space Center in the original Mission Control Center for NASA.

Former Flight Director Gerry Griffin gave us a tour.

"So, this is where you sat right here. Right here and this is what it looked like. Kind of ancient compared to what they work with today. But, it was state of the art back in 1965. Back in the day, back in the day."

Gerry Griffin was a NASA Flight Director for Apollo 12, 15 and 17. He also played an important role in the resolution of the Apollo 13 crisis.

He said, "We landed on the moon and did all kinds of things from these kinds of consoles."

Another former flight director, Glynn Lunney, joined Griffin for a reunion Wednesday at Mission Control to reminisce about their past.

Lunney said, "It's a special place, we lived it. It just flows back. It just starts roaring back we remember all the good times."

During the Gemini and Apollo programs, Glynn Lunney was in charge.

Back then, the men smoked inside Mission Control and used pneumatic tubes, now mostly used at drive up bank tellers, connecting controller consoles with staff support rooms.

When asked how it feels to be back to where he spent so much of his career, Griffin said, "The first thing is disbelief that I'm still here 50 years later. This place has a special feeling to it. I spent so much time in here."