The Flight Deck

To succeed in your mission objectives, your must know your way around the flight deck. The flight deck in SSM2007 is based on the most current type, which has a total of 11 LCDs to display information from the GPCs and the flight software. In the real world, four orbiters (Columbia, Discovery, Atlantis, and Endeavour) received this upgrade during their major upgrade periods. More about it can be read here: http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/main/shuttle_evolves.html

There are three main parts of the orbiter flight deck. The front section contains 9 LCD displays for the Commander and Pilot, the Center panels, and the Left and Right panels. The overhead section contains switches that control the GPCs, Star Trackers, GPS systems, and many other important orbiter systems. Finally, the Aft panels contain switches that control most of the on-orbit equipment.

The Space Shuttle uses a simple system of letters and numbers to show the location of the panel in the flight deck. The systems uses a single letter to show the general location of the panel, followed by the number of the panel (example, A1 is Aft panel #1). There can also be an additonal letter after the number(s), which is usually used to differentiate between two different parts of the same panel (example, R13U is Right panel #13 Upper). The chart below shows the abbreviations of the panel lettering system.

Primary Location	Letter		Secondary Location	Letter
Left	L		Upper	U
Right	R		Lower	L
Front	F		Right	R
Overhead	O
Aft	A
Center	C
Window	W

The Main Panels
Used With Permission From the SSM2007 Comander's Reference Manual

The Main panels include 9 out of the 11 LCD panels that show information about the GPCs, the APU, MPS, and OMS systems, and the general information about the orbiter, such as attitude. The center panels contain switches to control the GPC displays, two keypads to enter information into the GPCs, and other misc. systems. The Left (Commander) panels control The Flash Evap system, the Oxygen System, and the Cooling System. The Right (Pilot) Panels control the MPS, APU, Umbillical Doors, H₂ and O₂ systems, and the fuel cells.

Main Panels
Front	Left	Right	Center
Front 1	Left 1	Right 1	Center 1
Front 2	Left 2	Right 2	Center 2
Front 3	Left 3	Right 3	Center 3
Front 4	Left 4	Right 4	Center 4
Front 5	Left 5	Right 5	Center 5
Front 6	Left 6	Right 6	Center 6
Front 7	Left 7	Right 7	Center 7
Front 8	Left 8	Right 8
Front 9		Right 9

Note: Left panels 9-17 and Right panels 10-18 are located in the aft portion of the flight deck.

The Aft Panels
Used With Permission From the SSM2007 Comander's Reference Manual

The Aft Panels are the place where most of the on-orbit activity takes place. It has 2 LCDs which can show GPC and shuttle information, just like the Main panel LCDs. The RMS, Payload Bay Doors, Radiators, Shuttle heaters, payload latching and many other systems are controlled from here. Facing the rear of the shuttle, one will see a bank of general purpose switches on the right, which are used to deploy satellites. Rendezvous and docking are also controlled from the Aft station.

Aft Panels			Aft Left	Aft Right
Aft 1	Aft 10		Left 9
Aft 2	Aft 11		Left 10	Right 10
Aft 3	Aft 12		Left 11	Right 11
Aft 4	Aft 13		Left 12	Right 12
Aft 5	Aft 14		Left 13	Right 13
Aft 6	Aft 15		Left 14	Right 14
Aft 7	Aft 16		Left 15	Right 15
Aft 8	Aft 17		Left 17	Right 17
Aft 9				Right 18

The Overhead Panels
Used With Permission From the SSM2007 Comander's Reference Manual

The Overhead panels are mostly used during the Post-Launch Checklist, and the De-orbit Checklist to prepare specific shuttle systems that are associated with launch and landing. Also, most of the Post-Landing checklist involves the Overhead panels. After launch, many of the systems are turned off because thaey are not needed during the on-orbit mission. During the De-orbit preperations, many of these systems are turned back on. The Low overhead panel (O1) also houses indicators for the Cyro fuels, cabin pressure, and for the flash evap system.

Overhead Panels
Overhead 1	Overhead 11
Overhead 2	Overhead 12
Overhead 3	Overhead 13
Overhead 4	Overhead 14
Overhead 5	Overhead 15
Overhead 6	Overhead 16
Overhead 7	Overhead 17
Overhead 8	Overhead 18
Overhead 9	Overhead 19
Overhead 10	Overhead 20