Good to hear from you, Jack. If that's what was reported, it was wrong. Historic Mission Control has been a regular stop on JSC tours for years. I've taken many a group into the room itself and invited folks to sit in the Flight chair. But it was experiencing a lot of wear and tear. So they closed it off about a year ago to do a complete restoration. They matched materials and attempted to contact original manufacturers. When original material was no longer available, they recreated the original material to match as closely as possible. They have sought vintage items, such as ash trays and garbage cans. All with the intent of restoring to Apollo era appearance, while recognizing that other programs were also run from there.
They had a grand re-opening today, which is perhaps what prompted the news report. I was not in attendance. I understand that they will no longer allow floor tours. Rather, they will restrict visitors to the viewing gallery.
So, no, if was not just empty floor space.
The funds for the restoration came from grants through the Historical Preservation Society (or some org of similar name), which allowed folks to donate money to the effort since NASA cannot accept donations.
I'll see if I can find a photo from one of my floor tours to send you.
How is your collection going? Are you finding material to add?
Best regards from the Garden Spot of the Gulf Coast
Mike
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