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The former Mercury Mission Control Center building -- long ravaged by time and the elements -- was demolished. As pieces of the old building were eaten away, more than fifty years of space history came to completion. Yet despite the demise of the building, the Flight Control Area -- the heart of the mission control operation -- has been faithfully preserved for future generations. The Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex has recreated the control center in its Early Space Exploration display. In this display, the public can view the actual consoles, furnishings and world tracking map used during those early flights. The preservation stands as a tribute to those who pioneered NASA's manned space program -- leading to the moon missions just a few years later -- and paving the way for the human spaceflight program that continues today.