Here’s How Spacecraft Dashboards Evolved, and Where They’re Headed

When you drive , the 2d most important thing you should keep your eyes on is the dashboard of your car ( the first matter being the road ) . In space , however , it ’s the restraint that are the most essential for navigating and operating your spacecraft . From Gagarin to Scott Kelly , here ’s a abbreviated visual history of the human - spacecraft interface .

If we look at all the chief instrument panels humankind has designed and work up during the past 55 years , we can see how the showing and control system of spacecraft have become more complex and advanced and back again . The following solidification of images will place you in front of dozens of analogue and digital legal document , display , handwriting controller , pedals , levers and switches that cosmonaut , cosmonauts , and taikonauts have used over the year , and what they will use moving frontward .

regard the Space Shuttle , which had near two thousand switches and control ; a far cry from the Vostok-1 control board and showing , which had only about 25 switches and controls for cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin to use on his historic flight of steps ( see the 2d photo below ) .

Argentina’s President Javier Milei (left) and Robert F. Kennedy Jr., holding a chainsaw in a photo posted to Kennedy’s X account on May 27. 2025.