1.   Back on Earth, dozens of flight controllers gathered in the Mission Control Center in Houston for the most significant day of their lives.

2.   A puncture of the freon-filled radiator tubing would force flight controllers to order the astronauts to land as soon as reasonably possible, cutting short the research.

3.   After additional studies last month, flight controllers conducted two brief aerobraking maneuvers, on Friday and Sunday.

4.   But flight controllers and scientists would be disappointed if they did not keep returning pictures and data much longer.

5.   But flight controllers, monitoring a faint radio signal, could tell that Pathfinder was indeed diving through the atmosphere and decelerating.

6.   But first, flight controllers and engineers were trying to determine the cause and seriousness of the failure of Pathfinder and the rover to communicate.

7.   But it should be reassuring to flight controllers to know that Pathfinder is up and running.

8.   Columbia and the bus-sized laboratory in its cargo bay were circling the Earth nearly problem free, according to flight controllers.

9.   Cook said that flight controllers, who had been trying daily to communicate, would now send commands to Pathfinder about every two weeks and listen for any response.

10.   Critical operations such as the military, prisons, flight controllers and others remained on duty.