Just a few more months, folks.
Monday, January 31, 2005
Motivation
This an email sent to all of the ODIN group today by a guy named Stan Schaefer. He's a NASA ODIN and a very cool guy. I thought this would be appropriate considering tomorrow is the 2 year anniversary of the Columbia accident. Copied below is a note from Wayne Hale, the Deputy Manager of the Shuttle Program:
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During the last days of 2004, there was an electric atmosphere at the Michoud Assembly Facility as the ET-120 for STS-114 came to completion. Everyone there could see the work was wrapping up and the opportunity to ship out a finished tank by the end of the year was tantalizing. No management incentive or motivational technique could possibly have been as powerful as the as the vision of rolling that tank out of the factory and the pride that comes from a hard job well done. In those days the workforce at MAF had a spring in their step and a grin on their face and a quickened tempo to get the work done.
During the very the same days, exactly the same sense of accomplishment and excitement was filling the air at the McDonald Detweiler Robotics plant in suburban Toronto as the OBSS - that new invention to allow complete inspection of the orbiter - was finished and left snowy Canada for the warmer climate of Florida and its date with history.
Now, infectious optimism is rampant at the Kennedy Space Center. In OPF3, Discovery is visibly close to rolling out to the VAB and the workers on the floor can smell the heady aroma of success and completion of their work. Over in OPF1, the techs working on Atlantis have the same pride as their ship daily makes visible progress to be ready for its potential (and hopefully never used) role as a rescue craft. The SRBs are stacked, gleaming and ready on the mobile launch platform and the tank - the one that the folks in Louisiana are so very proud of - will be bolted with them in a matter of days.
The real stress in the system lies with the engineers and analysts who are striving heroically to complete all the paperwork necessary to prove the system is safe to fly. Alone in the program, these folks are the only ones where the end is not in sight. Long sleepless hours and weekends at the desk will be their life for the next three months or more. It will be a hard slog for them to dig out from under all that work over the next several weeks. But even among the engineering workforce, like crocus poking up through the snow, there are signs of hope that spring will come and optimism is possible.
In the midst of this sea of buoyant optimism, the calendar has rolled around to the certain red-rimmed dates: January 27th, January 28th, February 1st. Apollo 1, Challenger, Columbia. We must ensure that even the newest employee in our halls knows the history of those days. Most importantly, we must remember that none of those terrible events was inevitable. There is no reason that these days should not be ordinary dates. Human failing in every case mixed with multiple missed opportunities caused catastrophe. We can never again be complacent, lax, or persuaded that our business is ordinary and therefore requires only ordinary attention to detail. There must never be an Atlantis tragedy or a Discovery accident or an Endeavour disaster.
Almost forty years ago, Gus Grissom told the spacecraft assemblers at Downey "Do good work." Echoing down four decades of history, Gus Grissom's words inescapably speak to us: "Do good work." The plain message of this ultimately concise sentence is unavoidable; it leaves no room for misunderstanding, no place for lawyerly quibbling over the meaning of its words, no chance to plead ignorance. Prominently displayed at Downey in the Apollo days was a sign that proclaimed "Waste anything but time". In their rush to win the race, our predecessors failed to heed Gus's words and he and his crew paid the price with their lives. No matter what we are doing in this business, we must do it right, we must do it with a strict attention to detail. This is no ordinary business; the margin between success and failure-on the best day- is thin, the energies involved are too great, the materials are exotic, the environments are extreme. No room for anything other than good work.
In the final hours before ET-120 rolled out of Michoud, a huge team inspected every square inch of the foam on the outside of that tank, often using magnifying lenses. The tank is bigger than a grain silo, 154 feet tall by 27 feet in diameter; but it was examined under a microscope. That attention to detail is what is our business requires. Every smudge on that foam was examined in detail and evaluated against strict criteria based on rigorous engineering analysis. With the factory door ready to be opened, a quality inspector, almost in tears, pointed out a miniscule flaw that somehow crept into the foam in a critical area. It would take hours to cure the glue required in the repair. A technical meeting ensued with evidence indicating a repair might not required and other evidence indicating a repair would be required. Without a clear and positive assessment that the damage was safe to fly, the judgment was made to repair . . . and wait. And so, I offer the ET team's example: it has got to be done right.
So, take pride in your hard work. Find the heart to make it through these final weeks of long hours. Even enjoy the excitement of these days. But above all: Do good work. Make it certain that in the future we commemorate successful days.
Wayne Hale
Deputy Program Manager, Space Shuttle Program
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
During the last days of 2004, there was an electric atmosphere at the Michoud Assembly Facility as the ET-120 for STS-114 came to completion. Everyone there could see the work was wrapping up and the opportunity to ship out a finished tank by the end of the year was tantalizing. No management incentive or motivational technique could possibly have been as powerful as the as the vision of rolling that tank out of the factory and the pride that comes from a hard job well done. In those days the workforce at MAF had a spring in their step and a grin on their face and a quickened tempo to get the work done.
During the very the same days, exactly the same sense of accomplishment and excitement was filling the air at the McDonald Detweiler Robotics plant in suburban Toronto as the OBSS - that new invention to allow complete inspection of the orbiter - was finished and left snowy Canada for the warmer climate of Florida and its date with history.
Now, infectious optimism is rampant at the Kennedy Space Center. In OPF3, Discovery is visibly close to rolling out to the VAB and the workers on the floor can smell the heady aroma of success and completion of their work. Over in OPF1, the techs working on Atlantis have the same pride as their ship daily makes visible progress to be ready for its potential (and hopefully never used) role as a rescue craft. The SRBs are stacked, gleaming and ready on the mobile launch platform and the tank - the one that the folks in Louisiana are so very proud of - will be bolted with them in a matter of days.
The real stress in the system lies with the engineers and analysts who are striving heroically to complete all the paperwork necessary to prove the system is safe to fly. Alone in the program, these folks are the only ones where the end is not in sight. Long sleepless hours and weekends at the desk will be their life for the next three months or more. It will be a hard slog for them to dig out from under all that work over the next several weeks. But even among the engineering workforce, like crocus poking up through the snow, there are signs of hope that spring will come and optimism is possible.
In the midst of this sea of buoyant optimism, the calendar has rolled around to the certain red-rimmed dates: January 27th, January 28th, February 1st. Apollo 1, Challenger, Columbia. We must ensure that even the newest employee in our halls knows the history of those days. Most importantly, we must remember that none of those terrible events was inevitable. There is no reason that these days should not be ordinary dates. Human failing in every case mixed with multiple missed opportunities caused catastrophe. We can never again be complacent, lax, or persuaded that our business is ordinary and therefore requires only ordinary attention to detail. There must never be an Atlantis tragedy or a Discovery accident or an Endeavour disaster.
Almost forty years ago, Gus Grissom told the spacecraft assemblers at Downey "Do good work." Echoing down four decades of history, Gus Grissom's words inescapably speak to us: "Do good work." The plain message of this ultimately concise sentence is unavoidable; it leaves no room for misunderstanding, no place for lawyerly quibbling over the meaning of its words, no chance to plead ignorance. Prominently displayed at Downey in the Apollo days was a sign that proclaimed "Waste anything but time". In their rush to win the race, our predecessors failed to heed Gus's words and he and his crew paid the price with their lives. No matter what we are doing in this business, we must do it right, we must do it with a strict attention to detail. This is no ordinary business; the margin between success and failure-on the best day- is thin, the energies involved are too great, the materials are exotic, the environments are extreme. No room for anything other than good work.
In the final hours before ET-120 rolled out of Michoud, a huge team inspected every square inch of the foam on the outside of that tank, often using magnifying lenses. The tank is bigger than a grain silo, 154 feet tall by 27 feet in diameter; but it was examined under a microscope. That attention to detail is what is our business requires. Every smudge on that foam was examined in detail and evaluated against strict criteria based on rigorous engineering analysis. With the factory door ready to be opened, a quality inspector, almost in tears, pointed out a miniscule flaw that somehow crept into the foam in a critical area. It would take hours to cure the glue required in the repair. A technical meeting ensued with evidence indicating a repair might not required and other evidence indicating a repair would be required. Without a clear and positive assessment that the damage was safe to fly, the judgment was made to repair . . . and wait. And so, I offer the ET team's example: it has got to be done right.
So, take pride in your hard work. Find the heart to make it through these final weeks of long hours. Even enjoy the excitement of these days. But above all: Do good work. Make it certain that in the future we commemorate successful days.
Wayne Hale
Deputy Program Manager, Space Shuttle Program
Sunday, January 30, 2005
Disc Golf, Resident Evil, and more
hello again...been a few days since we last talked, wasn't it?
Well the weekend is going just fine so far. Friday night Jason and I continued to expand our culinary experience by eating out at another restaurant. This week's choice was ZIO's , a fabulous Italian resataurant. They told us we'd have a wait of about 30 minutes, but we ended up only needing 10. I had a nice plate of angel hair pasta with shrimp, covered in this nice sauce. And the bread...OH, the bread...it was fabulous. The only better bread could be at 15th & Olive in Murray, KY(that's mine and Mal's special place to eat). So that was fun.
I then had the urge after dinner to watch Apollo 13. I know, I know, I'm a dork, but I really wanted to see all the people and places in the movie, and compare them to what I have seen already at NASA Johnson. As luck would have it, NO ONE in this frickin area has Apollo 13 on dvd. I didn't really wanna buy it, at least not yet. I even went to this local video store that DID happen to have it on dvd, but in order to start an account there, you have to have a Texas license. WTF!?!? What the hell is the difference?!? I was so mad, and the girl there was being a real ass about it, so I just left. So I am still on the lookout for Apollo 13 on dvd. Another movie on dvd that I am looking for is SpaceCamp, but it looks as if I will have to order that one online.
Today, Jason and I went to a big ass disc golf course. It was located at the Tom Bass park, and it is also the location of last year's Texas State Championships of disc golf. That made it all the more fun. The course was huge, and some holes were as long as 650 feet. Jason was beating me by 5 strokes when we got to hole 14(I made some careless errors on the previous holes, and Jason was just unstoppable). However, around hole 15 I began my resurgence. Jason kept missing, and I kept making the shots. We were all tied at 72 when we got to hole 18. Jason beat me by one stroke on that hole, so the final scores were 77(me) and 76(jason).
Tonight I bought Resident Evil 4. I had been looking forward to this game for some time now. I think it was announced as long ago as E3 2003. Anyway, I'm only just getting into the game, and I'm intrigued. Not much of a story to go on so far, but all the RE games are like that. You are given some inciting action, and the story follows. The play mechanics are without a doubt superior to any RE game before it. The ability to aim at any body part(and that body part react when hit) is truly a welcome addition. The camera doesn't seem to be that bothersome either, with the whole behind-the-shoulder view a la Splinter Cell. It works rather well. Item management is also kinda cool; each item takes up a "block", and you can rearrange the items so that they take up less space in a certain row. It's really neat. Graphically, the game is second to none. Everything from the character models to the environment to the explosions is beautfully rendered. The only problems I have encountered so far are some clipping issues, but that's a minor squabble. The game is great so far, and I will have an official review of it as soon as I complete it.
Well tomorrow we will do our usual Sunday disc golf at the local park with Richard(the guy that runs it). I love the weekend so much more now that I have a job. Sleep is SO much more enjoyable, haha.
Well the weekend is going just fine so far. Friday night Jason and I continued to expand our culinary experience by eating out at another restaurant. This week's choice was ZIO's , a fabulous Italian resataurant. They told us we'd have a wait of about 30 minutes, but we ended up only needing 10. I had a nice plate of angel hair pasta with shrimp, covered in this nice sauce. And the bread...OH, the bread...it was fabulous. The only better bread could be at 15th & Olive in Murray, KY(that's mine and Mal's special place to eat). So that was fun.
I then had the urge after dinner to watch Apollo 13. I know, I know, I'm a dork, but I really wanted to see all the people and places in the movie, and compare them to what I have seen already at NASA Johnson. As luck would have it, NO ONE in this frickin area has Apollo 13 on dvd. I didn't really wanna buy it, at least not yet. I even went to this local video store that DID happen to have it on dvd, but in order to start an account there, you have to have a Texas license. WTF!?!? What the hell is the difference?!? I was so mad, and the girl there was being a real ass about it, so I just left. So I am still on the lookout for Apollo 13 on dvd. Another movie on dvd that I am looking for is SpaceCamp, but it looks as if I will have to order that one online.
Today, Jason and I went to a big ass disc golf course. It was located at the Tom Bass park, and it is also the location of last year's Texas State Championships of disc golf. That made it all the more fun. The course was huge, and some holes were as long as 650 feet. Jason was beating me by 5 strokes when we got to hole 14(I made some careless errors on the previous holes, and Jason was just unstoppable). However, around hole 15 I began my resurgence. Jason kept missing, and I kept making the shots. We were all tied at 72 when we got to hole 18. Jason beat me by one stroke on that hole, so the final scores were 77(me) and 76(jason).
Tonight I bought Resident Evil 4. I had been looking forward to this game for some time now. I think it was announced as long ago as E3 2003. Anyway, I'm only just getting into the game, and I'm intrigued. Not much of a story to go on so far, but all the RE games are like that. You are given some inciting action, and the story follows. The play mechanics are without a doubt superior to any RE game before it. The ability to aim at any body part(and that body part react when hit) is truly a welcome addition. The camera doesn't seem to be that bothersome either, with the whole behind-the-shoulder view a la Splinter Cell. It works rather well. Item management is also kinda cool; each item takes up a "block", and you can rearrange the items so that they take up less space in a certain row. It's really neat. Graphically, the game is second to none. Everything from the character models to the environment to the explosions is beautfully rendered. The only problems I have encountered so far are some clipping issues, but that's a minor squabble. The game is great so far, and I will have an official review of it as soon as I complete it.
Well tomorrow we will do our usual Sunday disc golf at the local park with Richard(the guy that runs it). I love the weekend so much more now that I have a job. Sleep is SO much more enjoyable, haha.
Here's the NBL(neutral buoyancy lab), where they simulate the microgravity environment for EVA's. This pool is huge, lemme tell ya. It is the largest indoor pool in the world, with about 6.2 million gallons of water heated to about 86 degrees. In this picture, you can see the Space Station side of the pool. What you see there is the Node 1 module and the U.S. Lab module, with the S0 Truss segment running along top.
NOTE
If you want to view any of my previous posts, just use the menu over to the right. So don't worry if you don't see the post you are looking forward on the home screen. They are all stored.
Thursday, January 27, 2005
Top Gun, games, and pizza
I feel bad. I keep skipping days on this blog thing. I apologize...again.
Well, training academy..er..TOP GUN is going alright I guess. The people that teach the classes are AWESOME. They are outgoing, outspoken, and are just a whole lot of fun. My fellow co ops, however...are not. I'm serious. They all SUCK. You got the one guy who is the suck up, who laughs at everything. You got the guys who think they know everything. You got the shy guys. And you got the guys that think they are smart(and they very well may be) but dress HORRIBLY. Oh my god. For instance, this guy today wore a BLACK belt, with BLUE slacks, with BROWN shoes. EYUGH. I was appalled....but back to the classes....we have basically been given overviews of the ISS and SSP. Pretty cool. And today we watched videos about the Columbia and Challenger accidents. Tomorrow actually marks the anniversary of the Challenger accident in 86...and Feb 1 is the anniversary of Columbia. Just thought I'd let you guys in on that...
hm, well the weekend is rapidly approaching. I'm excited. No football this weekend, so it is ALL about disc golf. Good stuff.
and for my video game boyz, I beat MGS3 again. Got a good rating. I got a SCORPION rating, and that is the best I have gotten for any MGS game, so I'm proud. My next game is Resident Evil 4...a game that many are calling one the best ever. Well we'll see what I think about it and give it a review later on. I'll prolly pick that up tomorrow.
well, my pizza is cookin. Hope you enjoy the pictures!
Well, training academy..er..TOP GUN is going alright I guess. The people that teach the classes are AWESOME. They are outgoing, outspoken, and are just a whole lot of fun. My fellow co ops, however...are not. I'm serious. They all SUCK. You got the one guy who is the suck up, who laughs at everything. You got the guys who think they know everything. You got the shy guys. And you got the guys that think they are smart(and they very well may be) but dress HORRIBLY. Oh my god. For instance, this guy today wore a BLACK belt, with BLUE slacks, with BROWN shoes. EYUGH. I was appalled....but back to the classes....we have basically been given overviews of the ISS and SSP. Pretty cool. And today we watched videos about the Columbia and Challenger accidents. Tomorrow actually marks the anniversary of the Challenger accident in 86...and Feb 1 is the anniversary of Columbia. Just thought I'd let you guys in on that...
hm, well the weekend is rapidly approaching. I'm excited. No football this weekend, so it is ALL about disc golf. Good stuff.
and for my video game boyz, I beat MGS3 again. Got a good rating. I got a SCORPION rating, and that is the best I have gotten for any MGS game, so I'm proud. My next game is Resident Evil 4...a game that many are calling one the best ever. Well we'll see what I think about it and give it a review later on. I'll prolly pick that up tomorrow.
well, my pizza is cookin. Hope you enjoy the pictures!
Here's a good look from one end of the facility. I tried to get some people in the shot to show you the scale of the place. It's big. That thing you see there is the mock up of the part of the shuttle where the crew "lives". That thing can be rotated on its base and have its nose pointed at different angles to simulate certain maneuvers.
This is me trying to be cool...and failing. This is the ONLY the motion based simulator for the Space Shuttle in the world. It is BAD ASS. The crew use this to simulate ascent and re-entry motion and techniques. Believe me when I say that this baby is the ULTIMATE simulator "ride". You wont find this anywhere else....yeh, and I apologize for my lack of color. I plan on getting a tan...sooner rather than later, haha.
This is just part of the station full size mockup. The module the guys are standing beside is the Node 1 module. The module to the right of that is the Joint Airlock. The close module to the left of the picture(the white one) is Zarya, the first piece of the station put into orbit. And in the distance, poking up in the right background, is the Japanese Pressurized section. It connects to Japanse lab. I have other pics of the rest of the station, but they didn't turn out decent :( sorry
Tuesday, January 25, 2005
Highway to the Danger Zone
Hey everyone...wow I suck. I am SO sorry for not posting the last few days. I haven't been on the computer much. I've been kinda sucked into the latest installment of one of my favorite game franchises of all time: Metal Gear Solid. The latest title, Snake Eater, puts me in the role of international super secret covert operations badass. My job: destroy the new state-of-the-art mobile nuclear tank, Metal Gear, being developed by the Russians during the Cold War. It's an absolutely brilliant game. Great pacing, great voice work, excellent plot, the right plot twists at the right time that make sense, and characters you actually care about. The whole package. Incredible. I don't read much, but games like this are my "stories". Sure, there are TONS of crappy games out there, and 90% of all games just suck. But the chosen few, the really really good ones, with high production values, make gaming all worth the while. There is nothing like a great story with characters you care about. And being able to decide the outcome yourself makes games(the good ones)the ULTIMATE books.
Sorry, I had to get my gaming statement in. After MGS3, I'll start Resident Evil 4, which is getting rave reviews from all gaming literature around the globe. After that, it's Metroid Prime II, another sure fire winner. After THAT, I'll try Prince of Persia 2(prolly wont buy it though. I dunno). Then by that time, good titles such as Starfox Armada, Killer 7, and Jungle Beat will be out, and I can try my hand with those. After that's said and done, E3 will be rolling around, and that's where we'll get to see my baby in action for the first time: the NEW Legend of Zelda for Gamecube. OMFG. I will be in tears, no doubt, when I see her in motion. .......More gaming news in my blog in the future, you can count on it!
I worked out again today. It was picture perfect: 70 degrees, wind blowing around 15 mph, palm trees swaying, the faint sound of the lake in the distant, and boats taking to the wakes. All of that while I was running down NASA Parkway. It was beautiful, and it makes me WANT to work out even more. I felt SO GOOD after the workout today. I cant wait to see results in a few months.
Tomorrow I start Training Academy. Basically, it's classroom material about the space program today( the station and the shuttle) mixed with tours of the facilities. We'll get to go to the SSTF(space shuttle/space station training facility), the NBL(neutral bouyancy lab), and mission control(but I have already been there tons of times, mwuhahaha). But it'll be me surrounded by the nerds(the other co ops). Who knows how that will turn out. But I hate the title, "training academy." No offense, but it sounds GAY. So I have took it upon myself to call it, TOP GUN. Yeh, that's much better. Sweet.
"I'm headed...to TOP GUN".....cool
oh yeh, and i found out i get some BITCHIN vacation hours at work. I have already accrued 6.6 hours. That means by the time Mal gets here, I dont have to leave her here alone. I can take those two workdays off. HELL YEAH!!!
Well that's it for today. I'll return tomororw, hopefully with some cool NASA pics :)
Sorry, I had to get my gaming statement in. After MGS3, I'll start Resident Evil 4, which is getting rave reviews from all gaming literature around the globe. After that, it's Metroid Prime II, another sure fire winner. After THAT, I'll try Prince of Persia 2(prolly wont buy it though. I dunno). Then by that time, good titles such as Starfox Armada, Killer 7, and Jungle Beat will be out, and I can try my hand with those. After that's said and done, E3 will be rolling around, and that's where we'll get to see my baby in action for the first time: the NEW Legend of Zelda for Gamecube. OMFG. I will be in tears, no doubt, when I see her in motion. .......More gaming news in my blog in the future, you can count on it!
I worked out again today. It was picture perfect: 70 degrees, wind blowing around 15 mph, palm trees swaying, the faint sound of the lake in the distant, and boats taking to the wakes. All of that while I was running down NASA Parkway. It was beautiful, and it makes me WANT to work out even more. I felt SO GOOD after the workout today. I cant wait to see results in a few months.
Tomorrow I start Training Academy. Basically, it's classroom material about the space program today( the station and the shuttle) mixed with tours of the facilities. We'll get to go to the SSTF(space shuttle/space station training facility), the NBL(neutral bouyancy lab), and mission control(but I have already been there tons of times, mwuhahaha). But it'll be me surrounded by the nerds(the other co ops). Who knows how that will turn out. But I hate the title, "training academy." No offense, but it sounds GAY. So I have took it upon myself to call it, TOP GUN. Yeh, that's much better. Sweet.
"I'm headed...to TOP GUN".....cool
oh yeh, and i found out i get some BITCHIN vacation hours at work. I have already accrued 6.6 hours. That means by the time Mal gets here, I dont have to leave her here alone. I can take those two workdays off. HELL YEAH!!!
Well that's it for today. I'll return tomororw, hopefully with some cool NASA pics :)
Sunday, January 23, 2005
F@#&!
well this weekend had its share of ups and lows...
saturday was awesome. I began my workout routine, and I felt great afterwards. Yeh, my limbs, abs, and chest hurt, but that's a good sign. Hopefully I can continue to workout at least 4-5 times a week while I eat relatively healthy.
Right now I'm watching the NE Patriots put a whoopin on the Steelers. The Pats are unbelievable; I really dont know how they do it. They seem perfect in every aspect of the game. Truly remarkable. Philly laid the smack down on Michael Vick and the Falcons, and the Eagles are going to their first Super Bowl since 1981.
We played some disc golf today. I am trying to hone my mechanics, and I have also begun to keep track of my scores. We played two rounds of 9 holes at the course(Miramar, the one we always go to), and I scored 35 each time. The par is 3 for every hole, so par for the course is 27. So now you kinda know my reference point when I tell you my score in the future.
And the low this weekend...well, I'm just plain upset. Remember my saying I was planning on going to see Mal on the weekend of the 4th of February, and we would do our Valentine's that weekend?? Well, I said that a few days ago, when the price of a roundtrip ticket was $180. I'm a seasoned traveler, and I KNOW that prices go up as the date approaches, yet that didn't factor into my mind. I wake up this morning and look at the prices again, and lo and behold, they have skyrocketed to around $400. I'm so upset. I should have done something when I saw the cheap prices of $180. I didn't have my new debit card yet, and I didn't wanna ask my parents to pay me in advance. They shouldn't have to do it. If I had gotten my account set up the first day I was here, then I would have had my card by then, and I could have gotten the ticket. But no, I procrastinated.... So this basically means I wont see Mal until Spring Break. Spring Break is just gonna be absolutely incredible with her here, and I think now it will be THAT much better since we will not have seen each other for about 2 months.
i'm gonna watch that new drama, NUMB3RS, on CBS. It looks cool.
See y'all tomorrow.
saturday was awesome. I began my workout routine, and I felt great afterwards. Yeh, my limbs, abs, and chest hurt, but that's a good sign. Hopefully I can continue to workout at least 4-5 times a week while I eat relatively healthy.
Right now I'm watching the NE Patriots put a whoopin on the Steelers. The Pats are unbelievable; I really dont know how they do it. They seem perfect in every aspect of the game. Truly remarkable. Philly laid the smack down on Michael Vick and the Falcons, and the Eagles are going to their first Super Bowl since 1981.
We played some disc golf today. I am trying to hone my mechanics, and I have also begun to keep track of my scores. We played two rounds of 9 holes at the course(Miramar, the one we always go to), and I scored 35 each time. The par is 3 for every hole, so par for the course is 27. So now you kinda know my reference point when I tell you my score in the future.
And the low this weekend...well, I'm just plain upset. Remember my saying I was planning on going to see Mal on the weekend of the 4th of February, and we would do our Valentine's that weekend?? Well, I said that a few days ago, when the price of a roundtrip ticket was $180. I'm a seasoned traveler, and I KNOW that prices go up as the date approaches, yet that didn't factor into my mind. I wake up this morning and look at the prices again, and lo and behold, they have skyrocketed to around $400. I'm so upset. I should have done something when I saw the cheap prices of $180. I didn't have my new debit card yet, and I didn't wanna ask my parents to pay me in advance. They shouldn't have to do it. If I had gotten my account set up the first day I was here, then I would have had my card by then, and I could have gotten the ticket. But no, I procrastinated.... So this basically means I wont see Mal until Spring Break. Spring Break is just gonna be absolutely incredible with her here, and I think now it will be THAT much better since we will not have seen each other for about 2 months.
i'm gonna watch that new drama, NUMB3RS, on CBS. It looks cool.
See y'all tomorrow.
Saturday, January 22, 2005
The ODINs
Here's the ODIN group. We took this pic last week in the White FCR(the shuttle flight control room). See if you can spot the Horne!!!
Return of the Weekend
WOO HOO! I got to watch some Robin Hood tonight!! Oh man, I forgot how much of that movie I remembered. Robin was such a badass. I just rented the movie, but now I feel I need to buy it. Just a really good go-for-good-guy-while-he-gets-back-at-bad-guy movie...absolutely brilliant.
good sports news today, at least for me. Roger Clemens came back to the Astros for $18 million. That's alot. So now I get to see a 300 win pitcher with the second most strikeouts in MLB history pitch this spring. Awesome. I cant wait to see the park and the Rocket pitch.
did some shopping this evening. I went to the Baybrook Mall, which is absolutely huge. I was looking for this one sweater in particular that was on sale. They didn't have my size though. I was able to procure this very nice(and well priced) semi casual dress shirt from eddie bauer. It is slightly darker than olive, I would say. It looks great with the right combination of jeans and shirt, so I will definitely try it out soon...
jason and I also went out on our first food hunt. We ate at, oddly enough, Jason's Deli. Neat place. Like a really NICE subway. The workers there were really nice too. And FREE ice cream, you cant beat that. I got a po boy that was absolutely fabulous.
this weekend will be busy for me. Tomorrow, as you know, I start my workout regimen. That will be tough. I will begin with intense stretching. I haven't been that athletic for awhile, so this is a must. Then I'll run until I'm just past winded. Then I'll do more each time I run. Next I'll work all main arm muscle groups, the pecs, and the shoulders; I'll use free weights. Then I'll work all abdominal areas. Finally, I'll do push ups and chin ups until my arms fall off. Of course this will all be gradual; I wont overdue it my first time. After the workout, I'll head to Smoothie King for....a.....uhm.....smoothie.
If I can feel my arms Sunday, I'll play disc golf, of course.
I'll be back tomorrow with my NFL PLAYOFF PICKS FOR THE AFC AND NFC CHAMPIONSHIPS.
STAY TUNED!!!
good sports news today, at least for me. Roger Clemens came back to the Astros for $18 million. That's alot. So now I get to see a 300 win pitcher with the second most strikeouts in MLB history pitch this spring. Awesome. I cant wait to see the park and the Rocket pitch.
did some shopping this evening. I went to the Baybrook Mall, which is absolutely huge. I was looking for this one sweater in particular that was on sale. They didn't have my size though. I was able to procure this very nice(and well priced) semi casual dress shirt from eddie bauer. It is slightly darker than olive, I would say. It looks great with the right combination of jeans and shirt, so I will definitely try it out soon...
jason and I also went out on our first food hunt. We ate at, oddly enough, Jason's Deli. Neat place. Like a really NICE subway. The workers there were really nice too. And FREE ice cream, you cant beat that. I got a po boy that was absolutely fabulous.
this weekend will be busy for me. Tomorrow, as you know, I start my workout regimen. That will be tough. I will begin with intense stretching. I haven't been that athletic for awhile, so this is a must. Then I'll run until I'm just past winded. Then I'll do more each time I run. Next I'll work all main arm muscle groups, the pecs, and the shoulders; I'll use free weights. Then I'll work all abdominal areas. Finally, I'll do push ups and chin ups until my arms fall off. Of course this will all be gradual; I wont overdue it my first time. After the workout, I'll head to Smoothie King for....a.....uhm.....smoothie.
If I can feel my arms Sunday, I'll play disc golf, of course.
I'll be back tomorrow with my NFL PLAYOFF PICKS FOR THE AFC AND NFC CHAMPIONSHIPS.
STAY TUNED!!!
Thursday, January 20, 2005
$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
wow...today was quite awesome. To begin, I must say THANK YOU to all my physics and calculus teachers of days gone by. They always emphasized the "right-hand" rule in the 3D Cartesian Coordinate system. Physics students, you know what I am talking about. Well, I got to use the right hand rule TONS today. I did a CBT that was about the naming conventions of the ISS. Every module name, module rack, module bay, module "floor", and module "ceiling" depend on the +x direction of the ISS, namely it's velocity vector. As you can imagine, it's always changing, so needless to say, the CBT was REALLY long. It took me about 2 hours, but it was sooo cool. I am getting extremely familiar with the ISS now, and it is becoming second nature to talk about it. It's gettin' cool people...really cool.
Tomorrow is FRRRRIDAY!!! I think Jason and I might make Friday night the night we go eat somewhere. And of course , after that.....I'm goin to wal mart................to buy............................ROBIN HOOD. Sweet.
I have also begun my age old quest for the holy grail of sunglasses: Killer Loop Coup K0776. They were taken from my grasp many moons ago, and I vowed to get them back. I have found some close, such as the K0775, but I want my precious Gunmetal frame, and Gunmetal flash lenses. Here's to hoping.
of course the real thing that made today great was my FIRST paycheck. This paycheck was more than I made in a month of working at Cornaustin. And I get this EACH week?!? Holy crap. I calculated how much I would make for the entire semester. In the words of Keanu Reeves: "Whoah".
Tomorrow is FRRRRIDAY!!! I think Jason and I might make Friday night the night we go eat somewhere. And of course , after that.....I'm goin to wal mart................to buy............................ROBIN HOOD. Sweet.
I have also begun my age old quest for the holy grail of sunglasses: Killer Loop Coup K0776. They were taken from my grasp many moons ago, and I vowed to get them back. I have found some close, such as the K0775, but I want my precious Gunmetal frame, and Gunmetal flash lenses. Here's to hoping.
of course the real thing that made today great was my FIRST paycheck. This paycheck was more than I made in a month of working at Cornaustin. And I get this EACH week?!? Holy crap. I calculated how much I would make for the entire semester. In the words of Keanu Reeves: "Whoah".
Wednesday, January 19, 2005
I'm All In
sorry everyone for not blogging yesterday...Cant really blame me though...my dawgs lost by FORTY NINE points, the worst lost in MSU history. I didn't feel like doing anything yesterday after that.
Well, I think I am now formally in the ODIN group's circle of trust. Yesterday, the guys of the group invited me to poker night. Yeh, I was surprised as well. I had to turn them down though, cuz I promised Jason that we'd watch the Dawgs game at our place. That turned out to be a bad decision, haha. But I am going next week, for sure. They say it is lots of fun. Cant wait. Tuesday night every week---poker night. Sweet.
Okay, fast forward to today. TOTALLY awesome. I spent about 4 hours in mission control today. It wasn't the ISS or Shuttle FCR, but it was the OLD backroom they used for the Apollo flight control room. It is used for sims and general practice on all the consoles. Today they were certifying a program, and Eric let me just play around on the ODIN console. Three HUGE monitors ALL to me, haha. It was great. I still dont understand what's really happening on the screens, but I get some of it. Needless to say, it was cool to just be there, playing on the ODIN console, with the huge projectors of the ground track of the ISS in front of me. And I FORGOT my dang headset at my office before I came, so I couldn't plug in to listen to all the people talkin on the different loops. I will not make that mistake again, haha.
Some slightly bad news though. I am SUPPOSED to get paid tomorrow(Thurs), but I JUST set up my savings account at the credit union. I have no idea if it will get transferred or not. Here's to hoping. I did find out how to check my pay stub prior to each week, so that was cool. My check is HUGE. My dear lord I have never seen numbers that large...on ONE check. Holy crap. That's what I said all day. Now you can see why I hope it is transferred tomorrow. I gots to buy me some Robin Hood.
Well Mal and I were talking last night. I WAS gonna surprise her on V-day weekend, but she has a soccer tourney. So we both agreed that I should still come, so plans are in the works to send me over there the weekend of Feb. 4-6. I cant wait. It's gonna be GREAT to see her.
Well, I think I am now formally in the ODIN group's circle of trust. Yesterday, the guys of the group invited me to poker night. Yeh, I was surprised as well. I had to turn them down though, cuz I promised Jason that we'd watch the Dawgs game at our place. That turned out to be a bad decision, haha. But I am going next week, for sure. They say it is lots of fun. Cant wait. Tuesday night every week---poker night. Sweet.
Okay, fast forward to today. TOTALLY awesome. I spent about 4 hours in mission control today. It wasn't the ISS or Shuttle FCR, but it was the OLD backroom they used for the Apollo flight control room. It is used for sims and general practice on all the consoles. Today they were certifying a program, and Eric let me just play around on the ODIN console. Three HUGE monitors ALL to me, haha. It was great. I still dont understand what's really happening on the screens, but I get some of it. Needless to say, it was cool to just be there, playing on the ODIN console, with the huge projectors of the ground track of the ISS in front of me. And I FORGOT my dang headset at my office before I came, so I couldn't plug in to listen to all the people talkin on the different loops. I will not make that mistake again, haha.
Some slightly bad news though. I am SUPPOSED to get paid tomorrow(Thurs), but I JUST set up my savings account at the credit union. I have no idea if it will get transferred or not. Here's to hoping. I did find out how to check my pay stub prior to each week, so that was cool. My check is HUGE. My dear lord I have never seen numbers that large...on ONE check. Holy crap. That's what I said all day. Now you can see why I hope it is transferred tomorrow. I gots to buy me some Robin Hood.
Well Mal and I were talking last night. I WAS gonna surprise her on V-day weekend, but she has a soccer tourney. So we both agreed that I should still come, so plans are in the works to send me over there the weekend of Feb. 4-6. I cant wait. It's gonna be GREAT to see her.
Monday, January 17, 2005
another work week
well I was productive today at work. I finished the ISS familiarization manual, which is just an overview of all the systems that are working in unison on the station. That took me A WEEK, so that gives you an idea of how big it is....so that meant I could start reading the CDH manual...basically, this is the manual I read to get ready for my ODIN manual. Yeh, I'm excited. I actually get this stuff...dunno if it's just easy to read or what...but I have already learned TONS about networking, laptops, and servers. Unbelievable...
I dont really know why, but I have had the BIGGEST urge to see this movie. I cant understand it. But I feel it. I really really really wanna see....................Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves. Yeh, you read that right. I am SO buying that come this weekend, using my first paycheck. It cant be more than 10 bucks at best buy. I had to download the robin hood theme today. I had to hear it. I'm pumped about watching that.
this weekend starts mine and jason's pursuit of culinary excellence. From now on, every week, we shall eat at a NEW restaurant and test our palettes. We might become food snobs, who knows...
TOMORROW NIGHT, ESPN....Mississippi State vs Alabama...uhm yeh, I'm gonna be watching that. GO DAWGS!!!
And this weekend starts my workout regimen. Yes that's correct. I'm in perfect weather almost constantly, so I'm going to take advantage of it. I wanna look good this summer season, and I want a decent tan as well. We got ourselves a pool here at the apartments, so why not exploit it? So all that(not the pool part, too cold) starts this weekend. Should be exciting.
well i'm off to bed. Tomorrow...well I dont quite know what I'm gonna do tomorrow at work. HOW EXCITING!
I dont really know why, but I have had the BIGGEST urge to see this movie. I cant understand it. But I feel it. I really really really wanna see....................Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves. Yeh, you read that right. I am SO buying that come this weekend, using my first paycheck. It cant be more than 10 bucks at best buy. I had to download the robin hood theme today. I had to hear it. I'm pumped about watching that.
this weekend starts mine and jason's pursuit of culinary excellence. From now on, every week, we shall eat at a NEW restaurant and test our palettes. We might become food snobs, who knows...
TOMORROW NIGHT, ESPN....Mississippi State vs Alabama...uhm yeh, I'm gonna be watching that. GO DAWGS!!!
And this weekend starts my workout regimen. Yes that's correct. I'm in perfect weather almost constantly, so I'm going to take advantage of it. I wanna look good this summer season, and I want a decent tan as well. We got ourselves a pool here at the apartments, so why not exploit it? So all that(not the pool part, too cold) starts this weekend. Should be exciting.
well i'm off to bed. Tomorrow...well I dont quite know what I'm gonna do tomorrow at work. HOW EXCITING!
Sunday, January 16, 2005
An In-Depth Look
Well ok, you can read that stuff to the right over there and learn about my interests, favorite movies, and the sort, but that's about all you can learn. Since I'm still just starting this weblog, I have to give all the necessary background info. So now, I'm gonna give you a closer look at my family...
First things first, I guess. My family. Oh boy, there is SO much to tell. I should prolly start with the people that began my family, my parents. My dad, William E. Horne Jr.(we usually just say his name as "Bill Horne". His last name is pretty much part of his first name, especially to my fam.) He is the Director of the Duncan Gray Center in Canton, MS. Awesome place: camp, conference center, lakes, and most importantly, a great chef and a great disc golf course.
Mom(aka Trudy Horne, Trud-to-tha-D, and T-dawg)---she has her own business, and she runs it out of our home. She IS Collars Etc., Pattern Company. She makes all kinds of things, and if I tried to describe the awesomeness of any of them, I'd do her work a sever injustice. Just know that they're rockin'.
Will---my oldest brother. Mississippi State graduate in architecture. Lives in Boston w/ his girlfriend, Andrea.
Carolyn---my oldest sister. Mississippi State grad. in graphic design. Lives in Fairfax, VA with her husband:
Richard---my oldest brother-in-law. Not sure exactly where he went to school, but he's done ALOT and he knows his stuff. He and Caro married Jan 3, 2004.
John---little older than I am, little younger than Carolyn is. Will graduate Mississippi State in May 2005 with a degree in Computer Engineering. After that he will work for the Department of Defense.
Well there ya go. That's my family.
First things first, I guess. My family. Oh boy, there is SO much to tell. I should prolly start with the people that began my family, my parents. My dad, William E. Horne Jr.(we usually just say his name as "Bill Horne". His last name is pretty much part of his first name, especially to my fam.) He is the Director of the Duncan Gray Center in Canton, MS. Awesome place: camp, conference center, lakes, and most importantly, a great chef and a great disc golf course.
Mom(aka Trudy Horne, Trud-to-tha-D, and T-dawg)---she has her own business, and she runs it out of our home. She IS Collars Etc., Pattern Company. She makes all kinds of things, and if I tried to describe the awesomeness of any of them, I'd do her work a sever injustice. Just know that they're rockin'.
Will---my oldest brother. Mississippi State graduate in architecture. Lives in Boston w/ his girlfriend, Andrea.
Carolyn---my oldest sister. Mississippi State grad. in graphic design. Lives in Fairfax, VA with her husband:
Richard---my oldest brother-in-law. Not sure exactly where he went to school, but he's done ALOT and he knows his stuff. He and Caro married Jan 3, 2004.
John---little older than I am, little younger than Carolyn is. Will graduate Mississippi State in May 2005 with a degree in Computer Engineering. After that he will work for the Department of Defense.
Well there ya go. That's my family.
An apology
Sorry for that last post everyone. It came to my attention that it might not have been the easiest to read and/or comprehend. So I'll just summarize my job in plain english.
I'm a co op that will be trained to be a flight controller for the International Space Station. My most basic certification will take much time. I am part of the group at NASA that maintains all the data sytems and command interfaces onboard the station, such as the portable computers the crew uses. I also have lots of busy little office duties, such as making templates, delivering stuff, and organizing data. I have been and will continue to do tons of reading over the next few weeks, leading up to the training academy for co ops.
Well I hope this explained things more simply. Again, I apologize for the overuse of acronyms. That's about all they talk with at work, so I guess it rubbed off. For those of you more geek oriented, my job description can be found below ....
I'm a co op that will be trained to be a flight controller for the International Space Station. My most basic certification will take much time. I am part of the group at NASA that maintains all the data sytems and command interfaces onboard the station, such as the portable computers the crew uses. I also have lots of busy little office duties, such as making templates, delivering stuff, and organizing data. I have been and will continue to do tons of reading over the next few weeks, leading up to the training academy for co ops.
Well I hope this explained things more simply. Again, I apologize for the overuse of acronyms. That's about all they talk with at work, so I guess it rubbed off. For those of you more geek oriented, my job description can be found below ....
Saturday, January 15, 2005
The Job
Well hello everyone. My name is Henry Horne. I know most of you that are reading this prolly already knew that, but this is for the few that may not know who I am. Why I am doing this can be read right above ^^^^ in that turquoisish box. And if you want to know what I like to do or what I'm interested in, you can head over to my profile over here ------->. So those two things really save me some space on here.
Alright, here's a little about where I work. NASA Johnson Space Center is where all astrounaut training is done for the manned space program. They have full size mock-ups of both the space shuttle and the Internation Space Station(ISS). They also have the Neutral Bouyancy Lab, where we try to simulate a weightlessness. Several buildings here are also home to super badass computers that simulate every aspect of a real-time mission in space. All these buildings and areas are devoted to one purpose: making sure that the people that America sends into space are well prepared for their missions. Considering that we are planning to return to safe space flight in the time frame of may-july, things are REALLY exciting around here. Johnson is also the home of Mission Control Center(MCC), where the real "brain" of the manned space program is. Here all communicaiton with the crews of the SS and ISS are conducted as well as other operatoins: real time adjustments of the flight plan, problem solving, and countless types of support. Basically, ANYTHING that goes down on the ISS or SS during flight is done through the MCC at NASA Johnson.
Okay, so you know I am at NASA Johnson, but you prolly want to know what exactly I do as a co-op. Well as of my first week(I started on the 10th), I did ALOT of reading. See, I am working for the NASA Missions Operations Directorate(MOD). MOD plans, directs, manages, and implements all the mission objectives for the SS and ISS. Operations is divided into 10 divisions. My division is the Systems Division. Systems contains the majority of the Mission Control Center disciplines, and its primary purpose is the planning and execution of in-flight shuttle and station support operations. Systems is divided into 6 branches. My branch is Data Systems. Within Data Systems I am a part of CDH(Command and Data Handling). CDH's console in the FCR(Flight Control Room) of the MCC for the ISS is ODIN(Onboard Data and Interface Networks). In the flight control room, the ODIN is the expert of the command and data handling systems; ODIN serves as the leader of the CDH team and is the point of contact(POC) for all problems and questions relating to the CDH system.
I'm doing alot of reading because, contingent on my decision to return to ODIN next term, I will be formally trained to receive my first level of certification as and ODIN. Well, kinda. My first certification will be as a RAVEN(Research Avionics Engineer), which is the MPSR(Multi Purpose Support Room) mirror of ODIN. You never see the RAVEN in the movies and in the control room, cuz they are in the back room, or the MPSR. Every console position has a mirrored position in the backroom, and that mirror is constantly hard at work providing the FCR position with pertinent data.
Now, I haven't decided yet if I want to return to ODIN next term. Now don't get me wrong, the people of ODIN are the absolute BEST. However, as an ODIN, I am not really able to fully exploit my knowledge and teachings as an aerospace engineer. I am very interested in the Guidance and Propulsion branch of Systems. There I believe I can learn more about the area of aerospace engineering that I am most excited about: orbital mechanics and astrodynamics. Basically, that's the aeronautics of space. VERY cool stuff.
Well, this has been ALOT of writing. I will update soon and tell ya about my apartment, my cool roomie, and my family. Latre.
Alright, here's a little about where I work. NASA Johnson Space Center is where all astrounaut training is done for the manned space program. They have full size mock-ups of both the space shuttle and the Internation Space Station(ISS). They also have the Neutral Bouyancy Lab, where we try to simulate a weightlessness. Several buildings here are also home to super badass computers that simulate every aspect of a real-time mission in space. All these buildings and areas are devoted to one purpose: making sure that the people that America sends into space are well prepared for their missions. Considering that we are planning to return to safe space flight in the time frame of may-july, things are REALLY exciting around here. Johnson is also the home of Mission Control Center(MCC), where the real "brain" of the manned space program is. Here all communicaiton with the crews of the SS and ISS are conducted as well as other operatoins: real time adjustments of the flight plan, problem solving, and countless types of support. Basically, ANYTHING that goes down on the ISS or SS during flight is done through the MCC at NASA Johnson.
Okay, so you know I am at NASA Johnson, but you prolly want to know what exactly I do as a co-op. Well as of my first week(I started on the 10th), I did ALOT of reading. See, I am working for the NASA Missions Operations Directorate(MOD). MOD plans, directs, manages, and implements all the mission objectives for the SS and ISS. Operations is divided into 10 divisions. My division is the Systems Division. Systems contains the majority of the Mission Control Center disciplines, and its primary purpose is the planning and execution of in-flight shuttle and station support operations. Systems is divided into 6 branches. My branch is Data Systems. Within Data Systems I am a part of CDH(Command and Data Handling). CDH's console in the FCR(Flight Control Room) of the MCC for the ISS is ODIN(Onboard Data and Interface Networks). In the flight control room, the ODIN is the expert of the command and data handling systems; ODIN serves as the leader of the CDH team and is the point of contact(POC) for all problems and questions relating to the CDH system.
I'm doing alot of reading because, contingent on my decision to return to ODIN next term, I will be formally trained to receive my first level of certification as and ODIN. Well, kinda. My first certification will be as a RAVEN(Research Avionics Engineer), which is the MPSR(Multi Purpose Support Room) mirror of ODIN. You never see the RAVEN in the movies and in the control room, cuz they are in the back room, or the MPSR. Every console position has a mirrored position in the backroom, and that mirror is constantly hard at work providing the FCR position with pertinent data.
Now, I haven't decided yet if I want to return to ODIN next term. Now don't get me wrong, the people of ODIN are the absolute BEST. However, as an ODIN, I am not really able to fully exploit my knowledge and teachings as an aerospace engineer. I am very interested in the Guidance and Propulsion branch of Systems. There I believe I can learn more about the area of aerospace engineering that I am most excited about: orbital mechanics and astrodynamics. Basically, that's the aeronautics of space. VERY cool stuff.
Well, this has been ALOT of writing. I will update soon and tell ya about my apartment, my cool roomie, and my family. Latre.
The Beginning
Hello everyone. This is just my test posting. Nothing much here, I know. I'm getting my settings all figured out and learning my way around blogger.com. Tune in soon for my first true post!
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