Keepin' The Summer Alive

As the warm summer breezes give way to the brilliant Fall colors, I thought I would put down a few lines to let you know how things have been going at the Cape. This time of year also signals the start of a new school year. To all of you who are heading back to school, I would like to wish you a successful and fun school year.

Well, although the Space Shuttle flight rate has been low for the past several months, I have kept quite busy. As a new Test Project Engineer (TPE), my activities have become diversified. The primary focus over the past several months has been to continue rather intensive training on all Space Shuttle systems. In addition, the TPE group has been undergoing a process in which it has been receiving increased responsibility and an even greater role in Firing Room test operations. For example, the previous role of a TPE in the Firing Room was to conduct the process of "powering up" the orbiter in the morning to prepare it for daily testing.

"Powering up" actually is the procedure by which commands are sent from the Firing Room ( in the Launch Control Center ) to the orbiter. They turn on the various systems needed for daily testing and troubleshooting on the vehicle. These would include such systems as both ground and onboard electrical power, onboard computers, instrumentation systems, and cooling systems. Previously, each separate function was performed by the particular engineer representing that system. For the past several months the TPE's have been undergoing a training and certification process to allow us to perform all the engineering functions during orbiter power up and power down. This has been a really good experience for me. Not only have I been getting extensive training on the orbiter's critical systems, but I also have been meeting some really talented people.

Although I work with all the orbiters and all the components that comprise the shuttle, I am primarily involved with the Space Shuttle Columbia. This means I closely follow all the processing activities on this orbiter from landing until launch. In addition, I attend scheduling meetings and all other meetings associated with the vehicle. As a member of the Columbia team I also track all the engineering and equipment problems and their resolution. Working on Columbia has been an extra special experience for me. As a kid in Junior High School I used to build models of Columbia. Now I have the opportunity and honor of helping prepare her for launch. For me this is a totally awesome experience.

Most recently I have also had the opportunity to join a group of two others to become a member of the Launch Countdown Simulation Team, or "Sim Team". As a member of this team, I will be responsible for preparing and conducting a training exercise for the entire launch team. Prior to every launch, we will conduct a mock countdown from the T-20 minute point to T-0, or liftoff. We will be throwing simulated failures at the other members of the launch team. Our part is to create, research, and implement the failures, then "keep an eye" on the system guys to make sure they solve the problems both in the right way and as quickly as possible. This simulation test, also known as S0044, is a great way to keep the launch team sharp and ready to go. For me as a member of the Sim Team it will be a high boost to my overall knowledge. Also, I think this will be a lot of fun - getting to pretend to launch the Space Shuttle often...yeah, it will be pretty cool!

Only a few days ago I returned from my vacation. I went back home to my hometown of Syracuse, New York. It was AWESOME! I got to spend a lot of time with my Mom and Dad, which was GREAT. Definitely a relaxing time. The weather was real nice and a lot cooler than down here. I also managed to get some boating, hiking, and sailing in on our lake. It is always great to go back home!!