Monday, June 13:  We did another pad walk down in preps for tanking on Wednesday.  We had some weather over the weekend, so we are looking for any changes since Friday.  I had the opportunity to come to the pad later and see some of the final preps to the Aft skirt (bottom) of the SRB.  I’ve seen the SRB in storage, being built, after flight and now being prepped on the pad for launch.  The boosters are so big that you would not know I was in there if you weren’t in there too.  I was standing straight up and was completely engulfed by the skirt. 

Tuesday, June 14:  Was supposed to be a 18 hour shift but weather cut it short. It was over 100 degrees out and extremely humid.  We had some visitors from MSFC and were asked to give them a tour of the pad. There were four guys, two current staff, two retired.  One of the retired guys worked all the programs-Gemini, Mercury, Apollo, Sky Lab, and Shuttle.  It was so cool talking with him and listening to his stories and experiences with the different programs.  The two retired guys are part of the crew that started the post flight assessment of the SRBs.  Pieces of the original program are still used today, but a lot has changed.  These two were part of pioneers that got the Shuttle Program underway and they wanted to come back to KSC and see the last mission prep.  After we finished touring them we began prep for RSS Rollback and the Tanking Test.  I was part of the L-1 walkdown team and our walk was cut short because of lightening.  We ended up going into a hold around 4pm.  We finally called it a day at midnight.  It was still storming and all of the work we were supposed to complete was delayed for the next shift.   Got home and was in bed around 1am and had to get up and be back at 7am because of all of the weather delays.

Wednesday, June 15:  11:30pm and my day is just about finished.  Today was a day of firsts for me.  I sat on console in the Ice Castle (we monitor the ET for ice, cracks, etc) and I got to experience a real tanking and had actual responsibilities assigned to me.  It’s neat hearing and seeing it all come together.  After tanking it was time to drain the tank and go inspect the it.  I was able to wear my monkey suit and be a part of the Post Tanking Inspection Team.  Our job is to walk the entire pad from top to bottom and inspect the vehicle-primary focus is on the ET, then Orbiter, then SRBs, then MLP.  We are looking to see how each piece responded and reacted to tanking and unloading.  The RSS is rolled out and the Orbiter is exposed.  The xenon lights are showcasing the vehicle and there was the most incredible just about full orange/red moon.  About four hours after being in the monkey suit, I was able to strip it off.  As fashionable as it is, I am very happy to be sitting in my sweaty t-shirt and shorts.  What a neat experience.  Based on the team leaders decision tonight, I have earned myself a spot on the Post Launch Inspection Team. 

Heading home for a shower and bed…back at 7am.

Tuesday, June 7:  I returned back to KSC from a long weekend in MA and NH just in time for class and catching up on the happenings from Friday and Monday.  Then I played catch up on the books.

Wednesday, June 8:  Spent the morning in a Cryo Simulation Certification Training.  This is a training where the folks involved in the loading of the ET go through four hours of simulating loading the tank.  The catch is the Sim director is throwing various issues at the crew and they have to problem solve it.  Sitting on console with the group and hearing how they respond to the various problems was neat.  Learning about the tanking prep through tours and reading and then seeing the actual process helped pull it together a bit more for me.  The tanking test will show how much I really get.  Fingers crossed. 

Thursday, June 9:  Spent some time with the Lead Crawler Tech.  Although the entire system is incredible, the Crawler is so intriguing to me.  I really think it’s a transformer (I looked for the hidden symbol, but had no luck).  The person who took me through Crawler 1 has been there ”forever”.  Crawler 1 was built for NASA and acquired in 1962.  It is absolutely massive (alone it weighs 5.5 million pounds)!  By far it is the simplest piece of equipment.  Most is still original with modifications in the control room, the truck cabins, the balancing system, the glass, and the cleats.  There are 4 engines 2 for DC power to move the Crawler-big old 16 cylinder diesel ALCO engines and 2 for AC power to run the onboard systems-8 cylinder diesel engines-Lots of power…to go a max of 2 MPH when empty.  When the Crawler is carrying the vehicle it maxes out at .8 MPH.  I could go on and on about it, but I won’t bore you anymore.  Let’s just say it’s SWEET!

Friday, June 10:  Went out to the pad for a walk down check before the weekend and in preparation of the upcoming tank test.  I’m in still amazed every time I go out there.  The RSS is retracted so you can only see bits and pieces of the Orbiter.  Our main function is to inspect the tank, SRBs and engines looking for anything abnormal and take pictures of high stress areas and know ice areas during loading so we can compare are loading.  Everything looks great from the structure with the naked eye.  Once you start looking through the binoculars and get onto the RSS and platforms, you start seeing all the insects that have made the tank their home.  It’s quite interesting and gross all at the same time.

Endeavour landing and coming down the road

STS-135 Rollout to Pad 39A

Sunday, June 5, 2011:

It’s 27 minutes until June 6…the birth date of my oldest niece and goddaughter-Happy 12th Birthday Kayla!  I love you.

This past week was a tad nutty.  My last post was Tuesday…this turned into a 36 hour shift.  Tuesday into Wednesday morning two milestones took place for the Shuttle Program.  First, Atlanis was rolled out from the VAB to pad 39A for her last mission and the last mission of the program. Second, Endeavour returned from the International Space Station and completed her 25th and final mission.

The Rollout physically started after 8:30pm, but the hype and traffic around KSC started around 5pm.  From the windows in the office suite, we were able to watch the continous flow of cars pile in. 

I’ve seen the stack on the MLP up close before, but I haven’t seen it outside of the high bay or with the high bay doors open.  It was an incredible sight.  The Crawler (which to me looks like a huge transformer-autobot of course).  There is a water truck that drives in front of the Crawler as she carries the MLP and Stack to pad 39A.  The water truck sprays water all over the stones the Crawler is going to travel over (and crush) to decrease the kinetic energy and to reduce the number of rocks that get stuk in the tracks.  The trip to the pad and securing the MLP takes about 8 hours.  THe entire time the Crawler keeps the MLP and stack perfectly balanced.  It is incredible to watch.

Endeavour landing:

This is my first landing and I had no idea what to really expect so everyone in the office gave me advice.  The common statement was be ready for the double sonic boom.  Some folks said, go to the runway, some said find a dark parking lot, some said find a rooftop, others said stay in the office if it comes in on 33.

There are two runways at KSC for the Orbiter to land on, 33 and 15.  Depending on the winds, depends on which one she comes in on.  Endeavour was scheduled to ladn at 2:35am on Wednesday, June 1.  Tuesday night and Wednesday morning it was absolutely beautiful out and there was virtually no wind.  Unfortunately, this meant that the chosen runway was 15.  If we had wind like we had been having over the holiday weekend, then she would have come in on 33, which meant she would have flown past the office windows.  Now that she was coming in on 15, I had to come up with a new viewing plan.  We took a break and went out to a semi dark parking lot.  Over the intercom system you could hear Mission Control giving everyone a play-by-play and then all of a sudden I thought we were being attacked.  No matter how much you expect or people tell you about the sonic booms, you cannot prepare for them.  I jumped and looked around for what was coming next and then realized it was the Orbiter.  The orbiter has no night lights on it, so you can not see it approaching.  You can hear it though.  We could hear her approaching and as she was landing, we could see the vertical stabilzer fly past us.  Then it was back to work. 

For Atlantis, I have already received approval to be at the runway for landing…fingers crossed it is daylight.

At break time I went home to feed Zozo girl, shower and change and then headed back in…offline for about 50 minutes.  When I returned, I got to see Endeavour come down the roadway towards her hanger.  It’s not everyday that you get to see a normal traffic road closed for a Orbiter to come down…it was pretty neat.

36 hours from start time (7am on Tuesday)…I’m headed home for some rest.

Thursday, June 2, I got a tour of Mobile Launcher Platform (MLP) 3.  This is the MLP supporting Atlantis out at the pad.  My tour guide was the Cryo Engineer.  I got to see the inside workings of machine, which dates back to Apollo.  The MLP reminds me of what the inside of some older submarines may look like.  Everything is metal.  The entire unit can be pressurized and the doors are sealed all around with a lever latch in the middle of the door.  The sound suppression (water) pipes run throughout the inside on the MLP.  These pipes are large enough in diameter for me to just about stand straight up in.  The outside of the MLP is pretty neat too.  I was taken around the outside of the MLP and was taught all about the LOX and LH2 lines and able to see the cross over points.  When you are looking at the vehicle out on the pad (like on launch day-ocean behind the vehicle) the left side of the vehicle is your left (closest to the pad structure).  When looking at the entire layout of the pad, the LOX farm is on the left and the LH2 farm is on the right.  On the MLP, it’s opposite-the LH2 loads on the left and the LOX loads on the right.   

An amazing opportunity to go inside Discovery

Tuesday, May 31, 2011:

I have spent the last two and half hours with Discovery in the OPF.  I had an opportunity to see and be in every piece of her and talk with one of the lead engineers who has spent the last 21 years working with her and the rest of the crew and a lead electrian who has been working on Discovery for the past 25 years.  The engineer now is charged with leading the decommishing team to prep the Orbiters for the museums.  The electrician is currently removing all the pyros (over 100) from throughout the Orbiter.  Amazing morning and extremely emotional.   

Inside Firing Room 4

Monday, May 30, 2011:  Last week was a bit crazy.  Each day I was with a different group learning something new. 

Monday, May 23:  Landed in Orlando around 4:25am after my flight from Boston was delayed by 4 plus hours.  By the time I got off the plane and to my car it was 5am.  I went home fed my girl, showered and went to work.   The day was one of meetings, class, and getting appointments set up for the rest of the week.  I sat in on a planning meeting with each area involved in prepping Atlantis for her July launch.  It was two hours of listening to folks troubleshoot a schedule that worked for all aspects of the work that needs to be done in the next six weeks.

Tuesday, May 24:  The morning was spent with the curator of the KSC Visitor Complex.  We talked about ways he and the Complex could help me accomplish my project and how I can assist them with developing a couple of their programs.  I’ll be spending some time each week over at the Center with them.  Last week’s focus was the Lunabotics Competition.  This is an annual competition for college students from the US and throughout the world.  Each school builds a lunabot that can mine lunar regolith. There was a detailed set of criteria each school had to follow, along with not being able to test their lunabot in the regolith within the controlled environment of reduced gravity and controlled temperatures until they arrived at KSC.  Talking with the teams, that was the most difficult part-not being able to test and modify ahead of time.  The lunar simulant is extremely fine.  Because it’s so dusty and an irritant, a full suit, goggles and a mask are needed by all who are in the Lunarena.   There was a LCC set up for the teams to use when their lunabots were competing.  Each team controlled their lunabot by remote control…and…in a different location, so they were controlling it by what they saw on video.  The afternoon/evening was spent on the SRBs.  I spent some time over at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station with Endeavor’s SRBs.  Being able to see the difference between a booster ready for flight vs. one that has was neat.  Seeing the inconel hold down points that secured the SRBs to the Mobile Launcher Platform (MLP) after the explosives have split each in half just seconds before launch was cool.  Once all pieces are accounted for, each hold down is mounted as a set of book ends and given to each astronaut.  Work on safing and disassembling the SRBs was just beginning and will take about six weeks to complete.  This area is a secure facility, guarded by the Air Force and no cameras are allowed.  Because the SRBs are still ‘live’ work happens from 3pm-3am.  Another neat place we went was the Hangar that housed the original close out for the Mercury astronauts, the various space animals, and where President Kennedy stood in front to view the Mercury capsule.

Wednesday, May 25:  I spent the morning out at the LOX, LH2 and hyperbolic farms learning about the systems and process for ET loading of the LOX and LH2 and Orbiter loading of the hyperbolics.  The set up of the systems, the prep work and the process that is involved in getting ready to launch, along with the needed day-to-day maintenance because of the age of the farms and the environmental effects on the system is amazing and fairly dangerous.  These farms were originally installed and used during the Apollo program.  Wednesday afternoon/evening was spent over at the Visitor Complex at the Lunabotics Competition.  It was neat to see how the teams were preparing for the actual competition to start Thursday.  Every team had an opportunity to test run their lunabot at least once in the lunarena and make adjustments.  The pit area closed at 5:30pm and teams could not access their lunabots after 5:30 until their assigned competition time, which was spread out over Thursday, Friday, and Saturday.  I had an opportunity to talk with some of the teams (those that were prepped and ready to go.  The variation in idea and approach was cool, the budgets for groups varied greatly, and the designs were very different. 

Thursday, May 26:  I had an incredible opportunity to be part of the STS-135 Simulation Certification Run.  This is where all the folks who will sit on console for the Atlantis launch, go through a five hour simulation training of launch day scenarios.  I sat in horseshoe 3 (with the Propulsion folks) , in firing room 1 with all the top folks.  This was one of the neatest experiences to date. 

Friday, May 27:  This was a day of classes and meetings in preparation for next week’s activities: Landing of Endeavour and Rollout of Atlantis from the VAB to the Pad.