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Combined ops, day 1!
Aug. 27th, 2005 05:16 pmAlthough launch is two weeks away, probably the most intense part of the job is just ahead, consisting in the integration of the satellite with various components, creating a "stack" that's then cocooned inside of a protective shell called a fairing. The encapsulated payload is then transferred to another part of the facility and mated with the rest of the rocket.
I was the early guy today and will be the early guy tomorrow (work start time: 5:45 am!). Today I helped support some electrical tests and stood by while some engineers from Saab did their thing. By the time I get there tomorrow morning - the stack will be ready for tilting into the horizontal position in readiness for encapsulation.
The electrical test provided a very telling contrast of the way the Russians and French approach such work. The Russians have, over the years, developed a very intricate set of scripts for every step of a launch, detailing who is to say what to whom and when. As opposed to the way things are done in the U.S., where console positions have names, such as "Flight" for the flight director, "CATO" for the communications and tracking officer, and "PHALCON" for the power, heating, articulation, and lighting control officer (if you've ever watched Apollo 13, such names are used in the go/no-go poll scene prior to launch), Russian console positions are identified by number, so listening to a scripted exchange among Russian controllers is a little like listening to a scene from the old series The Prisoner ("Who are you?" "The new Number 2." "Who is Number 1?" "You are Number 6.").
Anyway, in this test, the French guys turn out to be "Number 6," but it soon becomes apparent they neither know nor care about the script. That earned them a lecture, of sorts, which I had to interpret, the gist of which was: This is a rehearsal of an event that takes place during the launch sequence, and therefore deserves a due amount of respect. Please make sure you are fully prepared the next time we do this. (It turns out "next time" will be for real, shortly before launch.)
LJ friend![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
auto194419 sent me an invite to use the Googletalk beta, which I took advantage of, but using it is problematic as I have only been able to successfully connect from here maybe three times. Most of the other time I'm online, the app sits quietly in the corner and tries to connect from time to time. FWIW.
Gotta go find a phone.
Cheers...
I was the early guy today and will be the early guy tomorrow (work start time: 5:45 am!). Today I helped support some electrical tests and stood by while some engineers from Saab did their thing. By the time I get there tomorrow morning - the stack will be ready for tilting into the horizontal position in readiness for encapsulation.
The electrical test provided a very telling contrast of the way the Russians and French approach such work. The Russians have, over the years, developed a very intricate set of scripts for every step of a launch, detailing who is to say what to whom and when. As opposed to the way things are done in the U.S., where console positions have names, such as "Flight" for the flight director, "CATO" for the communications and tracking officer, and "PHALCON" for the power, heating, articulation, and lighting control officer (if you've ever watched Apollo 13, such names are used in the go/no-go poll scene prior to launch), Russian console positions are identified by number, so listening to a scripted exchange among Russian controllers is a little like listening to a scene from the old series The Prisoner ("Who are you?" "The new Number 2." "Who is Number 1?" "You are Number 6.").
Anyway, in this test, the French guys turn out to be "Number 6," but it soon becomes apparent they neither know nor care about the script. That earned them a lecture, of sorts, which I had to interpret, the gist of which was: This is a rehearsal of an event that takes place during the launch sequence, and therefore deserves a due amount of respect. Please make sure you are fully prepared the next time we do this. (It turns out "next time" will be for real, shortly before launch.)
LJ friend
auto194419 sent me an invite to use the Googletalk beta, which I took advantage of, but using it is problematic as I have only been able to successfully connect from here maybe three times. Most of the other time I'm online, the app sits quietly in the corner and tries to connect from time to time. FWIW.Gotta go find a phone.
Cheers...
