The Final Space Shuttle Mission

At the close of the STS-135 shuttle mission, I began to wonder how I would even begin to sum up my experience working on the Space Shuttle Program. It has been the most exciting, invigorating thing I could have imagined doing with my career, and I have been very, very blessed. Working at the TPS Imagery Coordinator console (TIC) in the Shuttle Mission Evaluation Room (MER) in Houston's Mission Control Center (MCC) has been the highlight of my career up to this point. I'm going to miss the on-orbit console support that we provided to the Space Shuttle Program during the next couple of years, but I'm excited about the things to come!

After writing multiple long paragraphs about my work that were way too in depth for this blog, I decided to scrap it all and just go with the pictures and videos from the last flight, STS-135. Enjoy!

This video is of the KSC Closeout Crew saying goodbye to the Space Shuttle Program (God Bless America!!):

My friend and coworker, Dave Melendrez, created this next video to commemorate the final Space Shuttle launch, ever. It's a long one (17 minutes), but good.

Leslie and I were very blessed to be able to make the trek to Florida's Space Coast to watch the April 2010 attempt of the last launch of Endeavor for STS-134. In this trip, we were able to see the final vehicle to take flight in the Space Shuttle Program, the Space Shuttle Atlantis, up close and personal as it was being prepped for it's final voyage in the Orbiter Processing Facility. So amazing!!

The final video I have is an incredibly reflective one about all the things we've accomplished in space. It's a great way to conclude this blog. If you don't watch the others, watch this one. What Kind of World Do You Want:

IIIMS Award

One of the many fun parts of my job is developing websites. A few years ago, I helped design the TPS Imagery Inspection Management System (TIIMS) for the Space Shuttle Program. This website houses all of the inspection-related analysis of the orbiter's heat shield (Thermal Protection System).

With the closeout of the Space Shuttle Program rapidly approaching, one of my coworkers (Dan Smith) decided we should do something similar for the International Space Station, since our group also performs the same type of assessments of the ISS (potential handrail damage, MMOD strikes, etc.). So led by Rob Scharf (pictured below in the middle, back row), we pulled together a web-based system for the ISS program called ISS Imagery Inspection Management System (IIIMS).

Every quarter, our company has an award ceremony for quarterly awards across the contract. This time, our IIIMS Development Team was the recipient of the Superior Team award. And I'm proudly putting on my pocket protector for this one.

(L-R): Glenn Ellis (SARD Director), Jim Heslin, Dwight Osborne, Dan Labasse (Database Developer), Rob Scharf (ISAG Project Manager), Yours Truly (Web Developer), Joy and Lon (Jacobs).

Yep, I love my job.

STS-134 Launch & Ascent Imagery

My friend from the console next to mine produces these videos every flight. This one is for the final flight of Space Shuttle Endeavor, which launched on May 16, 2011, and is set to land in 3 days on Wednesday, June 1, 2011. This is also the launch that we were able to go and see in person. Yep, I was there. Ohhhh yeah!

I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

Just a few more night shifts of console support and it's back to my regular job. Starbucks is going to miss me.

Geek Moment ...

Every flight, the NASA JSC photographers come around and take our photos on console. It makes me nervous when I realize they are there, and I am never quite sure how to react.

This flight, when the photographer came around, I was right in the middle of working Focused Inspection procedures with other consoles, so I didn't notice him at first. So he got a photo of me really working!

Dwight & me at the TPS Imagery Coordinator console in the Shuttle Mission Evaluation Room in Houston's Mission Control Center

Normally I don't post these. However, there is only one more shuttle flight left, and then everything goes in the history books and off to museums. This is for my family, my parents and my daughter.

When I was a kid, in elementary school, I had decided to become an astronaut. I really wanted to go up in a space shuttle and orbit the earth. I used to imagine myself flying around up there, chasing food, marbles, etc. as they floated around in zero gravity (hey, I was a kid). While I gave up on that long ago, I certainly was blessed to come closer than I had ever dreamed possible. God has truly smiled on me.

I love my job; I really, really love my job.

Space Mania

Yep, that's right! As I mentioned in my previous blog, Leslie and I had gone to Florida to watch the April 2011 launch attempt of STS-134, and the launch was scrubbed a few hours prior to liftoff. So this meant that Eric, Celeste and I were able to make a family trip last week to watch the launch at the John F. Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

Day 1: Friday, May 13

Eric had oral surgery the day before, which meant that the driving was all up to me (yikes!). We headed out as soon as his followup appointment was over that morning, and I drove all ... day ... long ... and then some.

I kept telling Celeste about the states that we were going through, and it was so cute to hear her say, "Lew-eeee-see-ann-a" and "MiSSiSSippi," etc. Somewhere between Pensacola and Tallahassee, Celeste got sick in the back of the car. Man, that's a pleasant smell! Poor baby though, she was pretty freaked out about it.

The drive was sooo incredible that I had to take these awesome pictures of these incredible places so people would know we've been here.

First, we were here...

Then we passed over this famous bridge...

At last, the scenery began to change...

Finally, we arrived at our resort a few hours after midnight. Boy, was that a welcome sight. The place was like an apartment, with all the amenities of home.

Day 2: Saturday, May 14

Saturday began with all three of us heading to a real, actual Krispy Kreme! It was just around the corner from our resort. Yum!

After we ate, I dropped Eric and Celeste off at Ron Jon's in Cocoa Beach and headed to KSC to pick up the car pass that Armando so kindly reserved for me. Just driving up to the VAB had me reminiscing of my trip a couple of weeks ago, and full of pride for the amazing work that we do.

Then after, I went back to my little family at Ron Jon's and we bought Celeste a "surf board" so she could do some "surfing" the next day. Boy, was she ever excited!

Day 3: Sunday, May 15

So we started our day, yet again, with a trip to Krispy Kreme. Celeste loves watching them make the donuts.

Then we headed down to Cocoa Beach and drove down the beach until we found a great spot to get in the water. These beaches are just stunning. The water is quite clear and blue, and the beaches are pretty clean. And the waves! WOW. They were crashing down on shore, right at the shoreline, and were quite huge. Many of them were easily as tall as Eric.

Day 4: Monday, May 16

Launch Day!!

We woke up at around 4:00am and quickly got ready to head to the Space Center. The launch was set for 8:56am Eastern, and may had told us that we should plan on getting there as soon as possible (4+ hours early). We didn't even wake Celeste; we just took her in her pajamas, brought her blanket and pillows, and she slept the whole way to KSC.

I had this great idea to head to KSC's gate 2 (by the visitor complex) by simply GPSing the KSC Visitor Complex. My GPS gave me the address of a location in Titusville, FL. I assumed this was right, since Titusville is so close to KSC. Let's just say that when I pulled into the tiny, overgrown ghost-town of a roach motel on Kennedy Drive, I knew something was up. Oh man, talk about funny. And no, that one absolutely cannot be blamed on my skills as a female driver. It's all on the GPS.

After moments of confusion, laughter, and minor paranoia, we found ourselves crawling in a loooooooong line of traffic near the real KSC Visitor Complex. Once we got through the gate and to our spot on the Causeway, we made a little pallet near the water and got ready for the launch.

We arrived 3+ hours before the launch, and it wasn't too crowded. It was pretty great, and the view wasn't bad either! Celeste kept excitedly asking when the "rocket ship" would go up. It was so cute!

I kept a close eye on my watch and when they entered the last countdown, our anticipation and excitement was built so extremely high that I'm not sure I can accurately describe it on here. Celeste was anxious; I was excited; Eric was excited.

Then it happened. First, there was this huge burst of smoky clouds as the Solid Rocket Boosters (SRBs) were ignited. Not even seconds later, this magnificent vehicle, supported by it's 2 SRBs and External Tank were lifted off the ground with such a great force.

Randy, one of the KSC guys that we work with on-console during on-orbit inspection operations, had advised me to wear sunglasses when watching the launch because of the sheer vibrance of the flame. Unfortunately, I'd lost mine the day before in the Atlantic. But when that bad boy took off, I realized what he meant. It was like staring directly into the sun; so bright!

A few of my favorite photos from the launch...
 
Wow. I am truly blessed.

These next two photos were taken by a woman named Stephanie Gordon of Hoboken, NJ. She was on a plane from NJ to Palm Beach, FL, and took these photos looking out her airplane window.

 

After the launch, I caught a flight from Orlando back to Houston to begin working the Flight Day 2 TPS inspections from the TIC console in the MCC Shuttle Mission Evaluation Room; Eric and Celeste drove home. This is a long mission (16+0+2 days thus far), and it can certainly make anyone tired to support every day during on-orbit operations. However, it is certainly the most rewarding job I can imagine and I absolutely love it.

Amanda and Dan on console in the MCC for STS-134

Driving home from Florida

More Space

I'm still meaning to pull together the photos that we took last week of our trip to Florida to watch the final launch of Space Shuttle Endeavor. It was absolutely amazing! I hope to have those photos posted in another day or two.

Okay, okay ... one photo for now ...

In the meantime, here's one of my most favorite ascent highlights videos I've ever seen. This was put together by my friend who sits at the console next to ours in the Mission Control Center for the launch of STS-133 (Space Shuttle Discovery's final flight). Crank up your speakers and enjoy!

Space Bumps - Trip to Kennedy Space Center

Wow.
Wow.
Wow.
Seriously, wow.

After working at the NASA Johnson Space Center for 12.5 years now (much of which was strictly dedicated to supporting the Space Shuttle Program), I was finally blessed to be able to go to Florida to watch a launch in person. While the launch ended up being scrubbed for an amount of time that is still TBD, the experience was just simply breathtaking.

My coworker (and very close friend) Leslie and I caught a flight at 3:55pm on Wednesday, April 27, 2011 from Houston to Tampa Bay. Our excitement had been building for weeks prior to the trip, but I think it really hit once we got to the airport. We were giggling, giddy, pumped up, you name it! Leslie has been working here longer than I have, and I believe this was her first time to view a launch opportunity as well. And after a while, well ... things got a bit nutty ...

 

After we arrived and got our rental car, we had a delicious dinner at the Cheesecake Factory there in Tampa. While I realize this isn't too touristy/unique, we both teased our spouses about the dinner we had! ;)

 

Day Before Launch Attempt: Thursday, April 28

Our coworker, Dan & his wife Sue, had graciously allowed Leslie and me to stay with Sue at their Florida home. It was the most beautiful house! The home backed up to the Banana River and faced the Atlantic. I couldn't imagine a more perfect arrangement. We were in awe when we arrived from our drive in from Tampa, but were more stunned the following morning by the gorgeous views from their backyard.

After our morning coffee, we made the drive over the causeway to Cocoa Beach & Kennedy Space Center (KSC). The first thing we noticed (even before reaching the center) was the towering Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB). Oh, wow! This thing is HUGE!! It is the largest single-story building in the world, and before modifications were made to prevent this, rain clouds used to form in the top of the VAB. How incredible.

 

Our sweet tour guide, Brooke, met us and took us first to the Thermal Protection System Facility (TPSF) where the parts that make up the orbiter's Thermal Protections System (TPS) are fabricated. This work was especially exciting to both Leslie and me because beginning ~16-18 hours after launch (every STS flight), we support the inspections of the vehicle's heat shield (TPS) from the TPS Imagery Coordinator (TIC) console in the NASA/JSC Mission Control Center's Mission Evaluation Room. This work continues in performing a variety of imagery inspection evaluations throughout the remainder of each flight, as needed. Each flight is unique and incredible.

Although we'd both seen tens of thousands (if not hundreds of thousands) of images of the various parts of the TPS, this was our first time to see the fabrication and related processes of/for each piece of the TPS first-hand.

One of the harsh realities is the reason that my group and all that we do to support the spaceflight program exists. The gravity of the Challenger and Columbia accidents still hits everyone at NASA pretty hard. In fact, some of the debris from these accidents still washes up on Florida's shores. Incredibly heart-wrenching. This below is a piece of debris that is believed to be from the first PEM I Trident II missile (which was deliberately destroyed).

After touring the TPSF, Brooke showed us one of her favorite spots to view the launch (the launch pad is the small gray triangular object in the background). She said this spot allows for incredible reverb once the Solid Rocket Boosters (SRBs) ignite, and if we are able, it will be where we watch the launch someday.

On our way to tour the VAB, we snapped a few images of the Mobile Launching Platform (MLP). This bad boy is what transports the orbiter, fully stacked, to the launch pad at a rate of 2mph.

As I mentioned before, the VAB is just massive. At one point, Brooke took us up a few floors and let us look out over the rail to the floor below. Oh wow. Yikes. It was awe-inspiring, and we weren't even nearly halfway up.

This next slideshow is the longest, by far. But it is deservingly so, as it is impossible to fully describe the magnitude of our tour of the Orbiter Processing Facility (OPF).

Once we walked into the OPF, I immediately recognized the "ceiling;" we were standing under the belly tiles of OV-104, Space Shuttle Atlantis. Wow. Atlantis is currently being prepped for the final space shuttle flight in history in the OPF, slated for June 28, and we were here to see it in person as it was processed pre-flight for the last time. In fact, this is the last of any pre-flight processing that any space shuttle will undergo. Amazing.

The last 8 images are of OV-103, Space Shuttle Discovery, as it was being processed post-flight and being made ready for delivery to it's final resting place at the Smithsonian Air & Space Museum near Washington, D.C. This is the first of the 3 remaining orbiters that NASA will retire. Geek moment: Notice how the belly tiles of this orbiter are more brown than the first; this is due to the vast amount of heating the vehicle goes through upon re-entry into our atmosphere. And the bald tires? These were brand new prior to the flight and are bald from the one single landing.

The other two people on the tour of the OPF with us were part of the Air Force One Advance Team; the President and his family landed in Florida the following day and were given a tour of the OPF, as well.

After our long day of dropped jaws and amazement at KSC, Leslie and I made a pit stop at a couple of shops in Cocoa Beach. Everyone from JSC had told us numerous times that we had to go by Ron Jon's Surf Shop; apparently it's a tradition. So we stopped at a few stores near by, and then we went to Ron Jon's. We must have stopped to buy something from Ron Jon's at least 3 times during this trip.

Attempted Launch Day: Friday, April 29

Friday morning, Leslie and I woke up early, packed our bags, grabbed some water and headed out to KSC to watch the STS-134 launch of Space Shuttle Endeavor. The launch was planned for 3:47pm EST, and we made it to the center at around 11:30am EST.

It was a beautiful, cool and windy morning in Space Coast and it made for a perfect day for being outside. We passed many people parked alongside the highways on our way to the center.

After parking at our chosen spot onsite, Leslie and I made our way to the intersection near the VAB/LCC and OSB 1 to watch the astronaut procession as they were whisked by on their way to the launch pad. We got there just in time to see the crew van (a.k.a. "Astrovan") go by, pause, then turn around and head back. It was when they were paused that we got word that the launch had been scrubbed.

Afterward, Leslie and I went back to Ron Jon's, bought some beach towels, and headed for the sand and water. The Atlantic is chilly!!! We collected shells for our girls and had a great time.

While it would have been great to see the launch in person, I still cannot begin to put into words how incredible this trip was. The only word I can say to describe the whole experience is wow. Thank you to everyone who helped make this special!!

Note: If the slideshows aren't working, try back later. They're hosted on another site (www.slide.com).