Thought it might be a nice idea to open a thread for Shuttle Workers, past and present, to share any final thoughts on the end of the Shuttle Program and for those of us whose Shuttle careers are coming, or already have come, to an end to offer a farewell of sorts. Public comments, congrats, and well-wishes are also welcome but I'd like to not turn this into a Shuttle program discussion thread with differing opinions, since there's plenty of other threads for that. Well then...Some of what I'm going to say I've already said in other posts to bear with me, but I feel it's worth repeating. So, how did I get to work with these incredible ships? I've watched Shuttle launches on TV since the beginning when I was growing up in the great white north in the 80's. (hey, then, Shuttle launches were actually national news, go figure..) In the late 90's while in the military I had the pleasure of dating a lovely young woman and after dating for a while, met some of her family and found out that she has an uncle who works at the space center, what a coincidence! After leaving the Army at the turn of the century I decided to get my A&P license to work on planes and was offered a job by her uncle working out here. Turn that down? Yeah,right!! Well, little did I know, I was about to be tossed into a shop, at the pad no less, with some of the biggest bunch of rednecks I'd ever seen. Well being somewhat of a country boy myself I fit right in, but you can ask pretty much any shuttle worker and they'll tell ya, there's a definite, um, "personnel change" from the OPF to the VAB to the Pads (I think HQ figures its much easier to hide us from the public eye out there. They don't let us out much....) The first few months I kept saying to myself, "these guys launch Space Shuttles?"Well, of course, the answer is yes, they do, and do it well. Ordinary, everyday, average men and women launch these Birds into space. People who if you ran into them in downtown Orlando, you'd never know any different. We're not celebrities or rock stars, we're just ordinary"average joes". Joes who were lucky enough to get the opportunity to work in the U.S. Space program. In my opinion,that embodies the very essence of the United States of America and the American Dream. You don't have to be born of the elite to do extraordinary things. There's a saying that's on a lot of memorabilia around here that the workers can get: "The Space Shuttle Team: Doing What Others Dream" And it absolutely rings true. I’ve never worked a more dedicated bunch of workers except maybe in the military. And just like the military, their careers are full of sacrifice. Ask any worker who’s been here any decent amount of time and you’ll hear of missed birthday parties, cancelled vacations, missed little league games, etc. that were put on hold to do the job.Soon the Orbiters will begin dispersing to their permanent homes throughout the country. And you, the general public, will be able to get up close and personal with these lovely ladies that, previously, only us Techs have been able to. Please, soak it up as much as you can. Take it all in. But, unfortunately, there is one thing that you will probably never know as we do....their personalities. Whether you are one who believes that inanimate objects can have a soul or you aren't, I can't think of any better example than an Orbiter. Each one has quirks, personalities, and attitudes as differing as any human being. Things that you just can't experience from one sitting on display, unpowered, for all eternity. There are some who say that the Shuttle was a failure, that it never accomplished what it was designed to do. This just infuriates me and I can not disagree enough. Yes, it never materialized into low-cost, routine, safe access to space. But that's just gravy. What was the Shuttle designed to do, first and foremost, at its very core? As safe as possible, carry humans into space, protect them, and bring them home. If the Shuttle was truly a failure, it would never have survived the first launch, or even launched at all. However, there was 2 times where the SYSTEM failed. Missed or needed procedures, bad decisions, etc. caused 2 accidents that cost 14 lives. However, data from both events shows that even then, the Shuttle fought, to its very end, to do what its core mission was: protect its human cargo. But alas, product limitations cannot overpower the laws of physics.There are those who say the Shuttle is too complex and that it's a miracle that it can even fly at all. Well, yeah, you're right. And I believe that the fact it is so complex and yet continues to perform admirably should be another testament to its success. Nowadays, we have become risk adverse as a society, hence the shift to simpler, older, or backwards if you will. So, here comes the big dumb capsule. Simpler, yes. Safer, well, that's yet to be determined. But for me, it will never have the sexiness that the Orbiters do. Now, cost. Well unfortunately, that is our biggest obstacle to flying the Shuttle. And in a way, we've shot ourselves in the foot with this by not being able to adapt as a program quickly enough to more efficient, lean ways of doing business. However, this isn't just a NASA/Space program problem, but a problem we have as a nation. You don't need to look any further than the US Auto industry to see a prime example of this.So anyways, I think I've rambled on long enough. As of right now I still do not know what direction my future lies. Hopefully I can stay somewhat local and possibly be back into the aerospace industry somehow, but we'll see. I'll still be on the forums so this isn't really a good bye for me. I'll just be on the outside looking in this time. For all of my fellow Shuttle workers, those I've known, agreed with, disagreed with, haven't known, and all of you fellow space geeks, excuse me, fans, I wish the best for you and hope to be able to share a drink with all of you someday. Good luck and Godspeed. It's been a hell of a trip, thanks for letting me come along for the ride!Drewaka. Padrat
Is this thread for Shuttle workers to give their final thoughts and say farewell? or for us "civilians" to share our final thoughts/farewells to them? or both A + B?
During the early years of the Shuttle program I had the opportunity to be a reporter for the National Space Society's Dial a Shuttle program. DAS, as it was known, was a phone line that those interested would call for updates on flights, and live coverage of significant events, broadcasting NASA com on a 24 hour basis..DAS was available before widespread NASA TV, and the internet. We worked out of JSC, and I had the opportunity of meeting many who helped behind the scenes to make the Shuttle fly..From controllers to crew trainers, for an armchair astronaut, it was great! Friendships were made, and opportunities in aerospace were offered...To all who have worked in the Program, past and present, I say thank you for your service to this country, and the world, and best of luck in the future...Peter