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National Aeronautics and Space Administration John F. Kennedy Space Center Kennedy Space Center, Florida 32899 FOR RELEASE: 04/01/2004 VIDEO NO: KSC-04-S-00080 |
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NASA or National Aeronautics and Space Administration
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| Hi, my name is Debbie Awtonomow, and I'm the NASA Orbiter Project Engineer for the Ground Launch Sequencer, and at the Integration Console, it is our job to coordinate the activities in the firing room. There is one Integration Console in each firing room. The personnel that support this Integration Console include Test Project Engineers, Ground Launch Sequencer Engineers, Orbiter Project Engineers, who are NASA personnel, and Shuttle Project Engineers who are also NASA personnel. We provide leadership in daily activities and launch countdown activities. Some examples of daily activities include orbiter power up or power down. Integration starts the sequence of orbiter power up or power down, and individual system consoles continue the orbiter power up or down of their own systems. We make sure daily testing and troubleshooting is compatible in the firing room.
The launch countdown is our most interesting time. Integration starts the clock for the countdown which occurs usually about four days before launch. The Ground Launch Sequencer, which is the software that runs the countdown, monitors thousands of measurements. It also stops the clock immediately, if need be. For example, a temperature might be out, a pressure measurement might be out, or a voltage might be high or low.
The Shuttle Project Engineer is the lead engineer in the firing room responsible for leading the launch team in engineering problem identification, timely resolution of the problem, and successful launch of the Shuttle. The Shuttle Project Engineer gives the go or no-go to the Launch Director to continue the countdown. For example, the Instrumentation Engineer receives a master alarm from the orbiter cockpit. A Life Support System Engineer also receives a low temperature reading. Data Processing System Engineer receives error messages. Shortly after, the Hydraulics Engineer receives low pressure readings. At this point, the Shuttle Project Engineer gathers the other system engineers, determines their exact failures, the measurements that failed, the time they failed and comes up with a troubleshooting plan. Also during this time, the Test Project Engineers and Orbiter Project Engineers are reviewing schematics, drawings and performing data retrievals to assist the Shuttle Project Engineer in problem resolution. After the troubleshooting is complete, the Shuttle Project Engineer determines that the failure is a HIM Card, or Hardware Interface Module. This is the interface from the Shuttle to the firing room of the measurements of the different systems. Now the Shuttle Processing Engineer must decide if the card can be replaced in time or if backup measurements can be used. The Shuttle Project Engineer will then give a go or a no-go to the Launch Director.
My advice for you, if you want to get into the integration field and launch Shuttles, is to be a well-rounded person, as you never know what you are going to be working on. From public speaking to writing procedures and requirements, to systems design, to troubleshooting problems, anything is possible. | |
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