Random Discussions

[shel311]

So canadian truckers are protesting a mandate that US truckers cant come into Canada? lol alrighty..

Mannnnn

You're gonna do a face palm when you figure it out.

[nick]

you seem more interested in this than I

[shel311]

you seem more interested in this than I

Sorry that correcting your incorrect posts seems to upset you?

[GeorgesGoons]

So canadian truckers are protesting a mandate that US truckers cant come into Canada? lol alrighty..

Mannnnn

You're gonna do a face palm when you figure it out.

Thought the same thing.

From your post, it sounds as if Canada is imposing this vaccine mandate on any trucker coming into Canada (US or Canadian). And when you have Canadian truckers either delivering or picking up goods in the US they need to show proof of vaccine once they reenter their own country. Pretty much what I got from your post. Gonna have to do some reading up on it.

[ReignOnU]

There's multiple issues with it, but our friendly Canuck often struggles to go beyond the first link of the chain. (yes, that's a subtle hint)

[nick]

uh..huh..

[shel311]

Tell us more about how they're protesting a US mandate that has nothing to do with Canada

[nick]

I'm too busy making fun of them to care. None of the mandates effec me, i got more OT last year than I needed.. I live in Toronto and any supply shortage they attempt will never effect us. Ironically itll collapse the small towns from which most of these protesters are coming from.

The air smelled fresher today too. Less white trash around.

[dakshdar]

I work for Northrop - we're the prime contractor for the Webb telescope. So, NASA is "in charge" for the satellite but we basically did all the design, analysis, and build (with other subcontractors).

Rocket rolled out to the pad today. One day of preps and should be ready to launch Christmas morning (~7:20 am EST).

Spoiler!

Didn't follow-up on this, but everything went super smooth with launch and all the deployments. Was in Baltimore from 12/21 through 1/9 for all the operations at the Space Telescope Science Institute on Johns Hopkins campus.

On the final day of primary deployment operations (1/8) I was interviewed on the NASA livestream, which was pretty sweet, especially for my kids.


(The whole video is super long, but I'm just in a bit, this link should work for that: https://youtu.be/tlGTem8vkB0?t=8654)

And got interviewed for NASA Spaceflight website.

https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2022/01 ... eployment/

Now, just settling into boring daily work without the telescope - going to try to cruise for a few years and enjoy "normal" workdays and more time with the family.

[DRiccio21]

Congrats dude, so cool to see your hard work over the years

1) what time are in the video so I can watch?

2) it must be bittersweet working on something so long then having it be over. Has that sunk in? Do you have another project already lined up?

[ReignOnU]

Congrats dude, so cool to see your hard work over the years

1) what time are in the video so I can watch?

2) it must be bittersweet working on something so long then having it be over. Has that sunk in? Do you have another project already lined up?

Dave - He has the YouTube link set to it. 2:24.

[ReignOnU]

Highlight of the video... NASA giving a finger to OHSA with their dudes saddling up forklift beams.

[GeorgesGoons]

Pretty damn cool Joe!

[dakshdar]

Congrats dude, so cool to see your hard work over the years

1) what time are in the video so I can watch?

2) it must be bittersweet working on something so long then having it be over. Has that sunk in? Do you have another project already lined up?

Reign got it - the hyperlink should take you right there but otherwise I start around 2 hour 24 minutes in.

Regarding your second point, it's kind of the nature of how things go here. Normally it wouldn't be so long on a single program, most programs are <10 years and most of the time people move in and out of programs while they're ongoing. I'd say I'm pretty happy with it being done now - it was ongoing for so long I was ready to be complete with it. I definitely wanted to finish the program, so I'm glad I stuck it through - not everyone does that and it was an amazing experience to be there to the end.

In addition to program work I have been doing what is called "Functional" work for a number of years as well. Almost everyone works programs, but programs are made up of people that work all different disciplines - engineering, systems, integration and test, etc. Each area like that has what we call a "Functional Homeroom" - something that connects (as an example) the Thermal engineers that support all the different programs together. So while a specific program may only have 3 thermal engineers working it, they're also part of a larger group of ~80 thermal engineers that are in the same department - which lets them share a common resource of knowledge/information/processes/etc. I've been in functional management for Dynamics for almost 6 years in a part time role - first it was a "Section Manager" (leads about 10-12 people, helps connect them back to the department as a first level manager) for about 4 years and then I've been the Assistant Department Manager for about the last 2 years (2nd level manager above the Section Managers - broader "whole department" view).

With the conclusion of the program, I've moved up to full time Department Manager - this is a combined role leading Vehicle Dynamics and Vehicle Controls (the systems that keep satellites moving an oriented/pointed properly). It's around 100 people total and I have several Section Managers under me (and we will bring in an Assistant DM that has more controls background to work with me). It's still really interesting work - I engage with all our programs working with leads for Dynamics or Controls on those programs to make sure things are running smoothly. And I spend a good amount of time on "people problems" - hiring, coordinating staffing for programs, retention/engagement, promotions and salary adjustments, training and development, process documentation/program review, things like that. It's pretty different than direct program work, but I still enjoy it quite a bit.

[dakshdar]

Highlight of the video... NASA giving a finger to OHSA with their dudes saddling up forklift beams.

Those are actually Northrop guys (insider note - 99% of the people you see doing the actual work in these videos are Northrop, NASA is just oversight really). We call them "diving boards" and - while they look wild - there are safety considerations in place. Riders wear something like a climbing/safety harness and they're connected to the lift by a pretty beefy restraint system. Still, there is risk and riders have to be trained and when the lifts are operated you require multiple spotters (as I imagine is the case whenever a vehicle like that is used in an industry setting).

We didn't drop anyone in my time on the program but we had one close call where a contamination engineer cleaning and taking samples on the vehicle from a similar lift almost slide out onto the structure - in that particular lift there is a driver and rider and the driver is up in the lift with the rider. The driver grabbed the safety strap and kept the rider from falling on the structure (which likely would have caused significant damage).

But you didn't hear that from me!

[ReignOnU]

Haha, I saw the harnesses, was still funny. Especially seeing the lifts with angled reaches in the background (guessing those didn't get the height/extension).

Certainly would have been funnier if you said that they trained on mechanical bulls at the local redneck bar in the spare time.

[shel311]

I can't help but chuckle a little given how smart Dak obviously is, and the shit he's working on and how important he has been even as just one dude as part of that Webb Telescope project for 6 years as he said...and yet his job title was "Assistant Department Manager" which is probably the same job title some 19 year old kid has working part time in the kid's section at the local Kohl's.

[dakshdar]

Haha, I saw the harnesses, was still funny. Especially seeing the lifts with angled reaches in the background (guessing those didn't get the height/extension).

Certainly would have been funnier if you said that they trained on mechanical bulls at the local redneck bar in the spare time.

Lifts are a big ticket item for us in a lot of integration and test operations.

We use a lot of things from JLG (telescopic lifts - https://www.jlg.com/en/equipment/engine ... telescopic; scissor lifts - https://www.jlg.com/en/equipment/scissor-lifts/electric) and Genie - https://www.genielift.com/en/aerial-lif ... ts/z3422ic.

The diving boards on the forklifts, I don't know if we buy those or make those ourselves. Here's a good view of one:

[dakshdar]

I can't help but chuckle a little given how smart Dak obviously is, and the shit he's working on and how important he has been even as just one dude as part of that Webb Telescope project for 6 years as he said...and yet his job title was "Assistant Department Manager" which is probably the same job title some 19 year old kid has working part time in the kid's section at the local Kohl's.

16 years on Webb (you left off a decade!). Sometimes I would have traded that kid for his Kohl's job though.

Job titles are weird shit though. When people ask me what my title is I just usually said "I do a lot of things."

On JWST I was "Dynamics Lead" for Northrop for the last couple of years because I'm more naturally a manager/lead type, but I had a guy working for me that had 35 years experience that knows more about dynamics than I ever will.

I was also "Northrop Mechanical Working Group Lead" on JWST for the last year because the previous lead retired and the program manager likes me and respects my ability to be sensible when working with the customer (NASA) so he appointed me to that position even though I had nothing to do with that group before hand.

And I was the "Ground Test Deployments Engineering Lead" for the Sunshield on JWST but that's a position that doesn't really exist - it just means that leading up to and when we were performing ground tests for the Sunshield I was the deployments lead on the highbay floor from the engineering group.

And then I was the ADM on the side for 20% of my time.

And now I'm just "Department Manager" - and I might still want to trade with the manager of the shoe department at Macy's (you know, assuming I could keep my salary and benefits).

[shel311]

I was the "Ground Test Deployments Engineering Lead" for the Sunshield on JWST

See, that sounds wayyyyyy more important than the Asisstant Department Manager