This past week was so busy for me. I have been taking part and listening in on the gap filler assessment team. A great team of engineers, technicians, quality, and safety people meet everyday to lay out the problems with the gaps fillers. They are also conducting tests to create a better method in bonding the gap fillers. I have also been working with specifications this week which include the processes for the technicians to fabricate the shuttle tiles. I have been learning so much on the job! Also this week, I was able to see the MPLM (Multi-Purpose Logistics Module). This was the payload that flew on the flight. It basically looks like a big tin canister. They filled this module with the ISS trash. Some of techs were telling me that it smelled so bad especially since it was sitting in the hot California sun. The cool thing is that they run lab tests on the trash that the astronauts bring back.  

I know the posting of this image is rather late, but I wanted to share with all of you this picture of the shuttle at Edwards Air Force Base. This was taken the Sunday before it arrived back at Kennedy Space Center. It was stormin' pretty bad out there. The weather was the issue why the return of the shuttle to KSC was delayed a little. Now.....It's Floridas turn with the weather. The winds are pretty bad in South Florida right now.  

Discovery is coming back home

Discovery took off from CA. about 9:00am...it will then be ferried to Oklahoma then Louisiana, remain overnight, then KSC at 11:00am Sat.

Such a great capture! Shuttle Discovery taking off in the background as an F-15 soars through the skies! 

ERAU here I come!

So I am really excited today because I got a call from Embry Riddle Aeronautical University! They say they have received my application and transcripts from Texas A&M and that I should be hearing from them soon. This was the school I wanted to go to for my undergraduate degree, but financially it just was not feasible. So I completed a year and a half at Houston Community College and then transferred to Texas A&M. I am just glad that I will be able to earn my Master's degree from ERAU because it has always been a school of my choice. As a Boeing employee, I get reimbursed to tuition, so all works out just grand! I have decided that I want to get a masters in Aeronautical Science - Human Factors. They say I should be able to start classes in October. I really hope everything works as planned.

This is a picture from the landing at Edwards Air Force Base. If kept up with the issues on re-entry, you can see the blanket that was "the talk" above and to the left of the "D" a little bubbled out. 

Discovery Home Safely.....

I have to admit, I was a little nervous when the orbiter was approaching re-entry. We were all watching the re-entry here on NASA TV and everyone clapped and cheered when our seven friends safely landed. I have pictures i am going to upload tonight on Atlantis. Until then.. i have to get back to work!!!!

Did you watch this morning's EVA?

Early this morning at work, we watched as astronaut Robinson removed the gap fillers. If anyone wants to understand what the gap fillers are, visit http://www.nasa.gov/returntoflight/crew/EVA_gapfiller.html or http://www.nasa.gov/returntoflight/main/index.html?skipIntro=1. It was great to see the view from his helmet camera. In the second link, you can see the video with sound. It's great. This is actually interesting to me because one of my job functions is to provide engineering support with these gap fillers. How I would have loved to be the astronaut performing the EVA today. :) It would have been such a beautiful view, don't you think?? 

Here's a picture of the recovery of the Solid Rocket Boosters (SRB). Today at work, was awesome. I stayed late with the KSC Imagery team to take a look at some of the video from launch. They have reels and reels of video that they are watching frame by frame for any possible debris. Whether the debris is hazardous or not to the orbiter, they document what they see. Another video that was interesting was a video taken by a crew member from inside the orbiter when the external tank separated. They followed the ET until is burned up in the atmosphere. It was just amazing to see the such high definition video footage. 

Pictures of Discovery's Launch

Here are some pictures from the launch. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do.
STS-114 Slideshow

Because of the foam problem, the shuttle fleet has been grounded until engineers are fully confident and able to understand the problem. However, it seems like our crew will still be able to return in Discovery safely. Full Story...

Did you see it??????

That was absolutley amazing.. I wish all of you could have been here. You could hear the rumbling in the ground, the buildings feeling the vibration. I wish you could have all seen and heard it all. I will try to upload my video when I get a chance to.....

Today is the day Discovery Launches

So right now I am getting ready for work.. I have been up since 3:45 am because I want to get in early, plus to beat the tourist traffic. I am so excited today. The only thing that can stop us today is the weather. I have a good feeling things will run smoothly today. I will upload a picture of the KSC atmosphere during launch.

From Spaceflightnow.com as of 4:45am:
"Discovery's seven astronauts will be gathering for a pre-launch snack and photo opportunity in the dining room of crew quarters at 5 a.m. That will be followed by a weather briefing and then suitup. The crew will head for launch pad 39B at 6:49 a.m., arriving about 20 minutes later to begin boarding Discovery. The ship's crew compartment hatch should be closed for flight around 8:30 a.m"

Track the mission status

Nows the time to really be looking at this website. I know I already posted this before, but it's beginning to get a lot more exciting

http://www.spaceflightnow.com/shuttle/sts114/status.html


Right now, the weather is a little concern. Hopefully everything will turn out to be a success.

An update on ME! :)

First I want to thank all the people who have been sending such supporting messages to me on my blog. I truly appreciate it. It only inspires me and keeps me motivated even more to reach my goal.

I know I have only been uploading pictures lately and not documenting what I am doing or really how I got here. If you go back to my very first blog, you can see a little "intro" on me.

As stated in my first posting, I graduated from Texas A&M University in May with a degree in Aerospace Engineering. Since I was young I would just sit in front of the TV and watch the NASA channel. There would be no sound. I would just watch the world turn and the astronauts up in space. It was great.

While I was in college I worked for The Spacecraft Technology Center. I was hired in as a student-worker to work on some computer networking tasks. Although not related to my major, I wanted to get my feet in the door, and I did. Working there really helped open doors. I was involved in a reduced gravity project for about two years. You totally have to check out the site: http://kc-135.tamu.edu/pmc/. I also had the chance to work with a payload called StarNav 1 that was onboard Columbia (STS-107). I really enjoyed that because the team was able to sit at the console for the entire duration of the mission. On the headsets in mission control we could hear when they would wake the astronauts up with music; Oh it was so inspiring.

So currently I work for Boeing out at KSC. I also was an intern for two terms working in the Structural Integrity group for the ISS in Houston, TX. So one day I saw there was a position open at KSC, and well.. here I am.

I was hired into the Thermal Protection Systems (TPS) group as a Aerothermal Engineer. Its great because most of the courses I concentrated on in college were Structures related. Its always good to explore different areas and fields.

Right now I am studying for the GRE and the FE; Getting ready for GRAD SCHOOL. I have applied and sent all my paperwork to Embry Riddle Aeronautical University. I would like to get a masters in Aerospace Science specializing in Human Factors. I want to give the hard engineering a little break, but I am sure after that degree I will go back and get another masters in engineering.

Ok.. I will write more on Monday and upload a couple more pictures. There are some more cool ones, but I left them on my work computer. Sorry if this post is extremely long, but I did get some comments that I am not writing enough about me and what I'm doing. Hope this helps a little :) Bye!

So yesterday they rolled out shuttle Atlantis (OV-104) which is scheduled to launch in September to go to the ISS. In back of me, in this picture, you can see it "reversing" from the Orbiter Processing Facility (OPF).  

Best Website EVER to track STS-114 and other launches to come!

Most people don't know of this site and I personally don't know who is the person that keeps updating it.. BUT it gets updated FREQUENTLY and I find it as the best resource.....


Hosted by Spaceflight Now
The website is: http://www.spaceflightnow.com/shuttle/sts114/status.html

We're go for launch Tuesday July 26th at 10:39 a.m


This is it everyone!!!! :)

A fighters view over the launch pad! 

Such a great picture with the VAB (Vehicle Assembly Building) in the background. This was taken on the day that Shuttle Discovery was supposed to launch. 

This is a picture of the VAB (Vehicle Assembly Building). 

This is Shuttle Atlantis with the payload bay doors open. This will be the next shuttle rolling out as Discovery sets off for its mission this week.