Published in
Engineering, Space, Technology
This is both an interesting, and really tragic, story of how NASA engineers are learning from museum piecies (via Slashdot). I definitely think it is imperative that today’s engineers know how and why decisions were made in the past. Especially with something as monumental as flinging human beings almost 240,000 miles.
However, what is really distressing is that today’s engineers have to learn at museums. There obviously wasn’t enough documentation, recording, and continuation between generations of engineers for NASA to capture that tremendous knowledge and experience. Instead of learning from their mentors, or reading manuals, workbooks, and photographs, they must resort to figuring out what works by inspecting the actual devices themselves.
Learning by inspection can be a very good learning experience. You are forced to make connections and gain insights on your own. However, it is also very easy to miss what is important.
“Why did they use platinum wires but gold connectors?” (hypothetical question)
“What didn’t work that we’re not seeing here?”
The same thing is happening with today’s nuclear missiles. The current missiles were designed to last 20-30 years. Yet they’re still online, with testing equipment that is severly outdated. Retired engineers are brought back, sat in a room for days with recording equipment and asked to tell their stories. Today’s engineers are now realizing that when they design something with an expected lifetime of 30 years, just imagine it may be 50-70 years before it’s actually replaced.
In essence, the Apollo program must be redone. Granted they now have the relics of the past (including some lingering engineers), and new technology, but they’re doing it with a more limited budget and less gusto from the general public.
I want us to go to the moon. It’s the only place in human history that we have traveled to, returned, and never gone back. Lets try and learn from our mistakes and get this job done.
Published in
Article, Conference, Engineering, Project, Simulation, Space
I have a poster at the Space Mission Challenges in IT conference hosted by NASA JPL. Unfortunately, I was unable to make it to the 4-day conference, despite it being an incredibly large number of amazing projects.
In my place, Katie Betchold has done a great job getting my rather large 3′x4′ poster out there, hung up, and my in fact be presenting it today for the 2-minute poster precis. She is totally awesome!
If you don’t, in fact, find yourself in Pasadena, California at the conference, then you can virtually check out my poster (1.8 MB pdf). The accompyaning paper should be in a future IEEE publication available at local newstands everywhere.
The title of the paper is: “The Development and Use of Open-source Spacecraft Simulation and Control Software for Education and Research”, and primarily covers the experiences of developing Open-SESSAME spacecraft modeling and simulation framework, its use at the Space Systems Simulation Laboratory at Virginia Tech, and by various researchers around the world.
Published in
Engineering, Simulation, Space, Technology
My paper, titled “The Development and Use of Open Source Spacecraft Simulation and Control Software for Education and Research” has been accepted to the Space Mission Challenges for Information Technology to be presented in at NASA JPL in Pasedena, California this coming July.
It primarily will present the original development as well as current users & users of the Open-SESSAME Framework (Open-Source Spacecraft Simulation And Modeling Environment).
I know there are some space-geeks that check out the blog, I’d like to ask for any comments or feedback you have on the use of open-source software in spacecraft research, simulation, education, operations, and/or analysis. Software packages, experiences, desired features/functionality in software and even open-source hardware.
You can either leave a comment on the site, or email me at simulation@highearthorbit.com.
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