Kurt Leucht’s Blog

At NASA we’re smart enough to send men out into space and even to the moon, and yet we somehow manage to create and install signs in and around the Space Center like this:

What is the deal with this sign?  Not only is it confusing … but it has some random space characters thrown in there to break up some of the words … and it has a few font changes in there also just in case you weren’t confused enough already.  Obviously, this is a sign whose purpose is to show me where the “stairwell one floor” is.  Or maybe it’s “stairwell on E floor”?  Whatever … I still haven’t figured out the purpose of the down-arrow.  And who came up with the phrase “for exit discharge”, anyways?  Do they even speak English at the sign shop?

This sign was found in the stairwell of a very popular building at KSC.  It’s an Odd Shaped Building, if you know what I mean.

NASA Press Release dated: June 5, 2009

NASA LAUNCHES HUMAN SPACE FLIGHT REVIEW WEB SITE FOR PUBLIC USE

WASHINGTON — NASA is inviting the public to make its voice heard as a panel of experts undertakes an independent review of planned U.S. human space flight activities.

NASA has created a Web site for the Review of U.S. Human Space Flight Plans Committee to facilitate a two-way conversation with the public about the future direction of the agency’s space flight programs. In addition to providing documents and information, the site will allow the public to track committee activities, receive regular updates and provide input through Web 2.0 tools such as Twitter, Flickr, user-submitted questions, polls and RSS feeds. Additional features and content may be added as the committee’s activities continue.

“The human space flight program belongs to everyone,” committee chairman Norman Augustine said. “Our committee would hope to benefit from the views of all who would care to contact us.”

Anyone may use the Web site to submit questions, upload documents or comment about topics relevant to the committee’s operations. The committee will conduct public meetings during the course of the review. The first will be held June 17 in Washington, D.C. An agenda for this meeting will be announced soon. Time will be set aside for public questions and comments to the committee members. No registration is required to attend.

To learn more, visit the committee’s Web site at:

http://hsf.nasa.gov

For information about NASA and agency activities, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov

I worked at the NASA press site today in support of STS-125, the final Hubble servicing mission. The press site was really busy for this mission. Usually I escort media personnel to various locations for various reasons. To my surprise, today I was asked to escort some of the press photographers to the roof of the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) to photograph the launch. Wow! What an opportunity! It was a great launch and it went right on time. Here are some photos that I took from the top of the VAB. Click on each thumbnail for a larger version.

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Two more NASA/KSC positions are being advertised this week!

The first is for an electrical engineer to help with cable plant design and electrical ground support equipment design on the new mobile launcher that will be used for the future launch vehicles that will take us to the moon.

http://jobsearch.usajobs.gov/getjob.asp?JobId=79641849&AVSDM=2009-03-16+13%3A27%3A30&TabNum=1&rc=11

The second position is for an electrical engineer who has controls and specifically programmable logic controller (PLC) experience.  This person will help us with the PLC logic that will be used to talk to and from ground support equipment at the launch pad where the future rockets will take off and proceed to the moon.

http://jobsearch.usajobs.gov/getjob.asp?JobId=79642006&AVSDM=2009-03-16+13%3A27%3A50&TabNum=1&rc=5

Good luck!

Kurt

Just saw this NASA/KSC job posting today. A NASA group that I work closely with is looking to hire two new Engineers with industrial controller (PLC) and SCADA experience. Here’s a link to the job posting:

http://jobsearch.usajobs.gov/getjob.asp?JobId=79334311

Hurry!  This job posting is only open for this week only!  Good luck!

Kurt