29 Years

January 28, 1986 around 10:40 AM CST?

Do you know where you were? I do, the exact spot I was standing.

Working at the Michoud Assembly Facility supporting the Space Shuttle Program, It was a habit to go to the nearest television monitor and watch the launches. We all held our breath until the Shuttle was inserted into orbit, then returned to our desks to resume our work.

Launches were "textbook" by 1986, everyone knowing what came when the bird blasted off.

Here's a script of the communications between the astronauts and command center.

When the words "go with throttle up" everything for the Space Shuttle Program changed.

In this photo from Jan. 9, 1986, the Challenger crew takes a break during countdown training at NASA's Kennedy Space Center. Left to right are Teacher-in-Space payload specialist Sharon Christa McAuliffe; payload specialist Gregory Jarvis; and astronauts Judith A. Resnik, mission specialist; Francis R. (Dick) Scobee, mission commander; Ronald E. McNair, mission specialist; Mike J. Smith, pilot; and Ellison S. Onizuka, mission specialist.

Image Credit: NASA

The Program went through so many changes from January 1986 until September 1988, when the redesigned system launched again.

After we started launching again, I cringed every time the "go for throttle up" command was given, right down to the last launch in 2011.

The Space Shuttle Program history, with new programs gearing up for launches to Mars and beyond.

A huge thank you to ALL of us who were part of this awesome, exciting 30 year ride.

Tet Fest 2012

Tucked away in New Orleans East is Mary Queen of Vietnam Church, just a stones throw from the NASA Michoud Assembly Facility.


Every year this close knit community of Vietnamese people celebrate their New Year by holding Tet Festival on the Church grounds. Tet is an abbreviation for Tet Nguyen Dan, meaning "first day." This is the most important festival of the year, signifying both the beginning of the year and of spring. And the weather cooperated nicely, making it feel like spring with temperatures in the low 70's and clear blue skies.

We visited the festival for the first time and enjoyed both the food and the people watching.



The Vietnamese community in "The East" brought themselves back after Katrina. In the 6+ years since the storm, they have welcomed the Hispanics who helped rebuild the city into their area. It's really very interesting to visit the businesses along Alcee Fortier Boulevard.
There are grocery stores (both Vietnamese and Hispanic), cafes, restaurants, bakeries, pharmacies, etc. One of my favorite bakeries is Dong Phuong where they make THE BEST assortment of breads and desserts. And their prices can't be beat.

So if you're looking for a culinary adventure, take a ride out the The East and explore what it has to offer.

On a side note, Andrew Zimmermann from Bizarre Foods visited the east. check this out.

Farewell, Space Shuttle

After 30 years the Space Shuttle Program has ended. I have been lucky enough to be part of this program since 1982, working at the Michoud Assembly Facility (MAF) in New Orleans East. The huge External Fuel Tank (ET) was manufactured here. The ET was the only component of the Shuttle Transportation System that was not reusable.

Last July the employees at Michoud attended the rollout of the last Tank. This is the same tank that was used for the final Shuttle Launch on July 8, 2011. (It is a strange coincedence that the rollout ceremony was July 8, 2010.) In true New Orleans fashion, a second line was held to escort the Tank onto the barge that would transport it to KSC (Kennedy Space Center). Here's a video of the event.



As I write this and watch the video I feel a lump in my throat. The experience of working at Michoud has been very, very special. I don't know about other companies, but working at MAF we employees feel like family. I've known some people for the "almost 30 years" I've worked there. We have grown old together, celebrated each others life milestones: marriage, children, divorce, death, grandchildren, retirement, Katrina (more than 50% of the MAF workforce lost everything from the storm),the Saints as Superbowl Champs and the BP Oilspill (the blowout preventer is still at MAF, under investigation). The number of employees at MAF has decreased to a few hundred from an all time high of about 2,500 in the heyday of the Shuttle Program. Several employees have set up webpages with archived photos of our work and play while at MAF. There is a facebook page for former employees to keep in touch. The end of the Shuttle program means so much more than jobs lost.

At MAF we employees would gather around the closed circuit televisions across the facility and watch each launch that took place during work hours. We knew each milestone in the ascent, marvelling every time the capcom would report on the speed of the bird. We knew that our Tank must work flawlessly for eight minutes before it was jettisoned off the orbiter. And the Tank worked every time! Each employee, no matter what their job was, took pride in our work.

We felt much pain in the losses of Challenger and Columbia. I still cannot look at photographs or videos of those two events. Our technical and production crews worked around the clock after those incidents to make things right. And they did. Space exploration has never been and will never be a flawless endeavour. It is an inherently dangerous science.

We will not cry because it is over, we will rejoice because it happened and we had a part in it!

Farewell, Endeavour

I have been a part of the Space Shuttle Program for almost 30 years at the Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans East. and I'm very sad to see it end.

This video shows the incredible strength and beauty of Endeavour's final launch on May 16th. Enjoy.