Dotting our i's and crossing our t's before shipping

This is the largest payload that this office has ever done. The experiments were designed to be a reflight of previously flown hardware. I think when we set out to do these flight experiments, we were using different guidelines about how we could achieve that plan. In essence we do have some re-flown hardware, but the experiments to be flown in this hardware have made us modify the hardware to some extent. The concepts that we had from previous flights have been used for this flight, but it wasn't exactly reusing the same hardware. We've had to readjust our thinking in how we approach this.

As I said, it's the largest payload we've ever done. The fact that we are flying international hardware, and everything for the ARC portion of the payload must go through ARC. We're trying to do this in an established timeline though we've had to deal with down-sizing and decreases in funding; so we try to be smart about it. It's very difficult to be smart and frugal and meet the schedule. It's a constant shell game trying to figure out what is best and minimize risk to make sure we have a successful mission. We try to make sure that we have the appropriate checks and balances; that we've dotted our i's and crossed our t's. That's difficult when folks are focused on one area and not looking at the big picture. Trying to get people to expand themselves and to focus in is always the constant challenge. I think that we're getting there. We've got so few days left for this mission.

We've really pushed the envelope to make these experiments happen. We've taken our punches, but it will be worth it in the end. We want to go into a situation where we know we can be successful. We know there is risk, and we want to know how we can make it work in flight. That's the ultimate goal.

It's kind of exciting now in this last couple of months: we're getting ready to ship - we'll receive our animals at KSC on February 2 (in another couple of weeks), and then we'll be out at Kennedy for awhile. With a launch April 2 [now 16], we've already got people leaving so there is a lot happening. Plus: consider all the organisms we have onboard. We have crickets, rats, mice, pregnant mice, rat mothers with their neonates. So it's kind of an exciting payload!

I think I'll be ready for a rest. It's hard when you work at this intensity, when you're trying to remember so much. You wonder if you ever can go back to a simpler time when things are more controllable. I am looking for this to end and to be successful, and to take a breather, to clean my office, and then move on to the next thing. Right now I don't know what that's going to be, but I certainly am ready for it.