
Engineering for the Long Haul, the Nasa Way - NicoJuicy
https://hackaday.com/2019/03/11/engineering-for-the-long-haul-the-nasa-way/
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gjkood
I was coaching/mentoring my son's high school robotics team for a few years
and on many occasions I used the NASA workmanship standards [1] (also
mentioned/linked in the article) for learning myself and teaching the kids how
to do wire management, making wire terminations, crimping etc.

What a wonderful resource to have at your fingertips.

I feel the standards and attention to minute details go a long way to explain
the longevity of the NASA spacecraft.

[1]
[https://workmanship.nasa.gov/lib/insp/2%20books/frameset.htm...](https://workmanship.nasa.gov/lib/insp/2%20books/frameset.html)

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GlenTheMachine
To be clear, the work referenced in this article is all JPL. JPL is not
exactly the same as NASA. JPL is an FFRDC administered by Caltech on behalf of
NASA. This is not to say that other NASA centers aren't great; but they do all
have their own cultures and processes. The article focuses on JPL's.

IMHO, JPL is the greatest engineering organization in human history.

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ryanackley
I came here to say something similar but with my added first hand experience
of working for a government contractor at Kennedy Space Center.

Almost all of the real engineering done by "NASA" at KSC is done by government
contractors. The actual NASA employee pool had a higher than usual proportion
of lazy and incompetent members because it's virtually impossible to terminate
a federal government employee. The rest were hard core bureaucrats who spent
most of their time jockeying for bigger offices, more responsibility, etc.

~~~
oso2k
Kennedy is a different kind of facility, even from some of the other NASA
Centers. There's a huge emphasis on compatibility of launch & ground systems.
And, you're right about bureaucrats and you could even extend it to lobbyists.

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johnohara
This article's image of the wiring lacing reminded me of a tour I took of the
B-29 Flying Fortress "FiFi." As I spoke with the pilot - in the cockpit - I
noticed the wiring lacing on the metal frame and thought it might be original.
It certainly looked it.

Without touching anything, I commented on it, and the pilot confirmed it was
original, not restoration.

She was built in 1945, almost 75 yrs ago, 20+(?) years before Panduit tie-
wraps were invented. All that flight bouncing and impact and little need for
replacement.

The workmanship was beautiful. Or should I say the "work-woman-ship," as was
the case back then.

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HeyLaughingBoy
I missed out on a tour of Fifi back in the mid 90's when I was working on my
private pilot license. Didn't know she was at the airport until I was getting
ready for my flight and in hindsight, I should have postponed it just to get a
chance to be on that beautiful piece of machinery.

Somewhere I have a link to hundreds, if not thousands, of Kodachrome images of
the work: machining, fabrication, and wiring done by those women back in WWII.
I'm kind of a machinery geek and it's mindblowing to see the machines I've
only known with decades of dirt, surface rust and patina, shown brand-new and
gleaming.

Check out /r/cableporn if you're into OCD-grade wire harness building :-)

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johnohara
Never thought of it as OCD. Just the right way to do it is all. Thanks for the
link.

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jonahhorowitz
It's amazing to think that the Voyager missions have been up there and
producing science as long as I've been alive. It'll be a sad day when they
sign off.

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fastball
Plus Opportunity didn't actually die!

[https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.php?feature=7339](https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.php?feature=7339)

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0xffff2
Am I missing something? The linked an article about Curiosity, not
Opportunity.

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fastball
You are absolutely not.

I had a brain fart.

