Launch window opens at 08:00 EDT (4-hour duration).
Launch pad: 39 B
Ares program website:http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/constellation/ares/flighttests/aresIx/…
All vehicle and personnel are ready for the test flight tomorrow. Weather forcast is currently the only issue. NASA willl be streaming the launch video online: http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/nasatv/index.html
http://www.aviationweek.com/aw/generic/story_channel.jsp?channel=space&i…
NASA’s Orion crew compartment test article is being used to test applications of composite materials for human rated spacecraft designs. (see link above). This is a great place to mature some technology so that the Aurora program can benefit from previous advances. Go NASA go!
I am back in Las Cruces, NM, attending this year’s ISPCS, and just like last year each panel and each conversation leaves me with new ideas and new perspectives. I promise to write a full report on the entire conference when I return to Dayton, but in the mean time I wanted to share the two highlights of Day 1.
First, a reflection on Mission. One of today’s panels was a presentation by Jeff Greason about his experience serving on the Augustine Committee. Jeff talked about a number of aspects of the committee’s work including launch vehicles, destinations, and enabling technologies. But I was most stuck with what he had to say about the committee’s review of the reason to send humans into space, and the difference between the reason we do a thing and the benefits we get from the thing. Jeff explained that in discussing the reason to send humans into space, we often get caught discussing the benefits (doing good science, building international relations, developing new technologies to name a few). The problem with getting caught discussing benefits instead of the reason is that there are lots of ways to go about getting the same benefits as space flight, but none of those address the real reason to send humans into space, namely, as the committee puts it: to extend human civilization beyond Earth.
What’s the first step of community building?
One easy first step would be to get people to start using this website. An increase in traffic requires no paperwork, no additional funding, and directly relates to one of our main objectives: “promote the development of a spacefaring culture.” But how? you ask. Well that’s easy. Simply post stuff, blog about stuff and encourage your friends to do the same. You can help us by reading and commenting on posts, asking questions, or adding links or ideas of your own.
A blank forum is less likely to be used than a frequented one, so help us out. We want to hear from you!
Anyone who knows me knows that I am a huge fan of synchronicity. Therefore, they will understand why I am abnormally excited to connect one element from the first few pages of The Art of Community with my fundamental belief of “rapid acquisition” as explained by the FIST principle AND a poignant and timely email from Dad (thanks Dad!). The concepts have to do with risk and the benefits and consequences of dealing (or not dealing) with risk appropriately. The sections below are the ideas that coalesced together in a brilliant stroke of insight! B-)
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1) From THE ART OF COMMUNITY by Jono Bacon
“Theory Versus Action: Action Wins
A … much more subtle risk that can bubble to the surface is becoming too focused on theory. Theory has an important place in community leadership. Heck, I have just spent the last several sections talking about social capital, belonging, economy, belief, and other theoretical dispositions. However, you will note that the hardcore theoretical content is confined to this chapter. The emphasis of our work should be on getting on the front lines and trying out ideas instead of burying our heads in a book. Sure, read and learn, but use reading and theory to help you decide where to focus your practical efforts. The most critical lesson here is that you should never replace practical experience with theory.”
2) From “THE PURSUIT OF COURAGE, JUDGEMENT, AND LUCK” by Dan Ward
“Trust and Luck
It bears repeating that risk management is a human endeavor. We contend the best risk management strategy can be summed up in a single, terrifying word: trust. Trust your team. Trust your contractors. Trust your customers. Trust your boss. It takes courage and judgment to trust, but failure to trust is an unacceptably risky strategy. [The authors explained the importance of trust in “The PM’s Dilemma,” Defense AT&L, May-June 2004.]
Of course, risk management is more than just implementing approved methodologies with courage, judgment, and trust. Luck is a pretty important piece of the puzzle as well. What does luck have to do with risk management, you might ask? Just about everything
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Those of a more scientific mindset may prefer to refer to University of Hertfordshire professor Richard Wiseman’s research. The aptly named Wiseman executed a 10-year study of luck. He published his findings in a book titled The Luck Factor: The Scientific Study of the Lucky Mind (2003) in which he observes that luck perception and luck production are both related to personality factors such as optimism, extroversion, openness, and low levels of anxiety.
Wiseman’s research showed that while people who describe themselves as lucky are not more likely to win the lottery, they are more likely to experience positive outcomes in other, less random activities. For example, a person’s extroversion creates a large social network, which can lead to “fortuitous” connections with people and resources. Openness to new experiences leads to action, as John Nash said in A Beautiful Mind, “The probability of my success increases with every attempt.” Turns out, he was really on to something. The bottom line: Luck is real, and you probably want an optimistic, open, extroverted, lucky person leading your risk management team.
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Yes, there are always ways to avoid or mitigate the risks involved with program management and technology development. However, when we mitigate away all the risks, we virtually guarantee mediocrity.”
3) Subject: FLEX YOUR RISK MUSCLE
“Bull’s-eye every time? If so, you’re standing too close to the target. If you’re not failing every now and again, it’s a sign you’re not doing anything very innovative. Differentiate between errors of commissionand errors of omission. The latter can be more costly than the former. If you’re not making many errors, you might ask yourself, “How many opportunities am I missing by not being more aggressive?” Everyone has a risk muscle. You keep it in shape by trying new things. If you don’t, it atrophies and you’re no longer able to take chances.
• Try a new recipe.
• Invest in a new idea.
• Tackle a problem outside your field of expertise.
• Propose an idea to your boss.
• Let a subordinate take on one of your tasks.
As Arthur Koestler put it: “If the Creator had a purpose in equipping us with a neck, he certainly would have meant for us to stick it out.”
— How can you flex your risk muscle?
— What new things can you try?
— What recent risks have you taken that strengthened your risk muscle?
RogerVonOech, creativethink.com
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Thanks to Jono Bacon’s book The Art of Community this material used under a Creative Commons Attribution Non-commercial Share Alike license; Thanks to Dan Ward’s articles on The Fist Principle available for download in the public domain; Thanks to Roger von Oech © 2009. All rights reserved, http://creativethink.com/ or http://blog.creativethink.com/
So, way back last year when we were coming up with a name for Mach 30, we also decided on a tag line (something to help communicate what type of organization we are). The tag line we choose was “Foundation for Space Development”. It is part of our logo, and shows up as part of the page title on all of our web pages (thanks to a setting in Drupal).
Since sometime in the spring, I have wondered if there is a tag line that would more closely capture our values/goals and that could inspire us and future volunteers. One idea that came to mind was to follow along the lines of what some other groups have done, which is to quote Virgil with “ad astra“, literally latin for “to the stars”. Some groups simply use “ad astra”, while others use classic variations like “ad astra per aspera” (to the stars through difficulties), and there is at least one modern variation – “ad astra per alia porci” (to the stars on the wings of a pig). All of this got me to thinking, could there be a Mach 30 twist on ad astra?
