After launch on May 31, rendezvous last Monday, and lots of little issues to work over the past week, my involvement in STS-124 finally came to a close this morning as the shuttle undocked from the space station, did a lazy lap around the ISS to take lots of pretty pictures, and then departed into the darkness of space. Discovery is headed for a landing in Florida on Saturday, assuming the weather there is good.
Undocking was completely uneventful, as it should be. Just before the second separation burn, the crew called down and thanked both the rendezvous training lead and the lead rendezvous officer (the front room guy) by name for their help in preparing them for flight. Since I was the third wheel on that team, I was excited to hear my coworkers get called out on the air-to-ground. Hopefully my own mission as lead (STS-129, which seems eons away) will be just as cool.
But to be ready for that mission, whenever it finally arrives, means getting certified as a Rendezvous GPO. And my first sim in the front room is in two weeks! I’m nervous already. I’ll be working an undock sim (undocks are easier than rendezvous) and will have an experienced person with me, but I have to — gasp! — talk to the flight director! In 2.5 years of training and working flights, I’ve never had to talk to the flight director. It’s a little intimidating. But I know it will feel really good to get out there in the front room and do it. I’ll only get one lead flight before the shuttle program ends, but dang it, I’m going to make it count.
Tomorrow I am sleeping until a TBD time. All I know is that it will definitely be later than 7 a.m. I haven’t slept later than 7 since Memorial Day, and most days have been much earlier than that! I’m exhausted. I don’t know how all you early morning runners do it.
