Crew Dragon Demo-2 - Wikipedia
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This launch is really important to me. I know I'm not always the most humble when it comes to me talking about working at SpaceX, but when looking for things to be prideful of in my life, very few things come close. I want to tell the world.
The commercial crew program is a huge leap for human spaceflight as its the first time a commercial company will have launched American astronauts into space. This mission, Demo 2 is the first actual flight with people in the crew dragon capsule, and the first capsule launch with astronauts in it since the apollo program if i remember correctly.
Before I left, I was interviewing for a position on the crew dragon team as a test specialist, and it was THE position of my dreams. When I was told what it involved I got worked up and as giddy as a school girl. I would be one of the few securing the astronauts into their seats before we close the capsule door, one of the ones performing ops checks while the capsule's in orbit and / or docked at the ISS. I would have lived eaten and breathed that crew dragon capsule and would have been part of the dedicated RnD team at the cape. On top of working up to 12 hour shifts and longer some days I was told this is something I would be home studying on my off time as well. I'm talking full dedication. They put hiring on hold though because they slimmed the ranks and layed off a bunch of people early last year and that really demoralized me, but such is life. I was being considered though, and while I beat myself up hardcore over this, I still find comfort that I even got an interview.
I would be in the clean room working on stuff with the dragon, and looking inside and seeing the globe plushie in there, then watching the live feed from the ISS as it's floating in Zero G really sent chills down my spine. It's one thing to imagine what it would be like to be in space, but this just took it to the next level being so involved. I sat there in the conference room with the dragon team at the end of Demo-1, on the edge of our seats watching as the dragon entered the atmosphere and splashed down. I really truly wish you all could have experienced the same things I did, because i promise you no arrangement of words from any language could convey how it impacted me.
We would have astronauts just hanging out with us and shooting the shit before they gave speeches to us in the hangar. I mean as a little kid if you told me that I don't think my little pea brain could have handled it.
Every day at lunch the Kennedy Space Center tour buses would drive by in pairs every 5 - 10 minutes. Every day I would see a group of people waving and always make a ridiculous wave back and get the whole bus to do it lol. People really really care about this stuff.
This was posted in our shop the day we found out who our astronauts were,
My blood sweat and tears are on those launch pads. I mainly worked with automation but my background is Air Force Avionics, one of the reasons why I was being considered for the Crew Dragon specialist.
One day I might go back. I left for life reasons, but I left on good terms. If I end up back there TEST will be the first to know. I never found the opportunity to slap a TEST sticker on anything that went into orbit ;)
Oh, and the people I worked with were some of if not the best people I have ever worked with in my life. Not only were they knowledgeable about their professions, they were knowledgeable about all aspects of life. Really insightful people.
Thanks for listening to me babble, This launch is a bitter sweet moment for me, but a sweet moment none the less! I hope you enjoy it if you watch it :)
TEST fam best fam.
