This week I spent working on Robotic Arm (RA) Verification and Validation (VandV). Each instrument must meet certain requirements and each must be tested. This batch of tests involved showing the RA is capable of moving the Thermal and Electric Conductivity Probe (TECP), located at the end of the arm, in a smooth, straight line. This is to meet the requirement on precision in insertion and extraction of the probe into the ground, without damaging the probe leads. You can view a picture of the TECP, and the other instruments, on the Phoenix website.

The test involved moving the RA into four separate positions, close to the lander deck, high and low, and outstretched, high and low. We then set up a video camera and a plane background and recorded the motion as the RA was directed to move 10 or 20 centimeters. The video will be reviewed by JPL to determine if the motion is smooth enough.

This weekend, I was invited to participate in a Star Party at a local elementary school. The librarian there is amazing. She has a fairly large budget, and has purchased a few telescopes, and other astronomy related paraphernalia. She also contacted the University of Arizona to get support and she has contacts with local amateur astronomers. About once a month she organizes these events for the children and families that attend her school. I've been going for about three years now, alternating between running a telescope and running an activity that is related to Mars and my job. It's so much fun. The parents and kids have a blast, and hopefully learn something too. I get to interact with people and they ask some really tough questions as they don't always have the information and knowledge I take for granted. Sometimes they have more, and that makes the questions even more difficult.

To everyone reading my blog, please don't hesitate to post a comment or a question. I will do my best to read and answer all of them.

Errata: Misspelled a word last time. There are no such things as "simulatories." It should have read "simulators." Sorry about that.

Anyway, it's Monday again and I already debugged an issue with a recent test. The spacecraft and payload (instrument) teams will be running checkouts on the various instruments starting today. One will be on the Thermal and Evolved Gas Analyzer (TEGA).

The tests we ran last week on the simulator had some issues. Basically, that sequence sets some parameters that the hardware uses, but setting those same parameters in the simulator involves a little more work. I had to compare the various runs, and that's where I discovered the cause of the issue and the solution to it. This is why we run tests on the sim and Engineering Models (EMs) before running the sequences on the Flight Models (FMs).

I've been back to work for a week and a half now. Last week was spent compiling data from Robotic Arm (RA) and TEGA tests. We have to certify our software simulatories, and to do so involves a lot of data crunching. We have to compare tests run against the hardware to those run against the sims and document any differences. That way people higher up than me can determine if the sims need to be fixed.

This week has been spent testing sequences for the upcoming Operational Readiness Test (ORT), set for the first week of October. Each instrument has to have many sequences tested and "on the shelf" for later use. They write'em, my job is to test'em.

T minus 3.5 hours: Alarm goes off at 2AM. I've had 2 hours of sleep, but it's time to get up and ride to Kennedy. I have to catch a bus to The Causeway so I can watch the rocket launch ...

My name is Rob Bovill and I was born and raised in the great state
of Maine. At least, that's what I call it when I tell people where
I'm from. I love Maine. I love the green forests, and the blue
oceans. I love the humidity in the summer, and the cold in the
winter. I miss all these things living in Tucson, Arizona. But it
is a sacrifice I'm willing to make, because I have the coolest job ever.
I work for the Phoenix Mars Mission run by the Lunar and Planetary
Laboratory at the University of Arizona. I am a test engineer, which
means I work on the Engineering Model of the lander. Basically, each
instrument team (Robotic Arm, cameras, science instruments) builds
several versions. The Flight Model is the one that goes to Mars.
The Engineering Model is the one we do all the testing on to make
sure everything works in the way we need it to (or at least
understand how it works). The Phoenix Lander (we're stationary,
unlike the Mars Exploration Rovers) is set to land at about 68
degrees North latitude on Mars sometime in early June. No other
mission to the Red Planet has ever been that far north. We are
interested in studying the soil and water ice we think we know is
there. The hope is to find evidence of organics (carbon compounds)
that may indicate life once existed on Mars, and to test the water's
viability for future manned missions to Mars. But I'll get more into
all of this in later installments. If you would like more
information, check out our website http://phoenix.lpl.arizona.edu.

Right now, I'm sitting in my hotel room in Cocoa Beach, Florida. We
are all down here to watch the launch of the Lander on Saturday
morning, 5:30AM! I got in late on Wednesday night/Thursday morning.
Got up and had breakfast and then went to the beach, where I spent 3
hours swimming in the ocean and building sandcastles with friends and
colleagues from the Mission. My girlfriend had to spend all day on
Kennedy Space Center, photographing the Delta II launch vehicle.
Boy, what a tough job she has! After that, I spent the rest of the
day at KSC myself, walking around the gift shop getting my passes for
the launch event, and then watching the Bruce Willis Blues Band play
live. Tomorrow, I go back to KSC for up close tours of the Space
Shuttle, which is scheduled to launch a few days after we do, and to
attend the mission briefing for our launch. I guess my job isn't so
bad either. That evening is set for the final preparations for
launch, including roll back of the launch pad (done by KSC personnel)
and the mission BBQ. We will all get up at 2 am to go back out to
Kennedy to watch the launch of Phoenix early on Saturday morning.

I'm really excited that I have the opportunity to share my
experiences with everyone back home. As unique as I am being from
Maine and living and working in Arizona on a space mission, I know
my experiences are unique to many of you. I hope you enjoy hearing
about my adventures as much as I will enjoy sharing them.

Rob