Hi Patrick and Joe, I doubt anyone's finger prints are on the amplifiers since they were assembled in "clean rooms". I do have my name on a microchip on Mars since I also worked on the Viking Lander Mission as a negotiator for a change order. Watkins-Johnson also built the amplifiers for the Viking Lander. I can't remember whether they had a microchip with the participants names on the Voyagers. If they did, they probably would have asked for signatures after I left the program. Since I was a Deputy Program Manager for only a few months before being promoted to Head, Export - I don't have much to tell. What I do remember is we had a large flow chart on the wall and I would every few days check on each item and get a status report. We also had to subject the amplifiers (not the ones for the mission but duplicates) to all kinds of tests including vibration, radiation etc. They also required that many of the components were "potted" in a plastic type compound to hold them immobile. JPL, who was the lead for NASA, had a permanent employee on site for the duration of the project. He was the "nitpicker of all nitpickers" and keep thinking of some new kind of worst case scenario. Our project (the amplifiers), which was cost plus, was originally budgeted for $3,000,000 but ended up costing $8,000,000 not because of any padding but because of all the additional testing JPL demanded. They considered the amplifiers as one of the critical components. Also, I would go around almost daily and question charges made by those working on the project. My boss, the Program Manager, was a very honest man and did not want anyone charging for time they did not actually spend on the mission. In the early days of NASA the extreme care put into each program resulted in many successes. After the retirement of some of these "nitpickers", things got a little sloppy for a while due to new people and budget constraints. Hence, the Hubble Problem and one the Mar's projects fiascos where the computer programmer had mixed up metric and English units. JPL in the 1970's would have checked the Hubble mirror's figure 10 different ways and not relied on one flawed test. That I can guarantee, having worked with those people. Clear Skies, Don -----Original Message----- From: utah-astronomy-bounces@mailman.xmission.com [mailto:utah-astronomy-bounces@mailman.xmission.com] On Behalf Of Joe Bauman Sent: Wednesday, December 05, 2012 12:20 AM To: Utah Astronomy Subject: Re: [Utah-astronomy] Voyager 1 new discovery. Don, I second that idea, especially if you could work in photos of your Voyager efforts as well as your stunning astrophotography. -- Joe ________________________________ From: Wiggins Patrick <paw@wirelessbeehive.com> To: Utah Astronomy <utah-astronomy@mailman.xmission.com> Sent: Wednesday, December 5, 2012 12:15 AM Subject: Re: [Utah-astronomy] Voyager 1 new discovery. On 04 Dec 2012, at 09:34, Don J. Colton wrote:
As Deputy Program Manager for the radio amplifier portion of the Voyager spacecrafts, I saw firsthand how exacting NASA was in those days. The Traveling Wave Tube (TWT) amplifiers we used were subjected to every conceivable test and they are still working today! For more on TWT's see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Traveling-wave_tube.
Hi Don, Very impressive that you actually worked on the mission. Does this mean your fingerprints are now traveling in space? :) I would like to hear more about your experiences working on Voyager. Would you be interested in talking about them at a SLAS meeting? If so maybe Rodger could get you scheduled. patrick _______________________________________________ Utah-Astronomy mailing list http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/utah-astronomy Send messages to the list to Utah-Astronomy@mailman.xmission.com The Utah-Astronomy mailing list is not affiliated with any astronomy club. To unsubscribe go to: http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/utah-astronomy Then enter your email address in the space provided and click on "Unsubscribe or edit options". _______________________________________________ Utah-Astronomy mailing list http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/utah-astronomy Send messages to the list to Utah-Astronomy@mailman.xmission.com The Utah-Astronomy mailing list is not affiliated with any astronomy club. To unsubscribe go to: http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/utah-astronomy Then enter your email address in the space provided and click on "Unsubscribe or edit options".