Paul's Website
Memories And Recollections Of Days Gone Bye!
My Career Saw The Greatest Programs In History!
Have I had a career
or not? I have... Working on the most exciting programs of
the modern age, I was fortunate enough to see the Apollo Moon Program
up close and personal, the Space Shuttle program, the Global Positioning
Satellite, and the some sensitive satellite programs.
What Did I Do? - Started in test engineering, worked on the Apollo program as a project engineer, ran the Shuttle avionics development labs and Iron Bird, worked classified research, and gravitated toward information systems... It was always kind of a hobby anyway!
The Apollo Program - Exciting beyond belief! Things we work on daily going 250,000 miles to the Moon and back!
Space Shuttle - We are doing something special.. A flying machine and a spacecraft and a history maker!
Satellites Became A Hot Ticket - I was on the periphery of the GPS activity and watch Rockwell build the GPS Block II spacecraft... lasting ten years longer that the design called for and providing our world an amazing benefit! Worked as major domo to the VP & GM of the Satellite Division of our company... and then we were bought out by a bigger company!
But What Happened??? - - Oops, stepped on a duck! I cannot believe that I am dealing in the same industry that brought us Apollo and Shuttle and GPS. Somewhere about ten years ago, we took a left turn. Teams proud of their products who dedicated their energies towards a goal became groups of people loosely connected with little leadership! The leaders of yesteryear are gone and they have been replaced with staff that in the hay-day of aerospace wouldn't have been considered for first line management! It's pretty bad!
I (We) Pulled The Plug
Forty Years Of Labor
- So, after 40 years, I am going to throw in the
towel! Can't fix the problems because its not broke!
The industry is sick from the top and that
can't be fixed with any amount of energy I could apply!
It's kind
of like the rest of the country including our Congress and political
leaders! Too bad as it was a fun ride for a long
time!