Some details about my job change...

Several people have emailed asking for some more detail about why we are moving to Houston. The post is an attempt to let people know a little bit more about the new program I am working on and what I will be doing specifically.

The company I work for, Lockheed Martin, won the Orion Crew Exploration Program contract in 2006 and is now beginning integration and development work at NASA Johnson Space Center (JSC) in Houston, TX. The program is managed and worked from the LM Space Systems headquarters in Denver, CO and needed people to support there integration efforts in Houston. I accepted a company transfer for one of those positions.

The Orion program is the new Crew Exploration Vehicle (CEV) to replace the aging Space Shuttle. The whole premise of the Orion program is the separate human space flight from cargo missions, therefore it is less risk and cost to return to an Apollo style capsule. The Orion CEV is also the foundational program for a return human mission to the Moon and Mars.

I currently work Electronic Ground Support Equipment (EGSE) software in the various labs here in Houston. This software performs checks and controls of the spacecraft from vehicle assembly through pad liftoff and provides telemetry support during ascent. I am currently the only EGSE team member permanently based in Houston, which has its own challenges/opportunities and I will travel at least one week per month to Denver in support of the development activities. There is also a strong possibility that I will support tests and launches from other facilities such as White Sands Missile Range (WSMR) and NASA Kennedy Space Center (KSC) in Florida.

So, in a nutshell, we are moving for a heck of a job opportunity for me. It is also a bonus that we will have some family in the immediate proximity for the first time in our married lives. Our hope is that Kim finds a job in the Alvin or Angleton areas so that we can live outside of the hustle and bustle of Houston. Letting our family grow up in a small town atmosphere will be worth the 45 minute commute for us. - Micky