Author: Dave English

Spaceman Mike Massimino

By Dave English

I just finished the great book Spaceman: An Astronaut’s Unlikely Journey to Unlock the Secrets of the Universe by Mike Massimino. (It came out earlier this month, hardcopy, kindle, iBooks.) It’s an easy engaging read, the personal story of his cool travels through colleges, companies, and on to two amazing Hubble rescue missions on the Space Shuttle. Best astronaut book I’ve read in a while. Along the way, ‘Mass’ shares some of the secrets learnt getting a PhD from MIT, learning to be an astronaut, and actually fixing the Hubble telescope in high Earth orbit. Here are some of my … Continue reading Spaceman Mike Massimino

If an error is possible, someone will make it

By Dave English

“If an error is possible, someone will make it. The designer must assume that all possible errors will occur and design so as to minimize the chance of the error in the first place, or its effects once it gets made. Errors should be easy to detect, they should have minimal consequences, and, if possible, their effects should be reversible.” Donald A. Norman, The Psychology of Everyday Things, 1988. Pilot error in many cases can also be described as design error. As pilots, not designers, we should be aware of cockpit actions that are NOT easy to detect, do NOT … Continue reading If an error is possible, someone will make it

Fly away!

By Dave English

It’s fun to watch or read about special hurricane reconnaissance aircraft. But let’s not forget: The rest of us just get out of the way. Radar composite pic is the ERAU fleet fleeing Florida for safer pastures.