System Safety Engineer
Safety and Reliability Engineering Department
Boeing - Human Space Flight and Exploration
Huntington Beach, California
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Who I Am
I'm currently assigned to the
Safety and Reliability Engineering Department of the Boeing Human
Space Flight and Exploration Organization, in Huntington Beach,
California. If there's a traditional title associated with my
job, it might be something like a system safety engineer. We make
sure that any changes that affect the shuttle design, process,
or procedure don't have an adverse effect on the shuttle. We also
conduct a safety hazard analysis on the shuttle vehicle from its
preparation on the ground, launch preparation, launch, on-orbit,
and landing.
My Career Journey
My first job after college was
at the same location, then called North American Rockwell. I was
hired as a designer for the mechanical design/crew systems department
working on the Apollo Lunar Landing missions. From there, I worked
in a similar capacity with the Apollo Command Module used to deliver
crew and supplies to the Skylab Space Station. Then followed the
Apollo-Soyuz Test Project with the U.S.S.R.
The Next Major Projects
The next major project that I
was privileged to work on was the Space Shuttle Program, during
the very early years, before the Shuttle's maiden flight. I was
then transferred to the Advanced Design Department that reviewed
various shuttle and other space vehicle improvements and enhancements.
My next major step was to take
a position as a mechanical engineer, with a Department of Defense
contractor. There I performed mechanical engineering work in research
and development of munition and ammunition programs. A short time
later, a vacancy developed in the System Safety and Reliability
area of this company, which I was able to fulfill. There I developed
the reliability mathematical modeling of the various munitions
and ammunition systems, along with performing various system safety
analyses.
Influences
Some influences that contributed
to my decision to pursue engineering include interest in astronomy,
general science, and mathematics. I also like drawing and art,
although I can't draw a straight line without a straight edge,
and I do enjoy viewing artistic achievements. The combination
of liking drawing and liking science/mathematics drove me towards
engineering.
Preparation for Career
It was after completing my ninth
grade project that I wanted to be an aerospace engineer. A Hollywood
rock 'n roll radio station, KFWB (now all news), had advertised
a brochure called "Discover Education," which listed many vocations
with their characteristics, required qualifications, and salary.
After reading the brochure, doing additional library research,
and completing the ninth grade project, I thought I had found
what I wanted to be.
In the tenth grade a personality/psychology
test was administered to determine the possible vocational choices.
That test reinforced my ninth grade project. About the same time
a weekly television series, "My Three Sons," was being broadcast
starring Fred MacMurray. Mr. MacMurray's role was an aeronautical
engineer - not a glamorous or visible job like doctor, police
officer, fire fighter, or teacher. He was able to show the three
sons and the audience that his job was just as important as many
of the more visible vocations.
Personal Information
I like to take scenic photographs.
Some years back I used to develop the prints in the bathroom with
the windows boarded up to keep the light out. It was a challenge
to make just one properly exposed color-balanced print. Due to
other commitments, or perhaps laziness, I now let the commercial
labs develop my prints. My favorite food might be sushi or Japanese
noodles.
My Life from Second to Fifth
Grade
I was born in Japan, on the Sea
of Japan side. I don't remember all the details but it was a completely
different world with many natural scenic places within walking
distance - the beach, mountains, and streams. I completed only
the first grade in Japan. My life from the second grade onwards
has been in the Los Angeles area when I moved here with my parents
(which means I have over four decades of Southern California experience).
I say moved instead of immigrated because my mother was born in
Los Angeles - not too far away from the current civic center.
All of my formal education from the second grade on has been in
the Los Angeles/ Southern California area.
Southern California has always
been a melting pot of various cultures. Even back in the 1950s
and 1960s, we had various mingling of cultures, and we were all
minorities where I lived - even if you were a white person, because
no ethnic/cultural group had the majority. As a result, and also
because of my heritage, I hope I am tolerant of others' cultures
and beliefs.
Back in the Fifth Grade
Back in the fifth grade, I had
the big thrill of being picked in a lottery to attend a concert
at a junior college. The thrill was being able to ride the school
bus far beyond the end of the street car line. To me, the end
of the world at that time was where the street car line ended.
The location, as it turned out, was no more than five miles beyond
the street car end point. Riding the bus going east was like going
to a different world. The concert was terrific also - it was held
in a huge auditorium beyond anything I had ever attended up to
that point.
We lived in an urban region about
two to three miles east of downtown Los Angeles, until I was almost
out of college. We then moved east for another 7 to 10 miles to
more of a suburban home in East Los Angeles. I was kind of disappointed
when my parents decided to purchase the home there (we were renting
prior to that). The home was basically a two-bedroom, one-bath
house. I thought a better home could be purchased if they could
wait until I graduated college and started working. As it turned
out, my parents are still living there.
My Life Today
I now live in the city of Walnut,
an incorporated bedroom community about 25 to 30 miles east of
Los Angeles. When we first moved there in 1982, the city's population
was less than 10,000. Grazing cows and narrow roads were not uncommon.
Now the population is about 30,000 with more four-lane streets
and tract homes than I would care for. However, the city officials
here try to keep and maintain the rural atmosphere. There's an
equestrian center near our home that was once used as a setting
for the filming of National Velvet, with the teenage Elizabeth
Taylor as the star.
My Two Daughters
I'm married with two daughters.
The eldest, Sherry, is finishing her studies at the University
of California at Davis (near Sacramento). She must like music,
because she took piano lessons from about age three to about seventeen
and was in the school band from the fifth grade through high school.
The younger one is Starla. She is currently in her senior year
at Walnut High School. Her activities include the high school
student government and a third-year member of the school dance
team. Other than watching TV and sleeping, she likes to exchange
email/online chat with her friends and surf the Internet.
The whole family enjoys going
shopping at the mall. Thankfully it's not a weekly thing, but
once in a while when there's a need such as clothing or gifts,
we take a leisurely trip to the mall. We also enjoy overnight/weekend
excursions to nearby towns.
Likes/Dislikes About Career
The thing I like best about my
job could also be the thing I like least about my job, that is
the job is always changing. Trying to figure a faster, better
way to do a job results in an ever-changing way of performing
one's job.
My Future Plans and Goals
My future plan is to apply the
experience and knowledge gained on the Shuttle-Mir program and
participate in the International Space Station and perhaps participate
in the engineering efforts of various other spacecrafts that will
be visiting the ISS. To this end, we have been tasked to review
the International Space Station analyses and documents for impacts
to the Shuttle Orbiter. Another source to spur your thinking is
to look over the biographies from the Hubble
Space Telescope team.
Archived
Webcasts and Chats
