It's Done

More than a year's worth of work is just about complete. Yesterday was my last shift of my second lead flight (STS130/20A). It was a bittersweet moment. Mated missions are a physical and mental drain. So, we were all looking forward to the end of our support. The end of this mission also means that was the end of my front room support for the shuttle program. So, while I was ready for this mission to end, I wasn't ready for it to be over.
Being a lead for a mated mission is probably the most rewarding thing that a flight controller will ever do in their flight controller career. It's amazing to spend a year or more planning, working the intricate details that many will never see, replanning, going to endless numbers of meetings, replanning, participating in simulations, and then finally watching it all unfold as you planned, er, replanned it. The smiles always seem to be more frequent at the end of it all, especially when things go smoothly.
Although, things won't go smoothly without a great team to support you. I had the pleasure to work with a superb team. They did an incredible job to keep the mission going. I know there were times when there wasn't much to do or they were tired of planning, but they kept on going. Awesome! So, many thanks to Moose, Nik, Melissa W.,Erin R., Cory, Melissa G., Kevin, Greg, and all folks in the GNC MER, especially Ford. And thanks to Ed and Chris for getting us ready for the tasks at hand.
I won't call this a successful mission until Endeavour and her crew are at "wheel stop". I have several pictures that i will share with you, but i forgot to get them before i left console. I'll post them early next week. I also have something to share with you that was a surprise to me on our last shift.
Stay tuned...