I am honored to be included in the ISAS News. Working with SFU personnel has been the most rewarding aspect of my years at NASA/Johnson Space Center. I would like to share with you some of my fondest memories of the SFU mission.
I was just selected to work the SFU mission when Jeff Larson, the SFU project engineer at JSC Payload Operations, was temporally reassigned to another area at JSC.
I was excited to work on such a critical mission with so many challenges. At the same time I was selected to work SFU, Bill Jordan also was selected to replace Dave DeAtkine, who had been promoted, as Payload Integration Manager. I did not know how much fun Bill and I would share together on this project!!
I remember meeting all of the ISAS team members and enjoying the time spent with them during the POWG meetings......I remember how impressed I was with the technical skills of the ISAS, MELCO (Mitsu-bishi Elec.), etc. team members, even though they had never before had a primary payload on a Shuttle mission......I remember singing "The Eyes of Texas" and toasting Texas Independence Day during several POWGs......I remember wild parties at Bill's house, playing Pachinko and eating too much......I remember the SFU CDR #2, my first trip to Japan, and how impressed I was with the SFU design......(I try not to remember the SFU safety reviews!)........I remember how sad I was during the year that we could not work on SFU projects due to diplomatic problems........I remember the SFU hardware inspection tour, traveling with Brian Duffy, Koichi Wakata, Wendy Johnson and the other JSC and KSC (Kennedy Space Center) folks with whom I would have not become friends except for the SFU project.......I remember how much my mother enjoyed visiting with Professor Kuriki during the social events........ I also cherish the friendships I made with Professor Ninomiya, Professor Yamada, Professor Sasaki, and all of the other ISAS team members, the MELCO and McDonnell Douglas folks, Bryan Austin (an excellent flight director), the Flight Activities team, the training folks, Harold Battaglia and his safety team, the STS-72 crew members, and most important, all of the wonderful SFU team in Japan that I had the privilege to work with. They are dedicated, professional group!
図37. 栄誉あるシャトル-72号機プラク掲額を行う Susan Beisert 主任，
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But one of the most memorable moments of the actual flight to me was also the most challenging. The SFU payload was in clear view of the crew, the SAPs were retracting nominally, and all was going well. I mentioned to Bryan Austin that I could not believe everything was going smoothly. And then the SAPs didn't latch. That set into motion one of the shining moments in NASA's- and I'm sure ISAS'- history. The team of Japanese and American personnel that had worked so well together prior to flight now worked together for a common goal during the flight: the safe retrieval of SFU. The SFU team performed its troubleshooting as planned, in a thorough and methodical method. The 72 crew did their job in an exemplary fashion, too. It was easy to coordinate the efforts of the ground and the crew, working with Bryan in the MCC, Brian onboard the Shuttle, Professor Yamada in the SOC, and Professor Kuriki in the CSR, because everyone was poised and prepared. At one point during this tense time, I stopped a moment to ponder what was going on. I felt a rush of adrenaline, knowing that I was part of something truly special, that I will probably never again experience. It was a tough time, but it was the brief, shining moment that epitomized the SFU project: teamwork. I was so proud of everyone, proud to be a part of history in such a positive way!
( Susan Beisert, Lead Payload Officer, NASA JSC )
