PI Daily, April 2020
By Lindy Elkins-Tanton Starting January 1, 2020…
a new series of daily mission activity Tweets from Psyche Principal Investigator (PI) Lindy Elkins-Tanton.
#PI_Daily
The goal? To share an inside look at the chores, challenges, tasks, assignments, duties, and more taken on by a NASA mission PI!
Follow along on @MissionToPsyche or below.
Struggling with how to run a mission and fulfill the wishes of the university that I be a professor and also direct the @II_ASU.
Working hard to be ready for CDR.
Lovely sunset signals I can put it all under a fermata til tomorrow. pic.twitter.com/rRk6Alao1J
— Lindy Elkins-Tanton (@ltelkins) May 1, 2020
Taking care of yrself, kids, aging relatives, neighbors, pets, is hard, while working. CDR in 13 days.
Today had ALL-TEAM Webex meeting w 138 ppl! Updates, encouragements, thx, children, pets. I feel better & hope others too.
One key team member here… pic.twitter.com/p9T8XWSugF
— Lindy Elkins-Tanton (@ltelkins) April 29, 2020
Last preparations of slides for Critical Design Review: due to board on Monday.
Tomorrow morning — all-team meeting! Can't wait!
— Lindy Elkins-Tanton (@ltelkins) April 29, 2020
Another "readiness-to-proceed" mtg. We are Ready for Critical Design Review. If we pass, we're clear to build more hardware, COVID allowing.
Also launch target & trajectory trade study! V exciting. An example (not ours) fm Alan Pitz on ResearchGate. pic.twitter.com/pwFmXNTeVc
— Lindy Elkins-Tanton (@ltelkins) April 27, 2020
CDR dry run…CDR dry run…CDR dry run…CDR dry run…teaching…CDR dry run…
Oh I wish I had a llama at one of these meetings! Space llama!https://t.co/09Sg7Pk1XQ
— Lindy Elkins-Tanton (@ltelkins) April 23, 2020
Today: Mainly @NASAPsyche Project Systems Engineering & Change Control Board mtgs (changes to temp, magnetometer power, launch req'ts) and Psyche Monthly Mgt Review.
Note to self: Building hardware without touching anything or being near any people is difficult.#PI_Daily pic.twitter.com/7TS9oeCvD0
— Lindy Elkins-Tanton (@ltelkins) April 22, 2020
It's Psyche Psuper Tuesday!
9 mtgs…3 are 1:1 with leadership. End of each Tuesday, I know the latest from every part of the mission.
COVID is making a hard row to hoe, but the team remains amazing. Pic from 2019, abt 1/6 of team.
Stay safe, everyone! pic.twitter.com/TVA7bafRcQ
— Lindy Elkins-Tanton (@ltelkins) April 21, 2020
Preparing for Critical Design Review, with all the unknowns caused by COVID. Luckily – amazingly – we are still OK on schedule & budget.
Good news today: build and test of science instruments making good progress under safe conditions.
Hart (2018) IEEE pic.twitter.com/yeunRelaSu
— Lindy Elkins-Tanton (@ltelkins) April 20, 2020
1:1 w student collaborations lead – always excited abt those programs!
Email abt social media plans.
Quick turnaround on NASA HQ answers for a press inquiry.
Scheduling 2 other interviews.
Results @Maxar SEP Chassis CDR: PASS!https://t.co/mGNr9zgaLY
— Lindy Elkins-Tanton (@ltelkins) April 16, 2020
Day 2 @NASAPsyche Solar Electric Propulsion Chassis Critical Design Review @Maxar.
SPT Thrusters:
For total mission, expect <1,300 latch valve cycles (qualified 17,000), < 1,300 pressure regulator cycles (qual 12,000). Good robust margin. This level of detail all day.#PI_Daily pic.twitter.com/LNXexKpaSF— Lindy Elkins-Tanton (@ltelkins) April 15, 2020
Day 1 of @NASAPsyche Solar Electric Propulsion Cassis Critical Design Review @Maxar. Btwn 80-110 virtual ppl all day.
Right now, covering design goals for component stiffness. Ex: Solar arrays first bending mode must be >so-and-so Hz.
Going well: reviewers engaged!#PI_Daily pic.twitter.com/u08QhhFfyQ
— Lindy Elkins-Tanton (@ltelkins) April 14, 2020
Scrubbing @NASAPsyche technical, sched, & risk list.
Will areas need more resources? Are parts coming in above/below budget?
All project areas; dozens of items.
Key project philosophy Q: Do we roll into budget now, or hold for more info? #PI_Daily
(https://t.co/9ZLppAIIUR) pic.twitter.com/3oT7uUHknk
— Lindy Elkins-Tanton (@ltelkins) April 13, 2020
How to keep 800+ @NASAPsyche team updated in this time of change & insecurity? (We're powering ahead! Tracking COVID impacts & working on key decision pts.)
Sol'n: wkly emails & bi-weekly all-team Webex coffee hrs, + team lead comms#PI_Daily
(credit: https://t.co/5mv9ZvYPNV) pic.twitter.com/lX4B1jCjTd
— Lindy Elkins-Tanton (@ltelkins) April 10, 2020
Working on how to do a graduate thesis defense entirely virtually (inc toasts of congratulations at the end!) [[@geologymaiden and sulfur in planetesimal cores!!]]
Working on which of the success criteria for @NASAPsyche CDR in May may be impossible in virtual world. pic.twitter.com/0QN2CXEulR
— Lindy Elkins-Tanton (@ltelkins) April 9, 2020
Q: What is *every* team doing today?
A: Trying to keep people safe, and assessing threat of COVID work stoppage to schedule, and attempting to plan ahead.…and @NASAPsyche JPL staff meeting, NASA HQ tag-up, Technical-Schedule-Cost mtg, JPL HQ tag-up. pic.twitter.com/Ry3r6g4XID
— Lindy Elkins-Tanton (@ltelkins) April 7, 2020
#PI_Daily, too!
— Lindy Elkins-Tanton (@ltelkins) April 6, 2020
#PI_Daily To be ready to interpret data once we're there, @NASAPsyche team used all current data & created broadest plausible interpretations for Psyche (lots of new data since proposal-writing!).
Thx @AGU_Eos for highlighting! Thx @peter_rubin for art!https://t.co/VL7Scp7XBP
— Lindy Elkins-Tanton (@ltelkins) April 6, 2020
The new normal within mission teams…6:00 AM in Phoenix, on an instrument review being held virtually, 53 people online. Reviewers on point, questions flowing already. #PI_Daily
(not today's Moon, just emotionally evocative) pic.twitter.com/FzzMEUauq7
— Lindy Elkins-Tanton (@ltelkins) April 2, 2020
A mysterious mission leadership activity is hours spent in silence, listening to meetings.
Key to being an effective PI is knowing what is happening throughout mission team. Requires listening, little speaking.
All day @NASAPsyche @SpaceX kickoff for launch prep. #PI_Daily pic.twitter.com/jT9ND4PtZO
— Lindy Elkins-Tanton (@ltelkins) April 1, 2020