PI Daily, January 2021
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.
Friends, once @MissionToPsyche is on its way, we will hold a contest to predict what Psyche will look like. Possibly any medium is allowed (drawing, Legos, baking…) and there will be many categories of winners.
QUESTION FOR YOU: What should the contest be named?#PI_Daily https://t.co/PluUAe0oy3
— Lindy Elkins-Tanton (@ltelkins) January 29, 2021
Day 2 @MissionToPsyche Launch Vehicle Preliminary Design Review, w @SpaceX.
Ex of complexity: We need to know how much particulate matter will coat the s/c, from all sources, while in fairing & going to pad & launching. Requirement: less than 0.5% surface obscuration.#PI_Daily pic.twitter.com/Mr8rAsS1si
— Lindy Elkins-Tanton (@ltelkins) January 28, 2021
This really is our (unofficial) @MissionToPsyche team motto:
The best news is bad news brought early.
Kind of sums up #PI_Daily. https://t.co/3RuCK7VXYA
— Lindy Elkins-Tanton (@ltelkins) January 28, 2021
Ten…nine…eight minutes to start of the @MissionToPsyche Key Decision Point D (KDP-D) mtg w @NASA headquarters.
We hope to get approval for our plans for Phase D, including Assembly, Test, & Launch Ops, everything here to launch in Aug 2022.
Send us good vibes!#PI_Daily
— Lindy Elkins-Tanton (@ltelkins) January 26, 2021
Meant to say, #PI_Daily!
— Lindy Elkins-Tanton (@ltelkins) January 25, 2021
Our first mission smartphone app! From a @MissionToPsyche capstone team!
We encourage interdisciplinary capstone projects – this yr 50+ teams @ 10 universities. Many engineers have never worked with a graphic designer, nor designers w/ a PM.#PI_Dailyhttps://t.co/CtPKXVKtih
— Lindy Elkins-Tanton (@ltelkins) January 22, 2021
Surreal day.
Beautiful Inauguration.
ALL DAY, @MissionToPsyche monthly mgt review, looking at all the challenges COVID is dealing us.
AND a thrilling early morning convo beginning plans for events @ launch in 19 mths. We'd like EVERYONE to be able to connect!#PI_Daily pic.twitter.com/ZOH1dlgkWk
— Lindy Elkins-Tanton (@ltelkins) January 20, 2021
FYI the newsletter of Cryogenic Society of America is *Cold Facts*#PI_Daily: A trade study abt cryocoolers. Top experts weighing in. Gotta keep that @MissionToPsyche gamma ray & neutron spectrometer cold, ex. when it gets hot to re-anneal the crystal.https://t.co/Geb95JZgwi
— Lindy Elkins-Tanton (@ltelkins) January 19, 2021
#PI_Daily @MissionToPsyche Saturday edition:
Catching up on Engineering Change Requests I missed in our Thurs mtg bc I was in another space-related mtg.
APPROVE the RAM data storage functionality, DSOC, mag cleanliness requirements updates, ABSTAIN on timekeeping changes. pic.twitter.com/MlmNKRTHpJ
— Lindy Elkins-Tanton (@ltelkins) January 16, 2021
Talked about @MissionToPsyche, teams, the many kinds of space-related jobs, and more, with a couple of classes of 4th- and 5th-graders recently (virtually). So fun! A million eager questions! And not just that, also inspiring drawings of our @Spacex Falcon Heavy! #PI_Daily pic.twitter.com/pwM6nclx3n
— Lindy Elkins-Tanton (@ltelkins) January 15, 2021
True that what PIs do is org mgt, negotiation, strategy, HR.
Prepping slides for @MissionToPsyche's KDP-D (see yesterday's #PI_Daily).
We've had no changes in science for the mission. Apparently this is rare – usually science plans move & change – which makes engineering hard. pic.twitter.com/qg7QrAg2Ra
— Lindy Elkins-Tanton (@ltelkins) January 14, 2021
Right now: In the last key @MissionToPsyche mtg before the key NASA HQ decisional meeting…this one is the @NASAJPL center mgt commitment mtg, where we agree on all the risks, budget, & schedule going forward.
Next stop, NASA HQ. Then, 🤞🤞🤞, on to launch! 🚀#PI_Daily pic.twitter.com/bPlA6izA1n
— Lindy Elkins-Tanton (@ltelkins) January 13, 2021
6 hrs of key @MissionToPsyche leadership and staff and technical-schedule-risk meetings today.
COVID is making it hard. We’re fighting back.
Having a purpose and a team is everything. (Right, @Dr_ThomasZ?) Feeling blessed to be fighting. #PI_Daily
And, a rock squirrel. pic.twitter.com/Wb4uqAEeoQ
— Lindy Elkins-Tanton (@ltelkins) January 12, 2021
Gantt chart tyranny: Sometimes critical path won't collapse. Part A must be built & tested before Part B can be integrated. Wanting more schedule slack, but doing OK, despite COVID.
Beauty: @MissionToPsyche Gamma-Ray Spectrometer flight unit lid & engineering unit. pic.twitter.com/Isu8Jrb7cD
— Lindy Elkins-Tanton (@ltelkins) January 11, 2021
Weekly launch vehicle management meeting today w @MissionToPsyche, @NASAKennedy, Janus, and @SpaceX ppl there. Getting ready for launch Preliminary Design Review! (Shocker: There's more to launching than just trapping the s/c to a rocket, even if it is a Falcon Heavy.) #PI_Daily pic.twitter.com/LoFScksKcS
— Lindy Elkins-Tanton (@ltelkins) January 7, 2021
In the middle of nonstop intense meetings and work on building @MissionToPsyche spacecraft (WOOP WOOP we are 55 days to ATLO!) it's good to remember how little we know about the behavior of natural metals in space. Might small craters on Psyche's surface look LIKE THIS? #PI_Daily pic.twitter.com/8RE4hLNSMN
— Lindy Elkins-Tanton (@ltelkins) January 6, 2021
Today:
– Reviewing science abstracts about metallic asteroids and meteorites for the @LPSC21 conference
– Next actions to avoid hardware delays in prep for assembly of @MissionToPsyche spacecraft#PI_DailyAND…see Psyche w small telescope in Jan! https://t.co/fNcem7eyGS pic.twitter.com/Mu47PDsh2m
— Lindy Elkins-Tanton (@ltelkins) January 5, 2021
BAM holiday break is OVER
Feel that way to some of you?@MissionToPsyche had slowdown in meetings, not in work. The hardware has to be built, stat! #PI_DailyPress inquiry today:
Q: Why go instead of look from here?
A: Psyche is a couple of pixels in Hubble. Got to go to learn. pic.twitter.com/8U1rj9DABs— Lindy Elkins-Tanton (@ltelkins) January 4, 2021
Contrary to some popular opinion, creativity is a requirement for good science. Love this reframing!#PI_Daily https://t.co/hLrA73XudG
— Lindy Elkins-Tanton (@ltelkins) January 1, 2021