it's ready to fly when it leaves
our plane it's ready to fly there's no
second guessing it's it's ready that's
my number one priority
safety
if i can't do it safely
i don't do it if we don't do our jobs
and produce good flight hardware we know
it will happen it's more than a job it's
lies around at stake here i'm proud of
the quality that i can put out
and you keep trying consistently of
putting out something better we're
obligated we have a contract with our
crew to make this as safe as we can
give them reliable hardware the highest
quality that we can provide we
do our job the best we can out here
and
i put my life on the shuttle
the shuttle team has a tremendous
responsibility
total excellence in our manned space
program
this means that each of us is party to
an unwritten contract with the flight
crew
human lives are at stake in everything
we do
and the legacy of continued discovery
and accomplishment for every generation
to follow is determined by how well we
perform today
our obligation and duty is clear every
spacecraft that leaves the earth
must be the very best
that human minds and hands can build
safety and quality
quality and safety 100
100
100 110
the safety the quality the dedication of
the people safety or reliability it's
the mainstay it's in there flight crew
depends upon us there's no stone
unturned strap me in right next to him
before i climbed on board the orbiter
columbia for the sts-1 flight back in
1981
i was very much aware of the skill and
effort it took by thousands of men and
women
to assure the quality of the hardware
and software john young and i were going
to fly
we've gone for main engine start we have
now as director of the space shuttle i
have an even greater sense of the need
for every person associated with our
program
to maintain total quality and their work
down to the smallest bolt or wire
the astronauts who fly the world's most
complex machines
know that they must do their job right
the first time
and every product you work on and
provide to the astronaut crew
has an effect on their ability to
perform critical mission tasks
you don't get a second chance in space
well it just said put myself in a
position if i have to be the one that's
going to have all of this thrust behind
me i would want to have the thing done
right
because uh one chance is all you have
safety is always a stress so that
everyone understands it that their lives
and other lives depend on our safety and
the importance of making sure that we do
our job right the first time and safely
but carry a good load on our shoulders
you got to make sure that
the quality assurance that's involved in
this type of work
is
correct and safe because when it once
they launch that
bird off if something's wrong there's no
turning back
everybody's attitude is to
make sure it's done right i'm
and
i want to really express that because
everybody that i work with out here
likes their job i like my job i like
doing what i do most people like doing
what they're doing up there and want
them to build a a good product and
and i think we are now it's checked
double checked triple checked before it
leaves here you know we work together
and
make sure the job's done right the first
time
throughout the history of the space
program the pursuit of quality has
taught us that as good as we are today
we must be better tomorrow
not by a little but by a lot
perhaps the greatest lesson we have
learned is that the quality process
is continuous
screw the next step let's do it better
continuous improvement continue continue
to continue
that's something we have to just keep
preaching to ourselves over and over
we ask questions we won't we won't just
take it as it is we look at it we
people come in and if they're not sure
they'll ask questions before we may let
it go now there's even at the slightest
thing they'll come up and ask a question
about a piece of hardware maybe not
perfect or
and that's what's really making the
system a lot better that's really how
we're building better hardwares because
more people are involved more people are
looking at it and more people
are sure that it's a good piece of
hardware
america has long been the leader in
technological achievement and nowhere is
that technical leadership more visibly
displayed than here in the national air
and space museum
but no matter how well a spacecraft is
made
safety margins and manned space flight
will always be small
our challenge is to drive those risks to
as low a level as possible
the very least thing that uh may come up
is a potential is looked at thoroughly
and whatever ends we have to go to as a
overall program not just us in our
contract but
whoever's involved they go to that
length to assure that
there is safety on that vehicle
this is a very unforgiving engine there
are very few components that are not
critical
and it has worked well in the past and
we'd like to keep it that way
any time there's work done on the engine
there's a government
inspector here the extra set of eyes are
just ensure that everything's done right
tolerance for arrow is
almost zero here and that's why we have
so much quality
it's just
something that
where every detail has to be looked into
there's just no compromises
you're at risk these people that ride
this vehicle are at risk
it's just 100 percent all the way
if there was a failure in the safety
chain
we could have an aborted mission or the
possibility of loss of life and loss of
vehicle
the chain is broken if i don't do my job
in many ways
leadership is the key to safety and
reliability
the management team assembled within
nasa and industry is one of the finest
anywhere
but only a strong and open relationship
between employees and management will
assure total quality
management does not have all of the
answers
many of you have ideas about how your
job can be done more effectively
and the people closest to the problems
often have the best solutions
our management team depends on you and
your knowledge of the job you do
to define areas that may prevent you
from delivering the finest product
possible
we pretty much pretty much work as a
team
if i run across something i feel like
quality should know and it's not in my
documentation to fix
i'll get a hold of quality in the
quality department and let them make the
decision on or the engineering
department
we have a weekly safety meeting among
the crews and during that time we talk
about safety any problems any questions
concerns anything are brought up and
they're addressed and looked into
management has safety flow down
bulletins just every aspect of safety if
there is a problem somewhere and it's
brought up then management will send out
a bulletin the whole plant can see what
the safety problem was and that way
maybe that same safety problem can be
avoided to happen the next time around
one of the most personally satisfying
assignments i had as an active member of
the astronaut corps was to meet and
express my appreciation to the workers
after a flight
whether you torque the bolt that
attaches the orbiter to the external
tank
or perform the engineering analysis that
designed that boat
or process the purchase order to buy it
or even type the specification sheet
that documents its requirements
your part in this program
is important
and you have a critical contribution to
make
we have several ways to recognize
exceptional support to the program
including the astronauts silver snoopy
award
and the manned flight awareness launch
honoree program
i think it's the greatest program that
we've got going i think it's
it's one of the biggest honors they can
get possibly give you it makes you feel
makes you feel so proud of the job that
you do it also makes you stop and think
well did i deserve this was there not
someone more deserving but you everybody
has does such a great job i felt
that after 12 years of working on the
hardware that
somebody noticed the job that i was
doing
it's a constant reminder that every
review and so forth is safety and
quality safety and quality everything we
do is tailored around that
i wish we could have each and every
person see a launch diner just to feel
that thrill just to see it you know and
be a part of it you know boy if they
don't bring tears to your eyes and
goosebumps every time i see it i'll tell
you here on the back of my neck it just
raises up i get the willies i'm breaking
out in goosebumps now just thinking
about it i think it'll be just
like i say one of the highlights of my
life and something that would
will give me a memory forever
the space shuttle is our nation's future
in space
allowing us to explore the possibilities
beyond the boundaries we have known
before
space station freedom
flights to the lunar surface mars and
beyond
all this depends ultimately on you
the challenge ahead is for each and
every one of you to do your job as if
you were going to don the suit
strap on the harness
and slip on the helmet and i don't think
the uh an astronaut that would come out
to our facility and and question anyone
that works in this plant
would ever walk away with a doubt in
their mind that they're not getting the
best product they possibly could
any time that you got the the pride of
the nation and the eyes of the world
riding on the craft with you
but it has to give those astronauts and
other people a certain confidence that
everybody's behind them and everybody's
doing the best job they can
the best way i can put it i think is
that
when you strap in and you're launched
you're not alone
every one of us is right there beside
you and we wouldn't hesitate for one
moment if you got out and we got in and
went in your place
teamwork and dedication more than just
words
they are the essential foundation on
which we have built a safe reliable and
quality space transportation system
your efforts are a tribute to the human
spirit
and your skill
determination and ingenuity has made
america the leader in space exploration
the job that i have
right here
to me is is a part of history and i want
to be a part of of the good history that
happens in this area
with the shuttle program
when my grandkids grow up
i can say yes i was a part of that and
yes and i can be proud of it
there's a big generation gap within the
agency there's us old codgers that are
about ready to to hang it up and we've
got a lot a lot of young people who are
just starting it's up to us to
pass on our legacy our knowledge to
these young people so the circle remains
unbroken
and these these people
have the same dedication to putting out
a good test and a quality product that
we do
ever since i was a kid
i've had models of of the space program
in their various vehicles and
i had a lunch box that had a mercury
capsule on and i think that's probably
what started this whole thing and i'm
proud to be part of this program now
i'm finally here
the shuttle program is in very good
hands
on behalf of the astronaut corps and
management i ask you to rededicate
yourself to excellence
in everything we do
together
we will continue to make history
foreign
you