#tbt: Two more weeks of Cassini, and a momentous occasion

[nanila]

(I meant to post this yesterday but ran out of oomph. Er, maybe it's still Thursday somewhere?)


I realise this is not the most exciting photo in the world, but my Fun Space History Fact of the Day for Throwback Thursday is that the Cassini spacecraft distributed operations computers OS of choice is...Solaris. Note the countdown clock in the upper right corner of the screen. Only two weeks left.

Side note: I love those weird eye-bendy default backgrounds in Solaris. They remind me that my first experience learning to use *nix properly was on the Sun Sparc 5 workstations in the Von Karman library basement at the University of Southern California.


Yesterday, we celebrated the retirement of one of my lab colleagues (second from right). He spent 52 years working as a technician in our lab. Power supplies he built for dozens of space missions are scattered throughout the solar system. He is a (largely) unsung hero of space history, Hauksbee Award notwithstanding. Trevor Beek, I salute you. I hope you enjoy many years in contemplation of a job well done.

Comments

[magister]

Good film, Solaris. (The Russian one. I've not seen the Soderburgh/Clooney version)

Not strictly relevant, I realise.

And kudos to Trevor. Having things you've built leave this world. That's something to be proud of.

[nanila]

I've only seen the Soderburgh/Clooney version, on a transatlantic flight. It was not particularly memorable, apparently. :P

There are still Trevor power supplies to be launched into the solar system. Solar Orbiter will be the next, I think. :) We have often joked that if the aliens ever find one of our spacecraft and decide to clone a human from the DNA they find on it, they're very likely to end up with a Trevor.

[magister]

I only saw the Russian one about a week ago. I finished it at 3.20 am so the finer points may have escaped me.

[cmcmck]

He looks like a retired member of the flight crew of the 'Enterprise'- engineering dept, I suspect :o)

[nanila]

Ha! Yes. (He also has a classic Cockney accent.)

[mysterysquid]

Solaris - old school!

Wow, what a legacy. :D

[nanila]

Yep! I actually still really love it. Those old *nix platforms just worked.

Trevor is a legend. :)

[hano]

"Power supplies he built for dozens of space missions are scattered throughout the solar system."
Wow, how cool is that? Hell of a legacy isn't it?

[nanila]

Trevor is quite possibly one of the coolest people on Earth. He's so relaxed about what he's done with his life.

[hilarita]

I can't stand the Solaris-style backgrounds. My eyes try looking for patterns, and then I get a headache.
And *applause* for your colleague, for doing a very useful job.

[nanila]

I can see how they could be headache-inducing, for sure.
I'm missing colleague. I keep looking for him in the lab. :(

[kotturinn]

That's some legacy. Go, Trevor!
There ought to be more awards like the Hauksbee, going to technical and administrative staff who are so often unsung heroes.

[nanila]

It is!

I hope they'll award some Hauksbees again. There are surely more people who deserve such recognition.

[silveradept]

What a legacy. Congratulations to the retiring, and here's hoping for a successful mission wind down. We'll done, Solaris.

[nanila]

He's a legend.

One more week and then no more ops checks until JUICE launch.