Day 151/365: Actual JUICE mission hardware!

[nanila]

Picture of a metal box with frames for PCBs (printed circuit boards).

I realise this may not be the most thrilling photo ever, but I'm not ashamed to say that I almost cried when I saw this metal box. This box represents 18 months' worth of work on my part (and others', but a lot of it was on me to coordinate) to get A Certain Space Agency to approve our soldering qualification plan for our flight electronics for the JUICE mission. The existence of this box means that we have been allowed to manufacture actual physical hardware rather than just endlessly iterating on bits of paperwork describing the hardware. It's not just spreadsheets and Word documents any more! There is a METAL BOX, and we will Put Things Into It, and heat them up and freeze them repeatedly, and shake the box around violently to ensure that bits don't fall off of it.

I may shed tears when the PCBs arrive and we can put them into the frames.

METAL BOOOOOX \m/

Comments

[hilarita]

Hooray for stuff that *actually exists* and *isn't just a document*! I totally get the desire to see something real! BOX!

[nanila]

BOOOOOX. I am going to pay another visit to the box today and do an inspection. <3

[redsixwing]

The! Box! \o/

Goooo space computer go!

[nanila]

Box is a good box. Very beautiful. Very functional. \o/

[nightdog_barks]

... so I Googled this project, and OMG NANILA BOOOOOXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX!!! omg omg omg

[nanila]

It is a rather good, and important, box. :D

[azurelunatic]

O.O
;___;

BOX!!!

[nanila]

Lovely, lovely box. :D

[ayebydan]

YAY BOX!

[nanila]

YES, BOX. BOX IS GOOD.

[castiron]

Yay metal box!

[nanila]

So pleased about metal box. Still struggling with PCB procurement, but nearly there...

[quoththeravyn]

Bending metal is a major milestone! Congrats to you and your whole team!

[nanila]

Thank you! We have bent a fair bit of metal already (for the Engineering Model), but this bit of metal has a very specific purpose. :)

[emelbe]

BOOOOOOOOOXXXXXXXXXX.

I am so excited for you!!

[nanila]

Thank you! Box is awesome. So pleased about the box.

[jtthomas]

...You made a JUICE box! (Please tell me you've used the pun already.) I am super happy to see the first JUICE box and I love it!

[nanila]

....I HAD NOT USED THE PUN. O.O

I will use the pun henceforth. Thanks!

[wohali]

That is a beautiful enclosure. I've had similar enclosures prototyped before at work, and I can see that this one was done the same - milled out from a huge solid block. It's outrageously expensive, and they're really impressive things to see and touch.

How exciting!

[nanila]

The way everything fits together is just so perfect. :)

[st_aurafina]

YAY BOX YAY!!!

[nanila]

BEST BOX IS BEST. :)

[silveradept]

Hooray for passing from the virtual to the real.

[nanila]

Yes! It's so satisfying.

[lorigami]

congratulations!

[nanila]

Thank you!