Notice...

My last day was August 26, 2011. I had gotten my lay off notice about 2 weeks before the final Space Shuttle launch. I wasn't surprised about getting my notice since United Space Alliance was in the middle of major layoffs so I knew it was coming. The STS-135 payload had came out that night so there wasn't much for me to do. I had gotten a notice around 5am to meet for a meeting at 7:25am. Since I was out at the Pad (Pad 39A), I was able to leave a little bit early since it takes about 5 minutes to drive from the Pad to our offices. I took the elevator up and met with my manager. She went through the whole routine of thanking me for what I have done. I thanked her for giving me the opportunity to be apart of a dream I have had ever since I was a little kid and I left the offices with a smile on my face. I felt relieved when I got my notice, for months I was going back and forth whether I was going to get one or not. Also, with the stress of launching and the hectic launch schedule to get the final 3 launches off by July was wearing on me. I probably had a total of 12 days off in 3 months. The wait had been over and I knew my fate. I didn't dwell on the situation because there were launch preparations still going on and my main focus was to do everything I can to help with the final launch of Atlantis. I made the 15 minute morning drive home, walked my dog and ate breakfast. I laid in bed and thought "It's going to be over in a few months".

Preface...

I have been debating on actually writing a blog and sharing my personal stories from working with the Space Shuttle from 2008-2011. I've gone back and forth because I'm not sure if anyone will actually read this or if anyone really cares. This is something that I am very passionate about and feel the need to share my experiences. I'll only post when I feel inspired to write. I will try and update this on a weekly basis, but I will include some pictures that I have taken and share some personal stories. The three years I worked at Kennedy Space Center were a dream come true and like anything in life there were some good days and some bad days, but if I had the chance to do it all over again I would not hesitate. Thank you for taking the time to read this and hopefully this might inspire others to be as passionate about spaceflight as I am.