An Astronaut's Guide to Life on Earth
Chapter 4: Sweat the Small Stuff
Chapter Summary
- Chris finished military college in 1982.
He then went to Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan to fly jets.
He worried about flying poorly.
If he did not fly well, it would look bad on his record.
The other trainees would not treat him with respect.
He needed to become a good fighter pilot.
Being a fighter pilot was the first step to becoming an astronaut.
- One time Chris flew poorly.
The instructor did not make Chris do a “re-ride”.
This kind act may have saved Chris's future astronaut career.
When Chris looks back on his bad flight, he feels very lucky that
his instructor did not fail him.
- Chris decided to study in the plane that he would be tested in.
He practiced the flight and visualized his route before his test.
The prairies are hard to visualize!
Much of the land in the prairies looks similar.
- Chris explored the land by foot to become familiar with it.
He also used a map to become familiar with the land.
This helped him recognize landmarks when he was up in the air.
It was a good study way to explore the land below.
- When Chris had done poorly on his flight test he took a deep look at himself.
He wondered where his problem lay.
He decided that he needed to “sweat the small stuff”.
If he wanted to be an astronaut he would have to be meticulous.
He had to be very concerned about every little detail.
An astronaut who is not meticulous is a dead astronaut.
- When Chris is performing simulations at NASA, everyone is looking for mistakes.
Every mistake is talked about.
There is a lot of constructive criticism.
You cannot be overly sensitive.
- One time an instructor told a room full of people to be wary of Chris' instructions.
Chris was hurt by this remark but then he recovered.
He realized that the instructor was right.
Chris changed his attitude when working with others.
Chris became a better communicator and instructor.
He asked everyone to question him.
- This interactive teaching style was good.
Chris and his students learned a lot more from each other.
They also would ultimately be a more successful team.
- At NASA, everyone is expected to react positively to criticism.
People are encouraged to bring up their own shortcomings.
This makes life safer when you have a dangerous job.
Sharing your problems means better knowledge for everyone.
***
- After a Space Flight, NASA does a long debrief.
They debrief all day, every day for a month or more.
Every aspect is gone through one by one.
Everything is picked apart.
They discuss the food.
They discuss the astronauts themselves.
They want to discover what can be made better for next time.
The errors of the astronauts are magnified and advertised.
- People learn from each others’ mistakes.
These mistakes are what make up the “Flight Rules”.
Flight rules are the manuals that show what to do step by step if something goes wrong.
- On one space flight, the Canadarm nearly hit a docked shuttle.
This disaster nearly occurred because of bad communication.
New flight rules now exist for when robotic operations are in effect.
- The rules include how to communicate with astronauts from Earth.
They call it the “All Stop” protocol.
If “All Stop” is said three times in a row, it means that the astronauts should cease operations.
- Even making simple decisions is hard to do in space.
Flight rules make deciding easier because the astronauts must
do what the rule says.
Sometimes they have to do things they don’t want to do.
One time a space shuttle had to come back to Earth.
The space shuttle had only just arrived in space.
A fuel cell was suspected of being defective.
Coming back to Earth so soon was very disappointing for the crew.
- Sometimes launches are delayed.
It is always to make sure that the people and equipment are safe.
The crew learns a lot of patience.
- Astronauts know how easy it is to make a mistake.
Their goals are big.
The stakes are high.
The astronauts have to take note of all the little things.
This keeps everyone safe.
* * *
- Chris took his first space walk in 2001.
He would be the lead spacewalker.
Chris was very excited and could hardly sleep.
He woke up that morning to the song “North West Passage” by Stan Rogers.
- Everything was planned to the last detail.
Breakfast was eaten.
Bathroom break done.
Spacesuit on.
Outside in space, the spacesuit gets really hot!
There is a personal cooling system in the spacesuits.
When Chris finally got outside, he floated for a moment
out in the open space.
He was dazzled by the universe.
The colour and sensation was nearly indescribable.
The whole experience was like a dream.
The sight takes took his breath away.
- On his spacewalk, Chris started to have eye troubles.
At one point, he lost sight completely.
He had some anti-fog solution from his helmet in his eye.
It was from when he had been polishing his visor.
It was like there was dish soap in his eye!
He was out in space doing a job and he was completely blinded.
This was a big lesson for other astronauts.
When similar things happened to others, they knew what to do.
Chris cleaned his visor even more meticulously the next time.
It is definitely important for an astronaut to 'sweat the small stuff!'
An Astronaut's Guide to Life on Earth
Chapter 4: Sweat the Small Stuff
Questions
- What does “Sweat the small stuff” mean?
- In this chapter, what did Chris do when he made mistakes?
- Chris went blind in space. What did Chris learn from this experience?
- In this chapter, Chris wakes up to the song “Northwest Passage.” What songs inspire you?