[time-nuts] Opera coordinator has resigned

[Jim Lux]

On 3/31/12 8:10 AM, J. Forster wrote:
>> On Fri, 30 Mar 2012 10:42:55 -0700 (PDT)
>> "J. Forster"<jfor at quikus.com>  wrote:
>>
>>> When doing a complex experiment, you have to be an absolute SOB about
>>> everything. "You cannot inspect in quality".
>>
>> Uhm.. Have you ever visited a site of modern nuclear high energy physics?
>
> Yes.
>
>> Have you ever seen what kind of constructions they have to just being
>> able to measure something? I guess not, otherwise you wouldn't talk like
>> this.
>> I guess, Fermilab has also tours like CERN does, go and visit them.
>> Have a look on how complex the aparatus is. Then think again whether
>> it's possible to catch all and every error that might occur.
>
> I've been in responsible charge of a couple of spacecraft payloads. You
> have to instill in everybody to double check everything they do or the
> thing will likely fail. They have to understand that in all likelihood no
> human will ever revisit what they are doing at every step.
>

And we do things like stake connectors with epoxy, just in case.  Serves 
two purposes:
1) a second independent look at the connector (after the first guy went 
through and tightened it with the torque wrench with the QA guy watching)
2) if, for some reason, there was a problem with #1 (maybe the torque 
wrench had an issue, or the QA guy sneezed and looked away, or...), at 
least the connector won't back off with vibration.