4 ms·

They let interns program the docking to the ISS? Or is this supposed to be a joke?

by kleiba 15y ago

1point2 15y ago
If he does not get back to you - check out 'amirmansour' profile->comments - the answer seems to be yes.
maaku 15y ago
Why wouldn't they? Seriously. When you get down to the nuts and bolts of it, it's really rather boring, uninteresting, low-level stuff. At the same time, it's major cool points on their resume that kids in their senior year of college crave. Why shouldn't an intern do that?
- CWuestefeld 15y ago
  About 25 years ago I had a co-op job with a defense contractor, working on a radar system for military aircraft. Part of the obstacle to having interns or people like me do "real" work is the security bureaucracy. It's just not worth the expense of going through the security checks for somebody who won't be working there very long. I remember working on a simulation of one aspect of the system. I wasn't allowed to know the real operational parameters of the system, which makes testing difficult. So when testing my code I could only guess, plugging in numbers that seemed reasonable to me. Then I'd give my code to my team lead, saying "I think it works now. Want to try it?".
  - amirmansour 15y ago
    One thing about SpaceX is that there is no bureaucracy. If Elon Musk wasn't busy talking to someone, I could have just walked into his office and chatted with him.
  - maaku 15y ago
    Nothing in either the SpaceX or ISS projects is classified. Export-controlled, yes, but nothing that requires a security clearance.
alexchamberlain 15y ago
With proper testing, why not?
afterburner 15y ago
A surprising amount of essential technical work in the space industry is done by the most junior employees. They're eager, smart, and not constantly trying to cover their ass/lay blame/take credit/file endless paperwork/attend useless meetings/maneuver office politics. That said, of course there are even more important key senior staff that the whole enterprise rests on...
waterlesscloud 15y ago
I had a friend in college who did programming for the "black box" on a military aircraft as an intern. That wasn't as cool as my other friend who programmed the school's online class signup system...
amirmansour 15y ago
Interns at SpaceX have a REAL impact since the day they walk in. I've have never come across a project where someone said "that's not an intern task." Also don't forget that all parts of the system all heavily tested at SpaceX (this is the aerospace industry). It's all tested and developed alongside individuals with experience and talent.

They let interns program the docking to the ISS? Or is this supposed to be a joke?

by kleiba 15y ago

They let interns program the docking to the ISS? Or is this supposed to be a joke?

1point2 15y ago

If he does not get back to you - check out 'amirmansour' profile->comments - the answer seems to be yes.

maaku 15y ago

Why wouldn't they? Seriously. When you get down to the nuts and bolts of it, it's really rather boring, uninteresting, low-level stuff. At the same time, it's major cool points on their resume that kids in their senior year of college crave. Why shouldn't an intern do that?

CWuestefeld 15y ago
About 25 years ago I had a co-op job with a defense contractor, working on a radar system for military aircraft. Part of the obstacle to having interns or people like me do "real" work is the security bureaucracy. It's just not worth the expense of going through the security checks for somebody who won't be working there very long. I remember working on a simulation of one aspect of the system. I wasn't allowed to know the real operational parameters of the system, which makes testing difficult. So when testing my code I could only guess, plugging in numbers that seemed reasonable to me. Then I'd give my code to my team lead, saying "I think it works now. Want to try it?".
- amirmansour 15y ago
  One thing about SpaceX is that there is no bureaucracy. If Elon Musk wasn't busy talking to someone, I could have just walked into his office and chatted with him.
- maaku 15y ago
  Nothing in either the SpaceX or ISS projects is classified. Export-controlled, yes, but nothing that requires a security clearance.

alexchamberlain 15y ago

With proper testing, why not?

afterburner 15y ago

A surprising amount of essential technical work in the space industry is done by the most junior employees. They're eager, smart, and not constantly trying to cover their ass/lay blame/take credit/file endless paperwork/attend useless meetings/maneuver office politics. That said, of course there are even more important key senior staff that the whole enterprise rests on...

waterlesscloud 15y ago

I had a friend in college who did programming for the "black box" on a military aircraft as an intern. That wasn't as cool as my other friend who programmed the school's online class signup system...

amirmansour 15y ago

Interns at SpaceX have a REAL impact since the day they walk in. I've have never come across a project where someone said "that's not an intern task." Also don't forget that all parts of the system all heavily tested at SpaceX (this is the aerospace industry). It's all tested and developed alongside individuals with experience and talent.