National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Everything from yesterday’s vibration test checked out. So today we did another one.

Each day they do a test along a different axis: x, y, or z. Yesterday they did x and today they did y. So today’s was alot like yesterday’s. They sit me in a “jig” that they put on the vibration table. They first put the jig on the table and shake the jig without me in it. This is to make sure the jig holds together. Then they put me in the jig and I take my little ride.

Julie gave me this picture of me on the shaker table.

Just one more day of this!

Everyone came in excited today. Mizuki Noguchi won the Women’s Marathon in the Olympics yesterday. Everyone’s proud (and a little relieved!) that Japanese women have won it two Olympics in a row. They’re also talking about the Japanese baseball team – they’re tied with Cuba for first place after the preliminary round and everyone expects they’ll play Cuba in the finals.

Today I had the first of three days of vibration tests. This was about at 1/2 of the strength of the shaking that takes place during launch. And it lasts only 30 seconds. But, believe me, its a long 30 seconds! The vibration table with me on it makes a lot of noise, and everyone puts on big earmuffs to protect their ears. Then afterwards there’s lots of checking – they check the electronics and the data from sensors that they attach to the dewar. They make sure things still work, and that things have not shifted inside the dewar. (The engineers have a very clever way of doing this – they look for changes in the various frequencies of vibration that they expect.)

Actually, I don’t feel so good! At least I know I’ll get a good night sleep tonight. Worse part is knowing I have two more days of this!

I arrived at ISAS today. That’s the Japanese Space Agency outside of Tokyo. It was another long truck trip, so I’m glad I’m here. Here’s a map.

It’s great to be here, since this is where the spacecraft is. In fact, I’m now in the same room as the spacecraft. The room is bigger than when I was at SHI in Niihama, and there’s more people around.

The only thing I’m a little nervous about is that I have to go through another vibration test. This one will simulate some of the shaking that will occur during launch. It will make sure the dewar and I have been put together strongly enough. I’ve been through enough vibration tests on my own back at Goddard, but these tests still make me nervous. If something breaks, it’s alot harder to fix now.