If something does not go as planned, the test officers and test conductors come together to adjust the plan before the actual mission. The test conductors take notes during the rehearsals and make sure all the moving elements work. The test conductors and key players have mission dress rehearsals ahead of the landing. Since WSMR has strict security guidelines, Test conductors escort external personnel around the installation and are also eyes and ears for the test officers.
James also has a team of test conductors who are vital to the mission's planning and provide manpower on the day of landing. "We must also demonstrate that there will be no significant lasting impact on the land, while ensuring the final proposed action from our client fits within the grand scheme." "If there is anything sensitive in a location, we must mitigate the activity so that way we do not create damage of any kind to the land," said James Thomas, environmental engineer for the White Sands Test Center. That specific SOP has different procedures to ensure we operate under safe measures." For example, we provide them a Ground Safety Standard Operating Procedure to review and agree upon. "We deal with funding, scheduling, and all their required documentation. "We ensure that there is a private industry contract with Boeing in place to guarantee that they have the range elements that they need for their flight tests and missions," James said.
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The Starliner landing mission is one project that James and her team work on throughout the year, working closely with the contractor, NASA, other external organizations involved, and all the WSMR personnel who support the mission. She coordinates with NASA, Spaceport, Virgin Galactic, and other space entities, especially when they need to utilize WSMR airspace. This is James' third year in the position, she works on the Starliner and other space-related projects at the installation. James works for the Materiel Test Directorate as the Air and Space Branch Test Officer at White Sands Missile Range.
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