PROGRAMS:

COMPANIES:

• Computer Science Raytheon
• GE
• RCA

LOCATIONS:

Patrick AFB, Cape Canaveral AFS

POSITIONS:

Jr. Technical Clerk 1978-81, Drafter 1981-1992, Engineer 1993-95, Project Manager 1996-2000, Integration Lead/Instrumentation Analyst 2000-2015

COMMENTS:

My dad, Malcolm E. Moore, a young engineer in Atlanta was bitten by the space bug so he took a job with RCA in 1958 and moved the family to Titusville (out near Mims).  Nearly all the kids in town were RCA or PanAm spacebrats.  My dad worked on the Range and tracking ships until retiring, and  I followed in his footsteps.

I started as a Jr. Technical Clerk in the Drafting file room, where I filed and reproduced drawings for the engineers, and traveled the Range to QC the EDIS drawing files.  (Drafting was the only configuration management at that time so I learned CM from the ground up.)  I went to BCC at night for my Drafting degree, and was promoted to Drafter as soon as a slot opened.  As a drafter, I traveled to various sites on the Range and tracking ships to collect data for new drawings and to document installations.  I created sets of electro-mechanical and printed circuit board drawings for all the Range systems, including those for the new Shuttle program, building the new JDMTA site and the new Command and Radar system replacements, to name a few.  Meanwhile, I continued going to school nights at UCF where I received a BS in electronics engineering, and was hired into the Data/Nav/Weather Engineering Dept. in 1993.  I worked as an engineer in Weather systems until 1995, working on projects such as the new WINDS and LPLWS systems, among others.  When the new Project Management Dept. opened, I was offered a job managing Command projects for a year or so, and then Weather projects, where I continued until the contract ended in 2000.  As a PM in Weather, I managed projects for all the Weather systems, such as the new 4DLSS, NASA TRMM, Profiler radars, WSR72-C (Radar), and the Y2K MIDDS replacement, to name a few.  After SLRS won the engineering contract from RCA/GE, I moved to the CSR Operations contract and worked in the RSA Systems Dept. (part of Systems Analysis) as the CD Segment Lead.  I followed Lockheed’s engineering activities to help them stay on track for acceptance, which involved many trips to the Western Range, and resolving many integration and acceptance issues for our 45 SW, 45 Weather Squadron, and NASA customers.   After RSA was cut, many engineering projects were then implemented by the SLRS contractor to upgrade the Range.  Since CSR did not have the engineering Project Management function, Integration Lead positions were created as a counterpart to ensure engineering modifications would meet Range requirements.  My favorite project was an exception in which CSR had engineering, integration, and acceptance responsibilities, and SLRS was not involved – the Wallops Island Radar project, where I was both the Project Manager and Integration Lead.  This proved CSR could do these projects better, faster, and cheaper than any other contractor at that time.  After that, I took on others, such as ISCF (Integrated Satcom, CTPS, and FOV), the SEL computer replacements for Telemetry and Radar, and many other projects for Weather and Telemetry. Integration grew larger and took over requirements, testing and acceptance functions, and eventually merged with the Instrumentation Analysts.  My last few years were spent as an Integration Lead/Systems Analyst, and writing 38 process procedures to leave for that unique position.  I took the layoff when PAE lost the contract and subsequently retired.