HOME CALENDAR BRIEFINGS BACK
MISSION POSITIONS AND MISSION TRACKS
FREQUENTLY
ASKED QUESTIONS
WHEN DO I FIND OUT MY
MISSION POSITIONS?
I JUST FOUND OUT MY MISSION TRACKS – ARE THE MISSION POSITIONS DECIDED YET?
WHAT IF I DON’T LIKE MY
MISSION TRACK?
WHY DIDN’T I GET MY
FIRST CHOICE?
CAN I SWITCH TRACKS/POSITIONS
WITH SOMEONE ELSE?
WHAT IS A POSITION
ASSESSMENT?
WHO ELSE IS IN MY
MISSION TRACK?
WHO ELSE IS IN MY
TRAINING GROUP?
A mission position is the job you will have during the mission. This is essentially a role-playing game, and the position tells you what role you will be playing.
The
mission tracks are groups of mission positions. We did this to make training easier – within each track are
positions that require similar skills and/or knowledge. So, every position in the Command track
for instance will be a command position, likewise the science/EVA track
positions will all be performing science experiments and/or going on an EVA (spacewalk). The IRDT track is our Integrated Rover
Design Team and includes all of the mission positions that work with the Lego
rover. Finally the PAO track
includes all of the public affairs officers (this is the only track in which
you would know your mission position before they are officially announced in
February).
It
can be very difficult scheduling four different mission track trainings and
making sure everyone gets the right training for both of their tracks. To help the trainers out, everyone will be told a training
group number. This really has very
little to do with the mission itself – you may or may not be working with the
same people on the mission as are in your same training group. It just means everyone in your training
group happens to be assigned to the same two tracks you are – though you may
not be working in the same track at the same time during the mission (so Jane
and Michael are both in the command/science group – but Jane ends up in a
command position during the night and Michael ends up in a command position during
the day). You don’t have to worry
about who is in your group with you or even what it means – just remember the
number you get told and know that whenever that group number meets for training
you are expected to be there!.
WHEN DO I FIND OUT MY
MISSION POSITIONS?
We will announce the actual mission positions two to three weeks before the mission (so around the end of February). See the Calendar for more details.
To figure this out, use the
following list and find the group that includes both of the mission tracks you
are assigned to:
Group 1: Command Track and Science/EVA Track
Group 2: PAO Track and Science/EVA Track
Group 3: IRDT and Science/EVA Track
Group 4: IRDT and Command Track
Group 5: PAO Track and Command Track
I JUST FOUND OUT MY
MISSION TRACKS – ARE THE MISSION POSITIONS DECIDED YET?
NO!! This
is a VERY IMPORTANT POINT to remember during your training. We have just assigned tracks – we will
wait to assign final mission positions until we can get to know everyone
better. This means we are watching
you during the training – we are collecting all the sheets you fill out and
keeping them in a folder. We also
are noticing who plays well with others and who listens to the instructions,
etc. If you want to be in a top
command position (like Flight Director or Orbiter Commander or Station
Commander) you will need to be as involved in training as you can – to show to
us this mission is very important to you.
If during training, you show us by your behavior that you don’t really
care about the mission – then we reserve the right to cut you entirely from the
mission if it appears to be a problem (though we will certainly talk to you before
taking this step) but at the very least we could not consider you for a
position that requires more knowledge of the mission. So, the BOTTOM LINE – come to training prepared to learn a
few things and eager to work with your fellow astronauts – and keep a positive
attitude.
WHAT IF I DON’T LIKE MY
MISSION TRACK?
Tough! There is no reason anyone should
dislike any of the mission tracks or positions. We have designed this mission with careful attention to each
and every position! Everyone is important and every position is very active – and
every position has some fun challenges to meet. That’s right – fun
and challenge go in the same
sentence. So, if at first you
don’t think you like your mission track – my suggestion is to keep a positive
attitude and give yourself a chance to like the track.
WHY DIDN’T I GET MY
FIRST CHOICE?
We received many applications, and only have a limited number of positions. Also, we have several rules of thumb we use when assigning positions and tracks – first, no one can be in the same track twice – this would not be fair or fun for anyone involved. Secondly, when assigning actual positions, we make sure no one is in the same area (MOCR, Orbiter or Station) during both halves of the mission – this way everyone gets a chance to experience a different location – and everyone will be in “space” at least once. Also, for actual positions, we try not to assign anyone to two positions that perform an EVA (excluding emergency EVAs) – this makes sure as many people as possible get to experience a CHASA space walk – though due to mission limitations not everyone will be able to do this, but we try to allow as many as possible.
So,
with all of these limitations and rules in mind, we look at each individual
application. We have devised a
method of evaluating each applicant’s merits based not only on their
application, but also attendance, attitude, teamwork and a few other important
aspects of being a good trainee.
Then, we look at each person’s choices and try our best to assign
everyone at least their first or second choice track. If we have a lot of people who chose, for example, the
science track as their first choice, it is virtually impossible to fit everyone
– so we have to then make a hard decision of who gets their first choice and
who doesn’t – that’s when we look more closely at applications, etc and
finally, if two applicants are equal in everything else, we will look at grade
level – because we know for an eighth grader, s/he will never have a second
chance to get the first choice, but a sixth grader has two more chances.
So,
as you can see, assigning tracks and positions is no easy task – and it
requires some tough choices on our part.
But overall we work very hard to get everyone a first or second
choice. And don’t forget, everyone
position has been designed to be an enjoyable learning experience.
CAN I SWITCH
TRACKS/POSITIONS WITH SOMEONE ELSE?
No –
this is absolutely forbidden.
WHAT IS A POSITION
ASSESSMENT?
This is a quiz given to everyone two weeks before the mission. It is meant to assess a trainee’s knowledge of their mission position. This is a final check for us to make sure you have all been adequately trained – because it only takes one person not knowing what they are doing to cause a big problem for everyone.
WHO ELSE IS IN MY
MISSION TRACK?
You
can access a list from the main mission
position page.
WHO ELSE IS IN MY
TRAINING GROUP?
You can access a list from the main mission position page.
You can check the main calendar or access a training grid from the main mission position page.