Personnel Assessment: Fill & Download for Free

I certainly can't speak for every astronaut, but I know what my experience was.Sitting on the launch pad (for me, inside the shuttle Atlantis (2007) and then Discovery (2010)), for almost 2.5 hours, I had much time to think. While listening to the somewhat mundane cadences going on in the background as engineers, technicians and launch personnel assessed all systems and their readiness for launch, I spent time trying to catch a few winks of sleep and anticipating what my initial "moves" would be upon reaching space for the first time. You see, my only thought then was "... to not screw anything up," and put our mission in jeopardy (of any kind) due to me not being ready to perform my roles and responsibilities.But realizing I was in space for the first time was easy. There was NO WAY I was not going to know. For I had the advantage we know as zero-gravity.As we rocketed into the heavens, I was seated on the shuttle middeck (both missions). Void of any windows, my only connection to what was going on was my training knowledge and understanding of the verbal "script" that was being provided to me with each and every call to and from the ground and our Commander. Through this nearly constantrecitation of various milestones in our trajectory ("negative return, press to MECO," etc.), I could tell how the shuttle was performing and where we were on our highly detailed and well-understood trajectory. But with the technical definition of "space" being 62 nautical miles (100 km), I knew we were getting closer and closer to the nirvana astronauts know as "orbit," but I had no real idea of when we would achieve that altitude defining us as astronauts; unless I heard a call-out from the Commander or the ground. They had displays that provided the information.Since 62 nautical miles is only a definition, the true marker that I had finally reached outer space came at main engine cut-off (MECO). Easily recognized by the verbal call of "MECO," one's cognizance is also aided by the instantaneous "hiss" that accompanies the shutdown of the space shuttle's three liquid-fueled sources of thrust. Oh yeah, and the fact that you start to float out of your chair!Keep lookin' up!

I have wanted to express this for some time. I worked for a building supply business in Seattle running the south sound area. I took it over in 2000 at $4.6 million and got it up to $26 million in deliveries within 7 years. The owner decided to build some monuments to himself along with his self appointed President who had previously worked for a smaller group in sales. The new President was referred to as Little Lord Fauntleroy by the folks at corporate. In 2010 when the poo hit the fan due how they were over leveraged, Fidelity/Pro Build stepped in and bought them as an asset sale. I was 60 at the time and well paid, as I should. Once the sale was announced and the hand off meeting scheduled, I ask if I would be taken care of to the owner and Lord Fauntleroy (who was staying with the new owners) . They assured I would be taken care of due to my “loyal” work in their interest. I did all the inventory, equipment assets, personnel assessments, signed it off with Pro Builds auditors and sat back ready to get going. I found out Pro Build couldn’t pour piss out of a boot with instructions on the heel. I could not believe how they paid bonuses based on the cost of assets to the Presidents and VPs. WTH ? Numbers were seriously fudged. We were selling dead trees not operating union retirement funds or 401 Ks investments. I got called to a breakfast meeting with Lord Fauntleroy and a VP for Pro Build. I show up in my company Yukon XL, and as I walk in the door there is a HR head shed sitting with them. Bad vibes for sure. They proceeded to tell me I was no longer needed, and they would be taking possession of my company truck right there and I would not be allowed back in my office to recover my boxes of personal reference materials, or IT downloads I had used for over 25 years. I was breathing fire but held my tongue, and calmly stated, I am walking out the door and driving the rig home to unload my belongings. I put average 60 to 80k on that rig on I 5, at about 1200 to 1400 hours per year. I pretty much lived it creating the business. Offered me a sign out with one months severance. I got up, and started to the door and they said you have to stop, I asked them which one of them think they could stop me? I stated I would return in the morning at 6 am with the cleaned out rig, ready to sign out my termination papers, to recover my personal items in my office, along with the law officers I worked with in the area if needed. Got up walked out. They sat there with their stupid looks and I got in the rig drove home, returned in the morning at the designated time with the LT from the state police on standby. Got my materials and left them a bottle of Curevo saying you jokers will be loosing a billion a year soon. True words. In the end it cost me everything I had worked for to be able to retire. 2014 at 64 I did a straight 7. I still would like to meet Little Lord Fauntleroy in an alley for 5 minutes. Was then and am now you bet. I just need to vent finally.

STARFLEET COMMANDHEADQUARTERS, STARFLEET SECURITY COMMAND1776 PETERSON DRIVECOLORADO SPRINGS, COLORADO, EARTH30NOV75Improvements to improve the security posture of Starfleet Vessels and InstallationsDue to the persistent sub-optimal security posture of Starfleet vessels, a number of new polices shall be implemented.Restricted Access and EscortsCritical areas of Starfleet vessels shall no longer be accessible to any personnel except those with a valid task-related requirement. Guests who wish to visit sensitive areas must be approved by the commanding officer or appointed designee, and must be escorted by security personnel.Any personnel found to be in a restricted area outside of their individual clearance will be stunned and deposited in the brig.Secure areas shall be equipped with redundant forcefield and physical means to restrict access.Access to critical systems or functions shall require not less than two personnel. This shall be ensured via duplicate physical interface of sufficient dispersion that one person cannot operate both positions.Any personnel placed under arrest shall have their access permissions immediately revoked upon issue of warrant of arrest or upon arrest while caught in the commission of a crime.Critical ship systems shall have guards controlling entry and exit. While such systems will depend on individual ship design, access to any ship-wide control areas, such as the Bridge or Main Engineering, must be so guarded. Additionally, all access points to the ship must be guarded, such as airlocks in port or transporter rooms.Training and EquipmentAll Starfleet personnel shall receive training in repel boarders operations, to include personal combat both armed and unarmed.Security crews will be required to pass quarterly proficiency tests in the following Mission Essential Tasks (METs)Repel BoardersBoarders AwayPrisoner Escort and SecurityClose protection of personnelConduct movement to contact culminating in hasty attackConduct movement to contact culminating in hasty defenseConduct reconnaissance patrol in planetary or orbital environmentDefend Position/Installation from deliberate attackConduct personnel rescue and recovery raidConduct specimen recovery operationSecurity personnel will be required to pass quarterly proficiency tests in the following Individual Essential Tasks (IETs)MarksmanshipArmed combatUnarmed combatNaval gunneryMedical first responderIdentification of allied personnel, equipment, and threat analysisIdentification of hostile personnel, equipment, and threat analysisPrisoner restraint and interrogationCargo inspectionSecurity personnel will be issued individual body armor (IBA) and personal environmental protective equipment (PEPE) to reduce operational threats and improve individual and ship protective postureSecurity personnel will be required to be armed at all times while on duty or in uniformDue to persistent resistance of numerous hostile lifeforms to conventional phaser technology, or their ability to compromise the operation of, Starfleet Security will develop and issue manual kinetic anti-boarding weapons. All security personnel shall be required to gain proficiency with these new daggers and cutlasses.Physical Security of ShipsCritical access points shall have manually controlled locks that can be engaged via remote location such as the Bridge or Main Engineering, but can only be disengaged manually. Further, such locks can be manually engaged in position.All hatches will be equipped with an unobstructed window to easily view what is beyond it.All hatches will be equipped with a mechanical pressure indicator to display air pressure on both sides of the hatch.All ships will be equipped with tritium-phosphor panels to provide illumination in the event of a total power failure.All crew stations shall have a manual fire extinguisher within eight feet.All EPS conduits will be equipped with surge protectors, breakers, and fuses as appropriate. EPS conduits will be routed through armored conduits with blast diverters in the case of overload.Security personnel will have a Quick Reaction Force (QRF) manned and ready on every shift, in full combat rig, in case of need.Redundancy: Ships will be required to be built or refitted with the following redundant systems to reduce functionality loss in the event of damage. Each zone will be designed to operate in excess of anticipated zone capacity in order to compensate for adjacent zone failure.Life SupportPower systemsCritical computing systemsShips shall have individual arms lockers, emergency medical kits, and emergency response kits positioned at key areas throughout the ship and accessible to properly trained crewmen.Decentralized computer networks. There is no specific need to have all systems run by a central computer system accessible from anywhere aboard ship, while this has proven to be a significant strategic weakness in the fleet.Brigs shall be equipped with physical barriers in addition to energy barriers, and redundant power systems. We can no longer tolerate violent threats escaping because the lights have gone out.Bring all Starfleet vessels and installations into compliance with most recent OSHA standards.Operational ChangesAway teams or boarding parties shall be conducted in phases. The initial phase shall be security personnel assessing the immediate threat situation. Once this assessment is complete, only then will additional personnel beam down or debark the craft.Before initiating first contact, vessels shall make detailed observations of the target culture. Lightspeed lag effect shall be used to analyze the target culture so that Starfleet personnel are less likely to be caught unawares by social or cultural peculiarities.In the event that a crewman is believed to be an imposter, clone, transporter duplicate, or similar highly improbable occurrence, all personnel in question are to be stunned and remanded to the brig where their proper identities can be evaluated at leisure.Security personnel shall never operate in less than pairs.Ship’s transporters shall be equipped with a “repel boarders” function. In the event that its use is authorized by the CO, XO, or CSO, all lifeforms not tagged as authorized aboard will be beamed up and the pattern buffer wiped. A “capture boarders” option can be used to beam them all into the brig.Murphy BarrettAdmiral, StarfleetChief of Operations, Starfleet SecurityDISTRIBUTIONSTARFLEET FLEETCOMSTARFLEET SHORECOMSTARFLEET SECURITYOriginal question-If you were the head of Starfleet Security, how would you improve the security situation on Starfleet vessels?