As an inspector at the Johnson Space Center (JSC) there are opportunities to perform inspections on unique and one-of-a-kind products that make one feel special and proud to be part of such a great team. Among these items there are many you would expect and others we take for granted that include pressure vessel inspections, ground support equipment, and infrastructure fabrication. The more interesting test items include things like Space Shuttle Tiles, impact samples, research & development hardware, and astronaut equipment.
Inspecting astronaut equipment is where it gets interesting as it brings so much variety and uniqueness to what might be a normal nondestructive testing (NDT) job. We were told that we would be receiving a piece of hardware from the International Space Station (ISS) as soon as the current Space Shuttle landed and that we would need to use extra caution. Normally extra caution comes standard with the job but it did not prepare for the package I received later that week. The packaging was not what I expected as the most notable difference was the “Biohazard” label on the outside of the crate. With no rush to open this box I waited for the project engineer to stop by and provide more details about this package and what exactly they needed me to do with it.