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> Houston: "Perform steps 6 through 12 on page
> 1-26, then turn back two pages and perform step
> 2a on page 1-24. Do you copy?
>
> Atlantis: "(Long silence) That was step 6 on
> page ..."
>
> They repeated the instructions a couple of times before
> they finally got a "copy" from Atlantis.
>
> Comment: As my husband and I listened to this, we thought
> these were terribly confusing instructions. I wondered
> if the documentation was very poorly written. Why was
> an important procedure starting on Step 6? Why did the
> procedure include going back two pages in the middle of
> the procedure?
>
> This was a great example of documentation in use, live,
> during a major event, and to me it put a negative spot light
> on the procedure writers.
having worked for a year on the EMU [space suit] program as a data
mgt asst (Data Mgt is responsible for getting all the paper
deliverables out the door on time and dealing with all the incoming
correspondence) at hamilton standard, then 2 years on the space
station program, one at hamilton standard and one at boeing here in
huntsville, i'll put in my $.02 on this.
the engineers are writing the documentation there to be delivered to
NASA. there are no tech writers on those programs, either at h/s or
boeing. many engineers can't write clearly to save their lives, i
know, i had to input stuff at h/s along with the secretaries so we
could make our deadlines. at boeing, i was temping in their systems
engr dept inputting the system requirement specs to interleaf. many
of the engrs at boeing can't write well either. and we weren't
allowed to change much.
NASA contracts do not usually have a tech writing slot bugdeted in
and these contracts spell out the positions the contractors can fill,
usually with certain minimum requirements for experience, skills,
etc.
D
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