"Kim Keller" wrote in message
...

"Martin Evans" wrote in message
...
....and bits of metal dangling from his waistband and god knows what
in his pockets. OK so he's only at ground level and on earth objects
rarely fall upwards but every time I see any USA production or repair
facility the dress code seems to be slapdash (i.e jeans and t shirt)
and just perfect for loosing foreign objects into the depths of the
airframe. In comparison facilities overseas and particularly in Europe
appear *much* more strict.

Jeans and Tee's are the preferred dress for people who work in the
orbiter. There's a lot of climbing and squeezing into tight spaces, all
prime opportunities to slice your nice Dockers open on safety wire. But
before going into the orbiter one must empty their pockets, remove or wrap
their watch with tape, and remove or tape any jewelry. Glasses must be
tethered, as are tools. A strict record of materials and tools taken into
the orbiter is kept. The record is checked upon exit to be sure nothing
was left inside.

NASA knows that FOD kills and has taken appropriate measures to deal with
it. A dress code is not necessary.



Perhaps that explains the bar code labels on the tools and fixtures the tech
is using. Is that the method used to track tool locations / inventory?

BTW, Kim, are you the one who used to have the awesome web site depicting
various work on shuttle processing? If so I never had the chance to say what
an incredible site that was. What a shame it was shut down. If that was you
I certainly appreciate the work you put into it!

Brian