It was a day like a bunch that had happened over the last few weeks or so. Sometimes it seemed like the sun would get bright, and the world felt like it was heading towards spring, but as the evening came clouds built and I was reminded it was still winter, and though we were on a trajectory toward the spring it was not here yet.
This same day there was something else on a trajectory of its own – Odysseus, called Nova-C. It had been 18,700 days since the United States had landed on the moon – with Apollo 17 the final moon mission - but this afternoon the day-to-day of putting magazine got parked and we turned all our attention on the Houston-based company Intuitive Machines' attempt to land at the lunar south pole.
Just the month before Japan landed – but they did land upside down – negating the mission. More like they just hit the moon.
But right now, as I am typing, we are all hoping everything has gone as expected and needed to get this done.
It made me think of how many were involved in this and how many things had to go right, or close to, to have it all be nominal. Nominal. It is the best word with all things space-oriented. Nominal means everything is proceeding as expected, but there are sometimes you don't hear that word.
Hearing the phrase Major Malfunction, or Unscheduled Disassembly is always a bad thing to hear from NASA.
So many thousands of people, making small day-to-day decisions, and choices and showing dedication and pride can make something this amazing happen.
Everybody’s life is this way. We are the sum of our decisions in everything we do and how we live. When we go for a ride, a tour, or a Backroads rally so many things have to go right, or close to right – enough so that minor corrections can be made. Course corrections (Yes, all the time), individual perceptions, and tasks taken to go, stop, lean, turn and make judgment calls that will affect the mission.
That quick veer around that car that just pulled out in front of you. The decision to wait out that hard thunderstorm. The choice to stop, turn around, and go back to that rider on the side of the road. Everything matters.
We try to stay Nominal during it all.
We all need to finish. We all need to land. NASA says TDN – Tango Delta Nominal. It’s a great thing; and when one rider does not finish the day, for any reason, it does affect everyone else.
With space exploration maybe a solar panel does not open, or a valve does not close. It could be a small thing that leads to a big catastrophe - like a simple O-ring failure.
Small things can affect us as riders. A helmet not buckled can be a nuisance that can be easily corrected. But if it is discovered after a crash – it may be far too much and far too late.
While we are talking helmets – just look at your helmet. So much went into its creation. A company like the German-based Schuberth spends thousands and thousands of man-hours and testing to create a helmet that will be used by a rider on the other side of the planet, and if called upon every little thing that they did will come into play to ensure that rider rides another day.
We live in an amazing world, made up of amazing people and companies that, most of the time, work hand-in-hand, even it they are not aware of it.
Synchronicity. Do your part. Wear real gear. Practice real skills. Pay attention to your riding and life. Let’s keep it all real, and at the end of every ride let’s think…
Tango Delta Nominal!