John Brassard
Our technology roots go back to NASA?
We learned how to build software and services at NASA and The University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB) that had to work accurately and with exacting precision all the time.
"Why we are so good at what we do?"
It comes from the training that perfection is not a goal, it is a necessity!
NASA Pin Awarded to John Brassard
We learned how to build software and services at NASA and The University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB) that had to work accurately and with exacting precision all the time.
Advanced Trajectory Studies Project
While working in this business programming section on an Apollo Failure Data Project (with programs written in COBOL), I (John Brassard) had an opportunity to begin working in the Scientific Section of Lockheed Electronics Company (LEC) on a project called “Advanced Trajectory Studies” as a result of a co-worker's recommendation that I replace her as the personal programmer for the Staff Scientist (Dr. Edward Knobelauch) of NASA’s Mission Planning and Analysis Division..
In order to find out if this would be a good fit (for me to be Dr. Knobelauch’s programmer), she arranged for me to sit in one of his classes, which he taught to the NASA “Lunar Program” engineers. After the class she introduced me to Dr. Knobelauch and explained to him that she was transferring to another project and that she had chosen me as her replacement. All went well with this, and Lockheed reassigned me to Dr. Knobelauch’s project.
When I began that project, I had no idea where the road would lead. I reviewed and studied most of the programs written by Dr. Knobelauch’s previous programmers. He used to use a programmable Olivetti calculator to develop his ideas in the area of space guidance systems and trajectory analysis.
When he was satisfied with his prototype model, he would have his programmer encode the math model on the Univac Computer on site at the Manned Spacecraft Center (MSC). He was interested in significantly improving the early guidance systems developed at MIT by Dr. George Cherry. While I was at the MSC, I worked with and knew many of the scientists and engineers assigned to the Lunar Landing Branch.
As the work progressed, Dr. Knobelauch and I worked very closely together to develop some very advanced guidance systems, the last of which I published as “Guidance VII”, a NASA technical publication. There were many others I published there, but that was the most significant. During this time while working for Dr. Knobelauch, I learned to be very accurate and precise in my programming. It was in May 1971 that I obtained my master’s degree in mathematics after three years of graduate school.
Second NASA Pin Awarded to John Brassard
The following NASA contract project helped the astronauts overcome space sickness caused by weightless' effect on the human body. Various drug regimens were tested and compared using various mathematical models, which required precision accuracy.
Convert Curve-Fitting Programs Project
After I left NASA, I went to work in ENT Research in the Department of Otolaryngology at The University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB) in Galveston, Texas for a well-known neurophysiologist named Dr. Manning Correia. I began working there as a programming systems analyst and eventual mathematician. I worked there a few months over four years.
Dr. Correia and I published four technical papers relating to programs I developed in support of neurophysiological studies of the semicircular canals connected to the inner ear (i.e., the vestibular apparatus). NASA was very interested in the studies since the semicircular canals, which allow humans to maintain balance, were causing astronauts to become disoriented in space. In fact, some of this research was funded by NASA grants through its Biophysics Division in Washington, DC.
On January 28, 1986, the NASA Space Shuttle orbiter undertaking mission STS-51-L and the tenth flight of Space Shuttle Challenger (OV-099) broke apart 73 seconds into its flight, killing all seven crew members. The disaster resulted in a 32-month hiatus in the shuttle program, which meant the United States and other nations would have to depend on the Russian space program to send their scientific experiments to the space station.
In the fall of 1987, Dr. Correia contacted me in Waco to discuss the possibility of converting the FORTRAN, curve-fitting programs I had developed while working in ENT Research. He said that he would supply a microcomputer, video monitor, printer, and FORTRAN compiler with a graphics package that could be used in the conversion.
According to Dr. Correia, NASA’s Biophysics Division wanted to trade these converted programs with the Russians to secure space on the Russian Shuttle in order to send NASA’s scientific experiments to the space station. After agreeing on a project completion date, Dr. Correia said that he would send what I needed to Waco.
I can’t recall how long it took to complete the project; but when it was done, Dr. Correia came to Waco, where I demonstrated the programs that were converted. He was very satisfied with the work and said he would let me know about the converted programs acceptance by NASA’s Biophysics Division.
In May of 1988, Dr. Correia contacted me again and told me of NASA’s and Russia’s acceptance of their trade deal. He said that because of the proposed trade with a foreign power, the NSA, CIA and the DOJ had to give signatory approval of the trade to ensure that it would not violate national security. Because of this, NASA’s Biophysics Division had contacted Dr. Correia advising him of an upcoming meeting at their headquarters that would discuss this trade agreement with the Russians and that there needed to be someone from ENT Research who could answer any questions that might arise during the trade discussion. Dr. Correia asked if I would like to be that someone. I thought this was very generous of Dr. Correia and NASA. I happily accepted the offer and traveled to Washington, DC where the meeting was to take place the following day.
At the Biophysics Division meeting the next morning, there were representatives from the US security agencies (mentioned above) and from the Russian Space Agency. I sat through the discussions on many joint space projects with the Russians. However, when the converted computer programs were discussed, there were no questions. Evidently the US security agencies had no objections to the trade agreement.
After the meeting, one of the NASA officials, approached me and said that I was finished for the day and handed me a medal struck with an image of a DNA strand in the middle and the words “National Aeronautics and Space Administration Space-Life Sciences” around the edge of the circular medal.
