by Robert W.
I was hired in 1955 at the aircraft plant
in Burbank as a jig and fixture builder to work on tooling for the F-104. In 1957,
I started working at the Van Nuys facility where the missile and space division
was just getting started, working on tooling and ground handling equipment for
the Polaris and Corona programs. I was transferred to Sunnyvale in 1964, and I upgraded to tool designer.
I was the only tool designer who had a Top
Secret clearance and was selected to be the designer of tooling and ground
handling equipment for the KH spy satellites. I also worked on the Hubble Space
Telescope and Space Shuttle programs. Those were the best years of my life. I
retired in 1981.
