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 One
of the first images taken using the GLI showed on January 25,2003. It clearly illustrates the swirling
clouds over the Okhotsk Sea.
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Yokota: Here it is. This is the first
image taken using the GLI we developed. (Shows a photo)--- The exposure is perfect. The swirling clouds clearly show the winter low-pressure
area over the Okhotsk Sea. I was concerned by that, and I remember seeing it clearly in January 2003 on the website
of NASDA (National Space Development Agency of Japan, now the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA). The
introductory text was also quite triumphant. Yokota: What a relief that was! We couldn't execute any advance tests, so this was also our first chance
to see raw images taken by the GLI.--- You're kidding! I would have thought that equipment for installation on a satellite
would be exhaustively tested. I imagined engineers under immense pressure, working endless hours with no allowance
for errors... And here, we're talking about a camera to be used in space. You didn't perform tests under actual
conditions? These are the most important tests of all. Yokota: We didn't. We couldn't. Think about it. The GLI is a camera for shooting pictures of the earth's
surface from 800 km up in space. The earth is round, so it would be impossible to place an object 800 km away
and shoot pictures of it on the ground. And no matter how much you shortened the distance, air movement would
be too large for an accurate performance test. Of course, we tested the GLI for imaging performance, but only
under simulated conditions.--- So what guided your development work? Was it a one-shot project, all-or-nothing
situation? Yokota: The optical equipment taken on the SO (Space Optics) Project all meets severe specification requirements.
They all produce exquisite images, and we have never had a complaint about their performance.--- If I were your client, I would say, "I understand all that. That's why I am
asking Canon to do this. But how can you guarantee that each new piece of equipment will perform as well as the
last?" Yokota: An understandable question. This is why we form highly detailed designs, components evaluation
methods and processes, and keep precise records to allow future studies of exactly what was done on each project.
We did everything we could and everything we thought we should. We could not proceed to new stages of a project
before each previous stage was approved by everyone in the Design Review Committee, which includes members from
inside and outside the company.--- Sorry to be repetitive, but what about that 100% guarantee of success?
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"(The GLI's)
clear and beautiful image told us that we had done things the right way." (Yokota)
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Yokota: We couldn't provide one. However, we had the advantage of Canon's vast know-how and experience
to help guide our efforts. It might be hypothetical during the development phase, but the proof comes when a
satellite launched into orbit sends back the images desired. That's when we go from "This should work..." to "See,
it worked!"--- So this photo I'm holding is like a "Quality Guarantee" sent from outer
space? Yokota: That would be the case. And even though the guarantee was delivered five years after delivery,
the GLI did a great job. That clear and beautiful image told us that we had done things the right way. Even those
of us on the development team were surprised by the quality of the results.--- Your hearts were too full for words. |
