Ike
1/27/2006, 04:44 AM
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/11031097/
7 myths about the challenger disaster
the list they put up is as follows:
Myth #1: A nation watched as tragedy unfolded
Myth #2: Challenger exploded
Myth #3: The crew died instantly
Myth #4: Dangerous booster flaws result of meddling
Myth #5: Environmental ban led to weaker sealant
Myth #6: Political pressure forced the launch
Myth #7: An unavoidable price for progress
now, this guy isn't really very wrong on very many accounts here, except for the first one. He asserts that not many people outside of schools were actually watching. well, sure, but a whole hell of a lot of people in schools (like myself) were watching. I saw the damn thing happen then and there in the early morning after our teachers had told us we were going to witness the first teacher go into outer space. a hell of a lot of other kids saw it too...just kinda ****es me off that he brushes all that aside and makes it seem like nobody saw it happen...
also, you can argue the myth-status of #'s 6 and 7 as well. Sure there was no direct pressure from the white house as some claimed, but there was pressure for sure on management to get this flight off the ground, and that pressure was what ultimately caused management to 'overrule' the technicians on the ground. You can even make the case that that pressure, while not directly political, was still political in nature, as it would certainly affect their funding, which is controlled by congress. with #7, something like this WAS unavoidable at some point. not the O-ring failure specifically, but a situation where management overrides the concerns of technicians in order to push a launch forward. especially during a time when we were still considering ourselves to be in competition with the Russians for the mastery of space. yes, this specific accident was avoidable. But if not for the Challenger accident occuring when it did, how long would it have then been before the next accident? probably much less than the 18 years that came between challenger and columbia.
anyway, thats my rant for tonight. see you good folks in the morning.
7 myths about the challenger disaster
the list they put up is as follows:
Myth #1: A nation watched as tragedy unfolded
Myth #2: Challenger exploded
Myth #3: The crew died instantly
Myth #4: Dangerous booster flaws result of meddling
Myth #5: Environmental ban led to weaker sealant
Myth #6: Political pressure forced the launch
Myth #7: An unavoidable price for progress
now, this guy isn't really very wrong on very many accounts here, except for the first one. He asserts that not many people outside of schools were actually watching. well, sure, but a whole hell of a lot of people in schools (like myself) were watching. I saw the damn thing happen then and there in the early morning after our teachers had told us we were going to witness the first teacher go into outer space. a hell of a lot of other kids saw it too...just kinda ****es me off that he brushes all that aside and makes it seem like nobody saw it happen...
also, you can argue the myth-status of #'s 6 and 7 as well. Sure there was no direct pressure from the white house as some claimed, but there was pressure for sure on management to get this flight off the ground, and that pressure was what ultimately caused management to 'overrule' the technicians on the ground. You can even make the case that that pressure, while not directly political, was still political in nature, as it would certainly affect their funding, which is controlled by congress. with #7, something like this WAS unavoidable at some point. not the O-ring failure specifically, but a situation where management overrides the concerns of technicians in order to push a launch forward. especially during a time when we were still considering ourselves to be in competition with the Russians for the mastery of space. yes, this specific accident was avoidable. But if not for the Challenger accident occuring when it did, how long would it have then been before the next accident? probably much less than the 18 years that came between challenger and columbia.
anyway, thats my rant for tonight. see you good folks in the morning.