main page
"To follow knowledge like a sinking star,
|
click here for a bigger sunset
One small voice in the proud tradition of FreeBlogging*
Thursday, February 27, 2003
posted by gbarto at 12:29 AM:
Memos Warned of Shuttle DisasterNASA engineers concerned day before
Tonight I was reading Richard Fenyman's
What Do You Care What Other People Think, the second half of which is devoted to his role in and his take on the Challenger investigation. My own conclusion: the sad truth is that we're in completely uncharted territory here. There are worries about just about every flight, nagging questions, etc. And the bottom line is, it's damn hard to know whether you're being cavalier in proceeding in spite of a risk or simply realistic - some risks (and some pretty scary ones, at that) are going to persist so long as things like space shuttles are novelties because we just don't know enough. For example, the ring that blew in the Challenger disaster had had problems in numerous flights. The problem on that fateful day was just enough different to be catastrophic, and in retrospect the danger should have been obvious. But if the flight had somehow worked, the engineers most worried by the problem would have breathed a sigh of relief, and probably nothing would have been done until... the problem caught up with them.
A simple reality check should make clear that human nature sets us up for this:
How many people a year ignore the low fuel light and run out of gas?
How many do so twice in one year?
For another perspective, one need remember that the news of late has been dominated by a band called Great White. How many people called the cops or fire marshals about the dangers their shows presented? How many of the club owners who now say Great White used fireworks without their permission had worked to get the word out and warn people before the Rhode Island disaster?
* * *
French Elections, 1st round
Second round special page
Second Round Results Map
The TurkeyBlog main page contains only the 20 most recent entries.
To go further back, check the archive in the right hand bar.
