🚀 go-pugleaf

followups to sci.misc -- don't want to upset the .space folk...

In <9570@dartvax.Dartmouth.EDU> dalex@eleazar.dartmouth.edu (David Alexander) writes:
>In article <1529@spdcc.COM> eli@spdcc.COM (Steve Elias) writes:

>>	no references at all.  i contend that none are necessary.
>>	just as it doesn't take an advanced degree in engineering to 
>>	see how stupid it was to launch Challenger in freezing temps,
>
>It takes one of two things. You can figure it out based on a combination
>of advanced engineering education and experience with the O rings,
>as Roger Boisjoly did, in which case you can reach the conclusions in
>time to act.  Or you can use hindsight and a copy of Time magazine,
>as millions of armchair rocket scientists have done since.  I don't know
>who first said it, but it is a favorite quote of mine,
>
>         "It takes the clearest of minds to point out that
>          which, once pointed out, is clear to everyone."
>Common sense, uninformed by hindsight and a clear explanation of the
>O rings, has no basis to criticize a cold weather shuttle launch.
>Bad example.

	i think it is the ultimate example.  one needn't be an engineer
	to know that the shuttle launch was a poor decision.  the O rings
	were never tested at low temperature.  an English Lit prof could
	have reached the decision not to launch -- as long as he knew
	that cold temperatures were outside the database of O ring data.

	this was common knowledge to the engineering staff -- they told
	management and were ignored.  if they had told the hypothetical
	English prof, he would not have launched.

	Richard Feynmann summed it all up nicely when he dropped a
	piece of o-ring material into a glass of ice water and showed
	everyone how brittle it got.  hindsight???  maybe.

	but it was reasonable to expect those with decision making power
	to employ a little foresight and not launch a shuttle in 
	completely untested conditions...

>>	it doesn't take a geologic genius to realize that building a
>>	nuclear plant on an earthquake fault is pure stupidity.
>
>Now THIS is a reasonable application of common sense.

	oh!