1/28/03 12:46 AM Roger Diggle ever-so-carefully typed: >Actually, the o-rings *shrank* in the cold. >There was a famous scene that took place during the Congressional >Investigation... They had been talking for hours about how they'd >figure out whether the o-rings would really shrink when cold. >Tired of the charade, Richard Feinman -- a Nobel-winning physicist >-- asked for a sample of the o-ring material. He produced a >caliper from his pocket. He measured the o-ring material. He then >dunked it in the glass of ice water in front of him. after a minute, >he measured it again. Behold! The material shrinks when cold! > >The cold wasn't extreme, either (though I'm a Wisconsinite speaking >about the weather in Florida, so I could be wrong) only about 30*f. >An engineer from Morton Thiokol, the engine's maker, was trying >like crazy to get the flight called off. His name is Roger Boisjoly. > >From the St Petersburg Times: In January 1987, Boisjoly came forward >and claimed he had warned his employer about the structural problems >that caused the Challenger shuttle to explode a year earlier. >Eventually, Morton Thiokol (which no longer exists) fired Boisjoly. >And he was blacklisted by the aerospace industry from finding other >work as an engineer. He now lives in Nevada and lectures on >workplace ethics.
One addition to the above from a sidebar in an article in The Scientist, Jan 20, 1990 <www.the-scientist.com> : Boisjoly's lectures generally trace the details leading up to the final meeting before the scheduled launch of the Challenger. In the meeting Morton Thiokol executives capitulated to pressure from NASA and gave their assent to the launch despite concerns from engineers about the effect of the freezing temperatures on the seals of the booster rocket. It is not enough for engineers to be able to assess risk, Boisjoly tells his audiences. If there is danger of injury or loss of life, an engineer must be able to communicate that risk and work to prevent damage. He recounts how he tried to raise the red flag, first by working within his company through memos to his superiors and, later, through direct warnings to NASA, the customer. The memos went unheeded, and his objections were overruled. His standards for assessing risk are high, perhaps higher than corporate planners can justify. But he sees no alternative, and the Challenger accident bears out his worse fears. Despite his concerns, he reminds himself, the launch proceeded. -- G-Books is sponsored by <http://lowendmac.com/> and... Small Dog Electronics http://www.smalldog.com | Refurbished Drives | -- Check our web site for refurbished PowerBooks | & CDRWs on Sale! | Support Low End Mac <http://lowendmac.com/lists/support.html> G-Books list info: <http://lowendmac.com/lists/g-books.html> --> AOL users, remove "mailto:"; Send list messages to: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To unsubscribe, email: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> For digest mode, email: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subscription questions: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Archive: <http://www.mail-archive.com/g-books%40mail.maclaunch.com/> --------------------------------------------------------------- >The Think Different Store http://www.ThinkDifferentStore.com ---------------------------------------------------------------
