Originally Posted by
Pilot DAR
Though I'm certainly not knowledgeable on spacecraft, software, and helium leaks, I do know something about signing on the line saying that an aircraft is fit and safe for fight. I can't blame a staff member somewhere in a suitable safety structure in NASA or Boeing for, in their best conscience, saying "I can't sign on that line with what I know to date". I think back to the congressional investigations following the Apollo 1 fire, where (I believe it was Deke Slayton) said that it was "failure of imagination" "We just did not ever imagine that type of risk".
I believe it’s important to treat every space flight as a test flight and act accordingly. It’s a risky endeavour and requires bold decisions and everyone involved needs to be aware of that. Sooner or later and the quote Alan Shepard someone has to ‘light this candle’ and go.
it’s progress that in this case NASA has given itself options. Even if they’d fully appreciated their dire situation, STS-107 had few. Before that, Commander Hoot Gibson, way back on STS-27, was as convinced his crew would perish on reentry and also had few, if any, options.
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