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From: mangoe@umcp-cs.UUCP (Charley Wingate)
Newsgroups: net.columbia,net.space
Subject: Re: unanswered questions
Message-ID: <3093@umcp-cs.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 7-Feb-86 03:37:27 EST
Article-I.D.: umcp-cs.3093
Posted: Fri Feb  7 03:37:27 1986
Date-Received: Tue, 11-Feb-86 03:25:44 EST
References: <1956@pur-phy.UUCP>
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Organization: U of Maryland, Computer Science Dept., College Park, MD
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Xref: watmath net.columbia:2206 net.space:5707

I think that NASA is completely justified in restricting the information
that is being released.  Regardless of the value of speculation on the net
(a subject that I will return to in a minute), the fact is that the media
seem no more responsible and have the ability to cause whomever they single
out  to be damaged greatly.  The apparent implication of the right SRB, for
instance, could be played up in the media so as to injure the Thiokol
division very badly (fortunately we are subsidizing them with table salt),
when it is quite possible that mishandling of the assembled booster by NASA
people could be the culprit.  Conversely, media criticism of NASA could be
devastating.  The media love to second-guess, and to put public officials in
the position of having to defend themselves against whatever charge the
media dig up, regardless of the merit of either.  Even so lofty a paper as
the NYT has been cranking out a lot of misinformation.

As far as I am concerned, NASA should clam a lid on everything until they
have a solid report to make.

As for net speculation:  after reading Eugene Miya's long missive, I am
convinced that the speculation level needs to come down.  There is too much
misinformation being injected into the net, and given that, there's the
equal likelyhood of net speculation being back-converted into wild rumors.
For my part, I am going to refrain from further discussion of the accident
itself.

C. Wingate