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From: ronc@fai.UUCP (Ronald O. Christian)
Newsgroups: net.columbia
Subject: Re: Morton-Thiokol Engineering Claims
Message-ID: <106@fai.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 14-Mar-86 13:31:23 EST
Article-I.D.: fai.106
Posted: Fri Mar 14 13:31:23 1986
Date-Received: Sun, 30-Mar-86 08:00:54 EST
References: <1301@decwrl.DEC.COM> <758@ism780c.UUCP> <6442@utzoo.UUCP> <591@mmm.UUCP>
Reply-To: ronc@fai.UUCP (Ronald O. Christian)
Organization: Fujitsu America, Inc.
Lines: 31

>Imagine the best-case scenario: they went to the media, and such an outcry
>was raised that the launch was postponed for a couple days and finally launched
>without problems. What do you think those management types (who are *still*
>arguing that the decision to launch was sound - even though it quite obviously
>was not) would do to the renegade engineers? That's right - their careers would
>be over.

****

You are describing a well known management ploy:  Insist loudly and
frequently that you are right in the face of all evidence and laws of
physics to the contrary.  I think someone once called this 'the big lie'.
The point is that the individuals who made the mistake can keep their
jobs if they bull it through.

By the way, what happened to the rumor about telephone records showing
someone from the white house staff telling nasa to 'get that damn thing
up' so it could be in orbit when the president gave his state of the union
address?  If this is true, seems to me there's more to share the blame
than the management at Morton-Thiokol.



				Ron
-- 
--
		Ronald O. Christian (Fujitsu America Inc., San Jose, Calif.)
		ihnp4!pesnta!fai!ronc

Oliver's law of assumed responsibility:
	"If you are seen fixing it, you will be blamed for breaking it."