by B.J. on 8/27/2003 08:56:00 AM 0 comments Print this post

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NASA Culture

According to a report compiled over the last few months, the "lax culture" of NASA is to blame for the Columbia explosion on January 16, 2003, which killed 7.

No.

Not to completely shake off what happened and be an insensitive bastard, but human nature is directly to blame. We are imperfect pieces of shit before the beholder. However, the most blame should be on the government. Too much pressure is put on these NASA scientists, and I would imagine that it would be tough to not slack for a second. These scientists felt the pressure even when the agencies cut down on its workforce:

"NASA isn't the only villain in the report. The board also blamed the White House and Congress for failing to ensure that NASA's budget keep pace with inflation over the past decade. To cope with the crunch, the agency slashed its work force and relied increasingly on outside contractors."

Disasters like the Challenger and Columbia are examples of why downsizing in general is just a bad idea. The less people you have, the more relaxed and less structured a task is. The less structured a task is, the more unreliable it is that the task will be completed successfully. To meet with high standards (that should be rules), NASA needs more structure and more workers especially since they hold people's safety in the balance. Even the best of the best fuck up.

I'm sure loved ones of those directly involved in the tragedy would agree.

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