I didn't know about the Columbia crash until a few hours ago. Picking through the kanji and unknown verb-conjugations in the morning newspaper I started to piece it together. It's truly so sad.

The launch was originally delayed due to liner cracks in engine plumbing. I viewed a documentary on the Challenger Disaster recently. The failure of Challenger was one of project management. Outside contractors repeatedly gave safety warnings and recommenced against launch because of a defective "O-Ring" and temperature concerns. But there was huge political pressure to go-ahead, so NASA management ignored the recommendations of their experts. During the formal inquiry after the accident witnesses who tried to expose NASA management's errors were treated as hostile witnesses. Fast forward to present day, the Challenger experience is used in Project Management textbooks as an example of what not to do. It is my sincere hope that the Columbia Crash was a freak occurrence, out of control and unforeseeable, and not once again an outcome of NASA management culture.
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