Jimmy Higgins

16" x 16" hole formed on wing in test

This is great news that they have found the probably cause of the disaster. From this they can hopefully learn for all future actions of NASA.

LeftCoast

As much as I like NASA; hell, I watched every Mercury, Gemini and Apollo launch and splashdown that I could - they have a bad habit of letting their can-do attitude get in the way of rational decision making. No-one wants to be the one that scrubs a mission or casts any doubt on the perceived viability of the space program. Which leads to ignoring/discounting problems while they are problems but still manageable problems until they become disasters.

sakrilege

When I worked on the Space Shuttle program (15 years ago), NASA had the term 'Success Oriented' that they used all over the place. I never did like it.

LeftCoast

Yeah, I've been involved in projects and people that were "success oriented". It's a great euphemism and while it implies the right ideas: namely - focus on the ultimate goal and don't get sidetracked by non-productive pursuits, it is more often used as a cudgel to brand anyone who voices any concerns about the project (safety, schedule, design, etc.) as "not a team player".

Laci

I worked for the company that made the LEM. And considering everything, it was a terrifically safe journey.
I think back then, when NASA had more $$, and could spend more time and $$ on testing and retesting, and had the top notch engineers, there was less chance of a disaster. I know they had some.
I don't think the intensity of doing a "perfect" job is part of people's psyche anymore. Too many distractions. Too much media attention. Too many unqualified engineers.