Author Archives: waynehale

About waynehale

Wayne Hale is retired from NASA after 32 years. In his career he was the Space Shuttle Program Manager or Deputy for 5 years, a Space Shuttle Flight Director for 40 missions, and is currently a consultant and full time grandpa. He is available for speaking engagements through Special Aerospace Services.

For the Record

Posted on June 2, 2013

Here is my written testimony for the US Senate Commerce Science subcommittee from a couple of weeks ago. My oral statement was a shorter version of this. ———————————————————– Testimony of N. Wayne Hale, Jr. before the United States Senate Subcommittee … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | 17 Comments

Making a Difference

Posted on May 19, 2013

When I started blogging, it was in connection with my work, at that time as a government civil servant. I tried to stay strictly on topic (space) and never ever brought my own personal poltical views or religious thoughts into … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | 10 Comments

Breaking a Rule

Posted on May 14, 2013

So this is a little different, not really a blog post. I have had a personal rule never to testify before a congressional committee. Just never seemed like a good idea. Not that I haven’t been asked from time to … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | 97 Comments

Checking In

Posted on May 7, 2013

I appreciate the number of people who have asked me to continue blogging! I want to emphatically state that I have no intention of stopping; a short gap has turned out to be longer than I expected. Frankly there are … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | 13 Comments

After Ten Years: Enduring Lessons

Posted on January 31, 2013

From the Rogers Commission to reading Dr. Diane Vaughn’s book The Challenger Launch Decision took me 17 years.  For all those years I had learned the wrong lesson about the loss of Challenger.  The sound-bite explanation kept me in ignorance.  … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | 52 Comments

After Ten Years: Picking Up the Pieces

Posted on January 29, 2013

Starting the new job at KSC, I had set out from my home in Houston on January 30th, with the expectation of spending about three weeks on the job before getting a weekend back in Houston.  Among the most surreal … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , | 13 Comments

After Ten Years: The Moment of Truth

Posted on January 17, 2013

Prior to the Challenger accident, the theory was that riding on the space shuttle was like riding on a modern jet airliner; passengers are not provided with parachutes and pressure suits. Challenger changed all that. With pressure suits, parachutes, and … Continue reading →

Posted in After Ten Years | Tagged , , | 32 Comments

After Ten Years: Working on the Wrong Problem

Posted on January 13, 2013

One of the toughest problems the Ascent Flight Director faced was how to get the crew back home safely if the shuttle engines quit during the launch phase. We studied and worked out procedures and techniques for over thirty years. … Continue reading →

Posted in After Ten Years | Tagged , , | 39 Comments

After Ten Years: Too Little, Too Late

Posted on January 12, 2013

First the official disclaimer: I can neither confirm nor deny that other national agencies might or might not have had capabilities that could have helped NASA during the last flight of Columbia. The fact of the matter is that in … Continue reading →

Posted in After Ten Years | Tagged , | 16 Comments

After Ten Years: Death Never Takes a Holiday

Posted on January 7, 2013

During the accident investigation there were several efforts to determine what might have been done to save Columbia and her crew. None of the concepts to plug the hole in the wing would have worked; most would have caused even … Continue reading →

Posted in After Ten Years | Tagged , , , | 28 Comments