Independence
This blog represents the personal opinions of Wayne Hale only. It does not represent the opinions of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration or Special Aerospace Services, or their clients.Follow me on Twitter
- I was a high school student for the first Earth Day in 1970. We built bicycle racks to encourage students to bike t… twitter.com/i/web/status/1… 20 hours ago
- I’ve been on vacation for the last 10 days - not much access to news - so did anything happen recently? 1 day ago
- RT @ulalaunch: Last week, ULA’s next generation #VulcanCentaur rocket stood atop its launch pad for the very first time to undergo integrat… 2 weeks ago
- Leaving Florida’s space coast. Busy 2.5 days. Did a lot, saw a lot, wish I had more time. Glad to start traveling again 2 weeks ago
- It’s a beautiful spring morning on the space coast! I had forgotten how perfect it is to drive up Phillips Parkway… twitter.com/i/web/status/1… 2 weeks ago
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Tag Archives: Columbia Accident
After Ten Years: A Few Words from Admiral Gehman
I’d like to interrupt my personal recollections of the Columbia accident and its aftermath to give a few words from Admiral Gehman. You might as well know that there are still people out there who will tell you the CAIB … Continue reading
Posted in After Ten Years
Tagged Columbia Accident, Organizational Culture, Program Management, Safety Culture
51 Comments
After Ten Years: Flying A Mature Vehicle – Or Not
“The Space Shuttle is an experimental vehicle with an operational mission” – NASA Deputy Associate Administrator Michael Kostelnik, 2004 The Space Shuttle system was under development for 13 years and then actually flew in space for over 30 years. … Continue reading
Posted in After Ten Years
Tagged Columbia Accident, conventional wisdom, Organizational Culture
16 Comments
Ten Years After Columbia: Pennywise and Pound Foolish
“Relentless budget reduction pressures necessitate more dramatic program actions” – Brewster Shaw, Space Shuttle Program Manager, December 1994 Polls show that the general populace rates the Internal Revenue Service as the most disliked agency in the US Federal government. Among … Continue reading
After Ten Years: The Tyranny of Requirements
My good friend and colleague from the Flight Director’s office, Jeff Bantle, left the agency several years ago to head up Lockheed-Martin’s Presidential Helicopter project. He now has a great presentation talk about how incrementally added requirements can sink a … Continue reading
Posted in After Ten Years
Tagged Columbia Accident, Common Sense, Program Management, Project Management
17 Comments
Ten Years After Columbia: Balancing Work and Life
2002 was a tumultuous year in my personal life. Last time I wrote about my work, my career, as a Space Shuttle Flight Director. It was always more than a 40 hour a week job. The question is how much … Continue reading
Ten Years After Columbia: Balancing Life and Work
When you are in a High Reliability Organization, you have to pay attention. The more extreme the risk, the more difficult the environment, the more complex the technology, the more attention you must pay. But life intrudes. As the song … Continue reading
Posted in After Ten Years
Tagged Columbia Accident, flight director, High Reliability Organizations
33 Comments
After Ten Years – Dramatis Personae Part 1
Space Shuttle Program Management Council after Columbia In this picture from left to right: Joyce Rozewski, Lee Norbraten, Sandy Coleman, Steve Doering, Jim Halsell, Dorothy Rasco, Bob Cabana, Steve Brettle, Dave Martin, Lambert Austin, Mike Wetmore, Bill Harris, Parker Counts, Ralph … Continue reading
After Ten Years – Why Write Now?
Two years, ten years, and passengers ask the conductor: What place is this? Where are we now? I am the grass; I cover all. – Carl Sandburg, “Grass” 1918 Very recently, my 7 year old grandson was traveling with his parents through the … Continue reading
