[Donald Rumsfeld Fan]

He said, "Each time you conduct an experiment that doesn't work, you could say it's a failure. On the other hand you could say you've learned something. Opponents pretend that it's failure. And it isn't failure at all. If you have intelligent people working on a serious project and they engage in it they're not going to come out with it in the first instance with a full system that's perfect....You have to learn by doing, by testing and experimenting." Which is just what Ben Rich told me years ago. Without developmental tests -- failures and successes -- you can't learn those things that can't be figured out on paper.

This is obvious to anyone who has ever worked on a major aerospace/defense development contract. It's a fact. You must go through this phase. There's no other way.

Our space program is a prime example. In the late 50's we were launching one rocket after another in an attempt to put a satellite in orbit. The rockets kept blowing up on the launch pad or exploding in mid air. It was extremely frustrating.

The movie "The Right Stuff" depicts the history of this effort fairly well.

[IrishMike]

"Each time you conduct an experiment that doesn't work, you could say it's a failure. On the other hand you could say you've learned something. Opponents pretend that it's failure.
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How very true.
How many seconds was the Wright brothers first flight before they crashed... success or failure ?
The shuttle launches tomorrow.
How many fingers did the guy who invented gun powder loose ?
Jesus was crucified for his beliefs, today there are over 1.5 billion Catholics .... success or failure ?