[myrabach]

I would never set a low bar with this and I seriously doubt that NASA has done that... "back in the days" my Father worked for GE in the Missile and Space Division, and was seriously wooed by NASA. I can assure you that at that time, quality was of the highest standards -- and that is not an assumption.

While the American public may be complacent with the space program, I absolutely doubt that NASA has become complacent. There is just too much at stake, and every person involved with the program realizes that only too well.

To me, raising the bar does not mean heeding the whims of a public that neither knows nor cares about what has been going on with our space program.

I have no doubt the problem will be identified and will be fixed... you may not like the answers; but then when did you begin to ask the questions? We are talking about people who admit to being a tight-knit community whose lives center around these missions. To suggest that they are cavalier about the lives of those in that community, is a totally invalid assumption.

[bvw]

You underestimate the numbing tyranny of the familiar procedure, even among people committed since childhood to careful work and diligence, even in a high tech environment.