[afraidfortherepublic]

Dollar to donuts an engineer somewhere sounded the alarm months ago only to be told to shut up by “management”.

Just like the O rings on the Challenger. May they R.I.P.

[103198]

The O ring problem was induced by a political decision. The initial design of the boosters did not have O rings. They were to be manufactured in South Florida and barged up the Inter-coastal Waterway to the Cape. When production was moved to Utah, it changed the design since entire booster couldn't be shipped on a rail car. The rail lines including overpass size provided the new design criteria for the boosters. With no O rings and a slightly larger diameter, the shuttles would have been safer and have a larger throw weight capability.