The Apollo program in Downey, CA, had strict rules. The manufacture of bolts had to be certified at every step. 1. A single bolt was subjected to rigorous testing. 2. The steel rod it was milled from had been tested. 3. The billet from which the rod was extruded was tested. 4. The ingot from which the billet was forged was tested. 5. They knew where the iron ore had come from. 6. They knew which mine and what shaft the iron ore had come from. That’s how you get a man on the moon.
Nice story. Not probable. I ran R&D for two of world’s largest biomed device companies for decades, then CEO of small cardiovascular biomed group. I depended upon good QA and traceability.
My point is that as an undergrad, I worked summers in one of the largest taconite mines in MN. The mines worked 24/7/365 but shipping via Great lakes ore carriers was 9-10 months of the year. Production from all shifts was stockpiled and shipped out once the ice was off or the locks open. No way traceability extended to the particular open pit; let alone the shift.
I’d be happy to provide photos of the stockpiles and the shovels gnawing away at the periphery of the snow-covered mountain of pellets.
Yes, and this was the same apollo program that they routinely found tools left in the capsules during build, shoddy work, etc, until 3 astronauts died on the launch pad due to a fire from shoddy work, and and a stupid design that had a high oxygen pressurized environment and a door that had to swing inward to open.... THEN, and ONLY they got serious about enforcing their standards etc.