[XBob]

27 - "Betty Grissom was the only individual to prosecute a civil case against North American Rockwell for the poor hatch design in the original Apollo crew module"

Actually, this is not quite right, exactly. There was a problem with hatch design (too slow to escape in an emergency), but the real problem was NASA's specification for an oxygen environment in the capsule. Without the O2 environment, the fire (burning wire insulation) wouldn't have happened. With a faster escape door, the astronauts could perhaps have escaped, perhaps not.

However, Rockwell purposely 'ate it' to 'save NASA swimming pools'. As a result, their reward was the shuttle contract, and billions of sub and continuing contracts from NASA.

Expensive swimming pools win every time !!!! That is NASA's mission.

[snopercod]

Kinda' like Sandra Day O'Conner ruling like she did in exchange for a democRAT-proof nomination for Chief Justice.