The Surly Bonds of Earth

Accounts of the loss of the shuttle Columbia are here: Associated Press, United Press International, and Washington Post. Reuters is reporting the inevitable claim from Iraq, that the death of the seven astronauts was divine retribution for U.S. misbehavior.

Also, Declan McCullagh has posted an intriguing email from a woman who was apparently fired from NASA two years ago for complaining to administrators about safety concerns. Writes Dian Hardison: “I F-ING WARNED THEM. I told them that the technicians and engineers were overworked. I told them that there were too many managers and too many meetings and ‘dog-and-pony’ shows. I told them that their senior ‘face time’ play games, while they spent all their time plotting how to give each other pay raises, and left the guys on the floor to struggle day to day with obsolete and overpriced and unqualified equipment, was going to result in another Challenger.”

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