Wayne Hale
Former NASA flight director and space shuttle programme manager; writes about how the shuttle was actually flown and what went wrong.
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What they believe
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Spaceflight is not safe by any ordinary standard of safety, and pretending otherwise is what kills crews.
Before getting too far, remember this constant in space flight: it is not safe by any ordinary consideration of safety.
waynehale.wordpress.comSaid 5 Aug 2024This on korrents
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Changed their mind The Challenger accident was caused by managers who suppressed engineers' safety concerns for venal reasons.
Now For all those years I had learned the wrong lesson about the loss of Challenger.
Said 31 Jan 2013This on korrents
The bold line is korrents’ wording; the quote is theirs. These one: what they wrote before what they said aloud, one per source, newest first.
Beliefs
Korrents What they believe 11 beliefs, 1 changed mind — each backed by an exact quote.
Each is a — compiled by korrents.com, not by them: the one-line wordings are korrents', the quotes are theirs.
Recent
Spaceflight is not safe by any ordinary standard of safety, and pretending otherwise is what kills crews.
Before getting too far, remember this constant in space flight: it is not safe by any ordinary consideration of safety.
Flight Rationale Said 5 Aug 2024
A declared root cause is a best guess, not a fact, and should be treated with suspicion.
Always take the determination of ‘root cause’ with a grain of salt.
Flight Rationale Said 5 Aug 2024
Engineers will always ask for more data, so someone has to decide without certainty and own the risk to human life.
The engineers will always always always ask for more tests, more analysis, more time to get more information to be more certain of their conclusions.
Flight Rationale Said 5 Aug 2024
Show 8 more
Wanting badly to launch is itself a hazard: the pressure to fly is what turns small anomalies into accidents.
Temptation is very high to wave away issues, ignore anomalies, squeeze the rules, or brush aside inconsistencies just to GET ON WITH IT.
Launch Fever Said 3 Mar 2019
Extending consciousness beyond Earth, out to the stars, is a fundamentally good goal.
When we have built colonies on every habitable niche, then maybe we will find a way to go to the stars.
Manifest Destiny or Pipe Dream? Said 18 Sept 2014
The goal of spaceflight is the whole solar system, not any single destination the experts are arguing over.
The ‘horizon goal’ isn’t Mars, it is the entire solar system.
Manifest Destiny or Pipe Dream? Said 18 Sept 2014
A team that agrees has not examined the problem hard enough; dissent is what makes a decision safe.
If you don’t have dissention, then you haven’t examined the problem closely enough.
After Ten Years: Enduring Lessons Said 31 Jan 2013
In a risky organisation, defer to expertise rather than to leaders.
Defer to expertise rather than leaders.
After Ten Years: Enduring Lessons Said 31 Jan 2013
NASA denied Shuttle crews parachutes and pressure suits because it had convinced itself the vehicle was as safe as an airliner.
We were told that flying in the space shuttle was just as safe as flying in a commercial airliner, so we denied the crew parachutes and pressure suits.
After Ten Years: Enduring Lessons Said 31 Jan 2013
The Columbia investigation focused on the wrong part of the wing: the engineers were analysing tiles when the damage was to the leading edge.
So all the discussion in the accident report about the flaws in the tile analysis are simply not applicable.
After Ten Years: Working on the Wrong Problem Said 13 Jan 2013
Disasters come from organisational conditions, not from bad individuals, so blaming a person prevents the fix.
So don’t blame an individual; looks for the organizational factors that lead to that kind of a mindset.
After Ten Years: Working on the Wrong Problem Said 13 Jan 2013
Beliefs others hold too
Extending consciousness beyond Earth, out to the stars, is a fundamentally good goal. 2 hold this
When we have built colonies on every habitable niche, then maybe we will find a way to go to the stars.
Manifest Destiny or Pipe Dream? Said 18 Sept 2014
What is a korrent?
A korrent is a belief a person has stated in their own words: one sentence stating the claim, backed by a quote and a source, kept at korrents.com.
Under a name here, the quoted block is what they actually said. The korrent beneath it is the claim those words support, in korrents' wording — tap it to see the record, its source, and who else holds it.
Nobody here wrote their own korrents. They are compiled from public statements, and a person can change their mind, which is recorded too.
Recommends rcmnd
rcmnd What they recommend 27 things — each backed by an exact quote.
Compiled by rcmnd.app, not by them: the quotes are theirs, and each links to the post it was copied from.
Recent
Loved The Moon is a Harsh Mistress
I still consider 'The Moon is a Harsh Mistress' to be my favorite book and the blueprint for what should have followed.
waynehale.wordpress.com 30 Dec 2022
Liked Kearney's March
Kearney's March by Winston Groom
waynehale.wordpress.com 31 Dec 2021
Recommends The Count of Monte Cristo
The book I am going to read first in 2022 – taken off the shelf from my daughter's collection, is The Count of Monte Christo by Alexander Dumas. Everyone should have a little classic literature in their lives.
waynehale.wordpress.com 31 Dec 2021
Show 24 more
Loved The Good Shepherd
Of all of these books, what is my most recommended? All of them are good. But my pick of the year is an old one: The Good Shepard by C. S. Forester.
waynehale.wordpress.com 31 Dec 2021
Liked In a Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day
In a Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day by Mark Batterson
waynehale.wordpress.com 31 Dec 2021
Liked Lincoln on Leadership
Lincoln on Leadership by Donald T. Phillips
waynehale.wordpress.com 31 Dec 2021
Liked The Definitive Biography of P.D.Q. Bach
The Definitive Biography of P.D.Q. Bach by Prof. Peter Schickele
waynehale.wordpress.com 31 Dec 2021
What others say about The Definitive Biography of P.D.Q. Bach →
Liked The Poudre: A Photo History
The Poudre, a Photo History by Stanley R. Case
waynehale.wordpress.com 31 Dec 2021
Liked Liftoff
Liked Through the Glass Ceiling to the Stars
Through the Glass Ceiling to the Stars by Eileen Collins and Jonathan Ward
waynehale.wordpress.com 31 Dec 2021
What others say about Through the Glass Ceiling to the Stars →
Liked Go, Flight!
Go, Flight by Milt Heflin and Rick Houston
waynehale.wordpress.com 31 Dec 2021
Liked Shuttle, Flight
Shuttle, Flight by Paul Dye
waynehale.wordpress.com 31 Dec 2021
Liked Mercury 13
Liked In the Garden of Beasts
In the Garden of Beasts by Erik Larson
waynehale.wordpress.com 31 Dec 2021
Liked The Twentieth Maine
The Twentieth Maine by John J. Pullen
waynehale.wordpress.com 31 Dec 2021
Liked Once They Moved Like the Wind
Once they Moved Like the Wind by David Roberts
waynehale.wordpress.com 31 Dec 2021
Liked Once a Warrior
Once A Warrior by Jake Wood
waynehale.wordpress.com 31 Dec 2021
Liked Prophetic City
Prophetic City by Stephen L. Kleinberg
waynehale.wordpress.com 31 Dec 2021
Liked Talking Mysteries
Talking Mysteries by Tony Hillerman and E. Bulow
waynehale.wordpress.com 31 Dec 2021
Liked Dance Hall of the Dead
The Dance hall of the Dead by Tony Hillerman
waynehale.wordpress.com 31 Dec 2021
Liked The Blessing Way
The Blessing Way by Tony Hillerman
waynehale.wordpress.com 31 Dec 2021
Liked The Stargazer
The Stargazer by Anne Hillerman
waynehale.wordpress.com 31 Dec 2021
Liked The Tale Teller
The Tale Teller by Anne Hillerman
waynehale.wordpress.com 31 Dec 2021
Liked Hamnet
Liked Giants in the Earth
Giants in the Earth by O. E. Rolvaag
waynehale.wordpress.com 31 Dec 2021
Liked The Cure at Troy
The Cure at Troy – Philoctetes by Seamus Heaney
waynehale.wordpress.com 31 Dec 2021
Liked The Complete Poems and Plays of T. S. Eliot
The Complete Poems and Plays of T. S. Eliot The Cure at Troy
waynehale.wordpress.com 31 Dec 2021
What others say about The Complete Poems and Plays of T. S. Eliot →
Where they publish
Blog Wayne Hale's Blog His blog on the shuttle programme, flight control and risk.
Link verified 20 Sept 2026.
x.com @waynehale Their X account.
Recent
- Unfortunately, my book 'Inside Mission Control' will be released Dec 15 rather than in November due to some issues at the printers. Rats! The Thanksgiving chapter will sound a little dated. Order a copy anyway. 12 Oct 2026
- I am pleased to announce that my book, Inside Mission Control, published by Purdue University Press will be released Nov 15 2026. Pre-release orders can be made at all the usual places. 15 Sept 2026
- Stunning sight as the ISS passed close to Mars from my viewpoint very early this morning! 4 Jul 2026
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- It’s probably a good time to repost the rules I learned over the course of many accident investigations 29 May 2026 waynehale.wordpress.com
- Artemis II reminding me of Apollo 8: Riders on Earth Together By ARCHIBALD MACLEISH December 25, 1968 Men's conception of themselves and of each other has always depended on their notion of the earth. . . . Brothers on that bright loveliness in the eternal cold. 8 Apr 2026
- Spectacular ISS pass this evening right beside Orion 12 Mar 2026
- February first, again 1 Feb 2026 waynehale.wordpress.com
- 59 years since the Apollo 1 fire. 27 Jan 2026
- Oh well, you can’t beat Mother Nature. Better luck another day New Glenn/Blue Origin 9 Nov 2025
- Outstanding program on Nova tonight about building the ISS. It illustrated just a couple of the difficult problems that had to be overcome to accomplish that incredible project 6 Nov 2025
- Watching the new astronaut class announcement today I was left with the same feelings I had over a year ago when the Artemis II crew was announced. Doesn’t anybody think of this? 23 Sept 2025 waynehale.wordpress.com
- Congratulations to SpaceX on a very successful flight 10. Hopefully this signals they have solved many of their little problems. Next up, I am anxious to see them demonstrate cryogenic fluid transfer between ships - a necessary step for HLS 27 Aug 2025
- Magnificent pre-dawn pass of the ISS over Colorado just now. Wish more people would look up to see it 18 Aug 2025
- Oh for the last time: https://t.co/SbXjzATcqM. 6 Jul 2025
- In the Star Trek canon - DS9 - are we at the Bell Riots in Los Angeles? 10 Jun 2025
- And just like that, it is 1968 again 8 Jun 2025
- This is the saddest news of the day. Marc was absolutely the best in all possible ways. I will miss him. 5 Jun 2025
Link verified 23 Sept 2026. Recent items update automatically from the channel.
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