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What are some notable blunders in history that resulted in huge loss? (lemmy.ml)

submitted 11 months ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

227 comments fedilink hide all child comments

Loss in terms of money or efforts. Could be recent or ancient.

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[–] [email protected] 53 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago) (1 children)

Since December 1982, the O-rings had been designated a “Criticality 1″ item by NASA, denoting a component without a backup, whose failure would result in the loss of the shuttle and its crew.

Richard Feynman[:] “… [the shuttle] flies [with O-ring erosion] and nothing happens. Then it is suggested, therefore, that the risk is no longer so high for the next flights. We can lower our standards a little bit because we got away with it last time. You got away with it, but it shouldn’t be done over and over again like that.”

Taken from an excellent writeup of the fatal 1986 Challenger flight.

[–] [email protected] 29 points 11 months ago (1 children)

Never forget that Reagan heavily pressured them to not delay for political reasons

[–] [email protected] 2 points 11 months ago

Ahh, the Gipper strikes again. Famously an expert Economist, Rocket Scientist, and "totally not a racist"