Unknown unknowns [3.29.2003] - The investigation into the Space Shuttle Columbia breakup continues, and emphasis continues to center on the "management culture" at NASA and the handling of lower-management email missives that pointed to danger in the hours and days leading up to the shuttle landing.
Did program managers act appropriately given the levels of email concern? It is not clear yet. It does appear that, for now, as in previous investigations, causes and corporate culture will gain more attention than any censure of any individual manager.
In testimony this week, former Johnson Space Center Director George W. S. Abbey said that cutbacks could lead to silence on safety. As well, he noted that NASA transferrred control of the shuttle program to Washington from Houston.
Investigation board head Admiral Harld Gehman [Ret.] said the board was looking at how NASA engineers dealt with what he called the "unknown unknowns." These, write John Schwartz and Matthew L. Wald in the New York Times, are risks that cause concerns but cannot be readily quantified.
Investigators are using cartoon-like story boards to visualize the communications flow within the agency. This, in an effort to uncover where information flowed, and where it stopped.
Read the story. -Mar 29, 2003, NYT [reg req]
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