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Space Forum / Shuttle / August 2007No evidence of alcohol use before flights
I see on sci.space.news that this is the conclusion. What worries me about this is that someone obviously said this was the case and now nobody will say it was. This makes one wonder if the folk involved have closed ranks, or there was/is some mischief makers in the jobs out there. You cannot have it both ways, and in my mind, with no real indication of why anyone would want to make such allegations, the outcome of the investigation is suspect. If someone is lying one way or the other about what did or did not take place, isn't this as bad as not knowing was? I have not read the pdf but I'm also a bit worried that the sort of thing which caused all the fuss over the love triangle affair is not addressed and in future, knowing human nature, it will occur again, maybe on a long duration flight, and people must have trust in someone to help them before it gets out of hand. Valuable expertise could be lost by letting such things get to the point the last one did, not to mention the self destruction of promising careers. Brian  SignatureBrian Gaff....Note, this account does not accept Bcc: email. graphics are great, but the blind can't hear them Email: briang1@blueyonder.co.uk ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ >I see on sci.space.news that this is the conclusion. > [quoted text clipped - 17 lines] > such things get to the point the last one did, not to mention the self > destruction of promising careers. I actually work with someone who used to work for NASA many years ago. His comment was that he personally didn't believe that an astronaut would do such a thing. That said, he also said that NASA has always been very reluctant to make last minute substitutions for crewmembers. A more likely scenario with similar ramifications would be an astronaut who develops a cold right before flying. The flight surgeons might be willing to overlook such a thing due to the pressure to not "break up" a crew at the last minute. A sick astronaut on a flight might not be quite the safety issue as a drunk astronaut during a launch, but it could put the mission objectives in jeopardy if the cold gets worse on orbit. The concern that NASA flight surgeons are reluctant to "rat out" astronauts who aren't up to snuff ought to be carefully considered. If such pressure exists, changes might need to be made so that the NASA flight surgeons don't feel this pressure. There is also the problem that NASA astronauts aren't always very open and honest with the NASA flight surgeons. There is always the fear that they'll ground you over something that ought not be an issue. This adversarial relationship between doctor and patient could also be a flight safety concern. Jeff Signature"They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety" - B. Franklin, Bartlett's Familiar Quotations (1919) >I actually work with someone who used to work for NASA many years ago. His >comment was that he personally didn't believe that an astronaut would do >such a thing. Indeed. And we already have evidence that at least some of the astronauts are quite willing to ignore and/or bend flight regulations. At least some of the Columbia crew, for example, did not have their gloves and helmets on. Then there is (IIRC) Story Musgrave who reportedly walked about the cabin during re-entry. Minor things to be sure - but are they symptoms of something deeper? >There is also the problem that NASA astronauts aren't always very open and >honest with the NASA flight surgeons. There is always the fear that they'll >ground you over something that ought not be an issue. This adversarial >relationship between doctor and patient could also be a flight safety >concern. Correcting such a hostile relationship will be difficult indeed, as it is not a NASA specific problem. It seems to be endemic among pilots of all stripes. My main concern about the NASA report is the nature of the investigation. The original (independent) study was done anonymously, while the NASA one was not. It was performed by the NASA security chief. (Not to mention that independent investigation followed by internal investigation is rather the opposite of the usual order of things - very smelly on it's own.) D. SignatureTouch-twice life. Eat. Drink. Laugh. http://derekl1963.livejournal.com/ -Resolved: To be more temperate in my postings. Oct 5th, 2004 JDL > My main concern about the NASA report is the nature of the > investigation. The original (independent) study was done anonymously, > while the NASA one was not. It was performed by the NASA security > chief. Safety chief, not security chief. >> My main concern about the NASA report is the nature of the >> investigation. The original (independent) study was done anonymously, >> while the NASA one was not. It was performed by the NASA security >> chief. > >Safety chief, not security chief. The difference is moot at any rate. D. SignatureTouch-twice life. Eat. Drink. Laugh. http://derekl1963.livejournal.com/ -Resolved: To be more temperate in my postings. Oct 5th, 2004 JDL >I see on sci.space.news that this is the conclusion. > [quoted text clipped - 19 lines] > > Brian It is very obvious from Griffin's statements the answer management wanted was "it never happened." Of course people gave him the answer he wanted to hear. Don't buck the system at NASA. This happened to me twice. I got initial support from someone in the system that my boss was a bully, but management talked to my supporter and got them to change their position on supporting me. In one case the person told me without hesitation he was being leaned on by management to drop his support of me. Danny Deger Sadly, this kind of thing happens in organisations everywhere. Its all down to human traits outweighing the big picture, as Nasa are fond of calling things when there is a problem. I think we often expect too much of people in this area, and maybe a bit of realism that people screw up, and things happen might be a good thing, as long as it does not lead to complacency, which is the big danger. Brian SignatureBrian Gaff - briang1@blueyonder.co.uk Note:- In order to reduce spam, any email without 'Brian Gaff' in the display name may be lost. Blind user, so no pictures please! >>I see on sci.space.news that this is the conclusion. >> [quoted text clipped - 31 lines] > > Danny Deger |
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