Thread by @DrEricDing

Engineer Allan J. McDonald, who in 1986 tried to stop the launch of the Challenger space shuttle, citing the effect of the cold on booster rockets, and who, after it broke apart on liftoff, blew the whistle when officials tried to cover, has died at 83. 🙏 nytimes.com/2021/03/09/us/…

2) “During the hearing, Ms. Ride asked Lawrence B. Mulloy, who oversaw the booster rockets for NASA, about rumors of a dissent by Morton Thiokol engineers. Mr. Mulloy conceded that there had been a discussion, but said that the company had ultimately agreed to go ahead....

3) “At that point Mr. McDonald, sitting in the back of the room, stood up. His hands shaking, he told the panel that Mr. Mulloy was not giving them the whole story; the engineers, he said, had been pressured and overruled.
Mr. Rogers immediately asked for the room to be emptied

4) “so that the commissioners could discuss Mr. McDonald’s revelation. As the audience cleared out, Ms. Ride came over and hugged Mr. McDonald. Both of them had tears in their eyes.

“It was the turning point of the commission”

5) “Both Mr. McDonald and Mr. Boisjoly, who had provided internal Morton Thiokol documents to the commission, were later punished by the company: Mr. McDonald was demoted, and Mr. Boisjoly was placed on leave...

6) “After Representative @EdMarkey of Massachusetts (now @SenMarkey) learned about their treatment, he threatened to bar Morton Thiokol from future government contracts unless it restored the two men to their positions.”

7) In 2009 Mr. McDonald and James R. Hansen published a book, “Truth, Lies, and O-Rings: Inside the Space Shuttle Challenger Disaster.”

Mr. McDonald’s decision to oppose NASA and his own bosses might have doomed his career, but he never expressed regret.

8) “Under intense political pressure, it’s easy to cave, to say you’ll play ball,” Dr. Maier said. “He didn’t do that. He assumed personal risk to do the right thing.”