[sdiy] Ahhh...so I'm not the only one...

[Bob Weigel]

I guess...it doesn't instill much confidence with the general public and 
maybe there's a good reason when you think about it.  I mean...wiring 
is...kind of common to pretty much all the functions in the machine.  
And maybe a little common sense is peeking through when the people laugh 
because...if it's likely that a wire has failed in the fuel guage...why 
not one that controls a much much more critical feature that would send 
the crew again plummeting to their death?
      Something like "we've seen problems with the sending unit for that 
particular guage in development and thought all the problems were 
eliminated" would have been received with less hilarity :-) One would 
hope that in a device of this calibre, wiring design is 100% consistent 
and is so foolproof that there simply is not a 'fail rate' that can be 
calculated.  And to the general public a 'bad wire' just seems like 
something so easy to make sure it doesn't happen probably.  To me....it 
seems like something that in a project of that calibre, they would be 
using..not off the shelf connectors and so on.  But connectors that are 
way overrated for current and have all lugs soldered meticulously.  I've 
never heard of a high quality piece of wire just..developing a break 
unless it's bent into pretzels many times over.  So you'd think there'd 
be a proceedure for handling wire as it's laid out so that there is 
minimal stress.  Crap..you are talking about the difference between a 
bunch of people coming back in fame....or in flames!  .-Bob

Peter Grenader wrote:

>>From a CNN.com in regard to the fuel gauge problem which has grounded the
>space shuttle:
>
>The first step in trying to figure out what caused a fuel gauge to fail
>shortly before liftoff, causing NASA to halt Wednesday's launch, is to "go
>in and wiggle some of the wires," seeking a loose connection, said deputy
>shuttle program manager Wayne Hale.
>
>"You laugh," he told a packed room of journalists Thursday. "That probably
>is the first step in any troubleshooting plan." 
>
>
>  
>