Despite all the "if it's not safe, say so" posters (e.g., http://www.dpvintageposters.com/cgi-local/detail.cgi?d=9203), the anonymous tip lines, and everything else, it's hard to stand up and say that something is not safe enough, or that this cause has not been fully nailed down. Because it's usually a qualitative thing, and careers and programs are at stake.
I was at a large auditorium at JSC (Houston) once. It's where the big pre-launch briefings are held. They had installed phone handsets all over the periphery and aisles of the room so that anyone could easily stop a briefing to ask a question. (I've never seen a capability quite like that in an auditorium.)
The room had (IIRC) around 200 seats. It's hard to be the guy who stands up and stops the briefing to ask the key question. Even though a lot of infrastructure has been created to make it possible.
Despite all the "if it's not safe, say so" posters (e.g., http://www.dpvintageposters.com/cgi-local/detail.cgi?d=9203), the anonymous tip lines, and everything else, it's hard to stand up and say that something is not safe enough, or that this cause has not been fully nailed down. Because it's usually a qualitative thing, and careers and programs are at stake.
I was at a large auditorium at JSC (Houston) once. It's where the big pre-launch briefings are held. They had installed phone handsets all over the periphery and aisles of the room so that anyone could easily stop a briefing to ask a question. (I've never seen a capability quite like that in an auditorium.)
The room had (IIRC) around 200 seats. It's hard to be the guy who stands up and stops the briefing to ask the key question. Even though a lot of infrastructure has been created to make it possible.