I don't know Dian, but Terry is a longtime and valued subscriber to Politech. NASA still has Dian's bio online, which says she was a propellant engineer: http://ltp.arc.nasa.gov/women/bios/dh.html Also, while it may be just a coincidence, remember that Columbia carried Israel's first astronaut and came as tensions in the Middle East are growing: http://www.haaretzdaily.com/hasen/spages/258358.html >Space agency officials feared his presence might make the shuttle more of >a terrorist target... A senior law enforcement official, speaking on >condition of anonymity, said there had been some intelligence that raised >concerns about a previously scheduled flight of Columbia, which was to >have carried the same crew... -Declan --- To: declanat_private Cc: daveat_private Date: Sat, 1 Feb 2003 16:17:44 -0500 Subject: re: Challenger - Fw: I F-ING WARNED THEM. From: terry.sat_private Dian is a naturist friend in Florida. She's one of the first two women in the country to have gone through US Marine EOD, Explosive Ordnance Disposal school. She also has some stories about being subjected to a made-for-TV arrest in the time since being fired by NASA for allegedly threatening a politician, a misuse of felony law a la "Homeland Security" trying to silence her political outspoken attitude and frequent directed criticism newspaper letters to editors. -- Terry ==== Two years ago, I was a highly decorated NASA engineer. I was awarded their highest medal, for Exceptional Achievement -- something that is usually reserved for senior managers -- because of my expertise. I was a safety engineer. I was removed from my GS-13 position, as an internationally-recognized authority on hypergolic propellants and explosives, and forced off the Kennedy Space Center. At gunpoint. Their excuse was that I had "abused government equipment." Because I sent a friend an e-mail joke. The reality was that I wouldn't play their "political ball." I F-ING WARNED THEM. I told them that the technicians and engineers were overworked. I told them that there were too many managers and too many meetings and "dog-and-pony" shows. I told them that their senior "face time" play games, while they spent all their time plotting how to give each other pay raises, and left the guys on the floor to struggle day to day with obsolete and overpriced and unqualified equipment, was going to result in another Challenger. I was there for Challenger. I saw the same exact conditions happening again. Overpaid, lazy, irresponsible managers concerned solely with their climbing up their ladders. I told them they were skimping on inspections. I told them that the ground crews were asleep on their feet from exhaustion. I made as much noise as I knew how to make about the top-heavy bureaucracy sitting around in their fancy panelled offices, giving whorish press interviews in their smugness, while they did not have a clue what was going on in the real world where I was working. They fired me. They fired a GS-13 civil servant, with an Exceptional Service medal and ten dozen commendations. For sending an e-mail joke. In reality, for objecting to political fat-cats sitting on their fat rear ends and failing to do their jobs. Like Challenger, those who are most guilty are the ones who will attempt to make the most political capital out of it. But the blame for Columbia lies entirely and totally with the NASA administrators. They should all be investigated for their criminal negligence. They should all serve time in jail. I warned them. They did their best to destroy me, because I warned them. It's too bad that innocent astronauts paid with their lives for NASA managers greed and political ass-kissing. But I am not surprised. Two years ago, I warned them. Dian Hardison Cocoa, FL 32927 --- From: "shayne oneill" <shayneat_private> To: <declanat_private> References: <5.1.1.6.0.20030201114528.01f2cac0at_private> Subject: Re: Space shuttle Columbia disintegrated during descent today Date: Sun, 2 Feb 2003 03:26:25 +0800 This is a real tragedy Declan, As a kid growing up in Australia , I remember watching the Challenger tragedy at some wierdly early hour of the morning, waking up my father (jumping on bed!) and us both being traumatised at the tragedy of it all. This tragedy is also worthy of note and pause. Perhaps the saddest thing of it all, is that the Israeli Astronaut Col. Ilan Ramon was truly a representative of peace at a time when both the israeli and palestinian governments seem so keen on war. I'm sure I speak for most Australians when I express my dearest condolences to America, Israel and all those represented on this flight. Shayne. --- From: "Dennis Dayman" <dennisat_private> To: <declanat_private> Subject: RE: Space shuttle Columbia disintegrated during descent today Date: Sat, 1 Feb 2003 11:18:03 -0600 We saw it in the air breakup here in Dallas. We have been on the phone with WFAA who has the best shots of this incident. Another sad day. It's weird that is happened four (4) days after the anniversary of the Columbia incident Jan 28, 1986. -Dennis This message was written on 100% recycled spam. --- Date: Sat, 1 Feb 2003 09:35:12 -0800 (PST) From: Joseph Lorenzo Hall <jhallat_private> X-X-Sender: jhall@irk To: Declan McCullagh <declanat_private> Subject: Re: FC: Space shuttle Columbia disintegrated during descent today [feel free to post] I've mirrored a radar loop of the debris field near Dallas. It's somewhat somber of a sight. The diffuse signal in the center is Dallas... the streak is the Columbia debris being dispersed by the wind (probably blowind roughly East): http://astron.berkeley.edu/~jhall/export/shuttledebrisfieldradarloop.gif if that didn't fit, try this: http://www.shorl.com/dyhedrosihagra ------------------------------------------------------------------ Joseph Lorenzo Hall jhallat_private Graduate Student astron.berkeley.edu/~jhall Astronomy Department 601 Campbell Hall voice: (510) 643-8592 University of California at Berkeley fax : (510) 642-3411 Berkeley, CA 94720-3411 face : 753B Campbell --- Date: Sat, 01 Feb 2003 14:51:39 -0500 Subject: Re: FC: Space shuttle Columbia disintegrated during descent today From: Space Rogue <spacerogat_private> To: <declanat_private> Message-ID: <BA618F7A.117F4%spacerogat_private> In-Reply-To: <5.1.1.6.0.20030201114528.01f2cac0at_private> Patches for STS-107 are already being listed on eBay with starting bids at $99.99 There are about three pages of items under a search for "shuttle" that have been listed since this morning. A search for "shuttle debris" so far turns up nothing. - SR ------------------------------------------------------------------------- POLITECH -- Declan McCullagh's politics and technology mailing list You may redistribute this message freely if you include this notice. To subscribe to Politech: http://www.politechbot.com/info/subscribe.html This message is archived at http://www.politechbot.com/ Declan McCullagh's photographs are at http://www.mccullagh.org/ ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Like Politech? Make a donation here: http://www.politechbot.com/donate/ Recent CNET News.com articles: http://news.search.com/search?q=declan -------------------------------------------------------------------------
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