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The Redstone was an upgraded V2. The Saturn I was
was a set of Redstones clustered together (aka, "cluster's
last stand"). The Saturn V was new system from
the ground up. It passed a full-up test on
it's first launch. Pogoing (tank slosh) was a
problem but was overcome. Yes, the liquid
rocket technology was mature, but the real
contributor was that the design team managers
had been working together for many years, some
as far back as the Rocketry Club in Germany,
pre-WWII, they understood their risks, and their
engineering and management techniques were
applied accordingly.
"We are not in the business of making shoes."
Werhner von Braun after the Apollo I fire.
"Help! I am trapped in an Arthur Rudolph
meeting!" from a note found on the ground
outside Bldg 4200 during another all night
design review for the Saturn V.
The ground fire and the Apollo 13 were both
capsule failures, not launch failures.
The Apollo 1 fire was a
result of haste and 'mission fever'. The
Apollo 13 was a quality control problem
(they dropped the tank two years prior
to launch and there was a wiring short).
The first case is a bit more like what we
witnessed in web fielding. The second case
is like what we are seeing with the failure
of webmasters with respect to upgrades and
server maintenance.
I understand the nature of the beast. My
job is to make sure my customer does too
in the face of people who claim 'worse
is better' and 80/20 is 'good enough'.
It can be for some applications (say
a ballistic missile) but for a manned
flight, no way. Cheap won't cut it.
len
From: roger.day@globalgraphics.com [mailto:roger.day@globalgraphics.com]
The Saturn V built on the redstone and mercury programs, both of which had
"issues", particularly redstone. By the time the Saturn V was launched, the
technology was, uh, "stable".
Maybe the next rev of the web will be as reliable as the Saturn - although
that hasn't a completely stainless rep with one ground fire and one mission
almost a failure - but I'm not holding my breath. The web will never be a
complete project - it's still evolving, with IP6 on it's way - and it will
never be flawless. I think that's the nature of the beast.
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