1988, Ready, hurry,.....incompetence. A true story of trust us


The above might sound like Doofenshmirtz’s Evil Incorporated slogan (the world should thank me for not writing hallmark cards), but realistically speaking is just a lapidary reflection on dodging responsibility, risk management and, sooner or later, mission success. 95% of air crashes are not lethal, but if you are in the 5 percentile, the 95 won’t warm up your soup. Especially in cases of avoidable disasters.

It was the 28th of January 1986 when NASA’s STS 51 L disintegrated at 14 km above ground. Barely above the clouds, reaching for the stars, plunging into sudden fire and darkness (elements that only in death mix so well). Some NASA genius had the idea to recruit a civilian to join the crew, and thus Christa McAuliffe, a 37 years old teacher embarked on her last trip. One life is not priced higher above others, but somehow it is understandably moving that directorial incompetence is quantifiable in victims that should be far removed from its reach. 1 in 11000. Her chance of getting in the program. 1 in 100000 chance of mission fail, according to NASAs higher ups. Only one of the two was a correct estimation. The wrong one implied that a rocket could fly on a daily basis for 300 years, as Feynman so well put it.

Accidents do happen. The question is: was the flight launch safe? Any serious warnings before clearance? Project scoping (is a teacher really needed?- HR is always booming with clueless idiots but now they call it “talent management”. Feynman would’ve “loved” this needles complication.)? Control of regulatory bodies (eg FAA -yeah, the same agency that gave clearance for Boeing 737 Max jets take-offs. The pilots received a couple of hours online training on I-pads, for a vastly updated vehicle)?

Some little guys cried out. A few opposed, almost none pleaded. None of the big guys really cared. Positions may “wobble”. They got muffled! Thiokol engineers (they produced the now infamous O-rings which were used to seal the joints of the SRBs) opposed launching during inclement weather (temperatures were below freezing point - as per formal guidelines, an absolute no go for launch). But fuck rules, right? The level of incompetence is indeed peaking in high places. It may come as no surprise if they don't even have a clue about what the mission is about. Evil or simple carelessness? It is easier (and more sensible?) to assume the latter.

In his last years, fending off cancer and idiots, Feynman was in great shape. As someone put it, Feynman could explain the process of paint drying and it would sound extraordinary. A real life Hank Morgan at the court of NASA, he diligently investigated the root causes of the Challenger disaster. The surface was only scratched when the O ring issue unraveled. It wasn’t as if no one knew, more like a “no one wanted to hear” type of affair. Leaks, fissures, mended pieces, tailored reports, disconnect between workers and engineers, engineers and bigwigs, and all sorts of Hydra’s heads emerged. Feynman was there to do the right thing. His overarching analysis was thorough, from qualitative criteria to presidential meddling. Committed to finding the truth, he dug and turned as many stones as he could.



And some poetry:


There are the rushing waves
mountains of molecules
each stupidly minding its own business
trillions apart
yet forming white surf in unison

Ages on ages
before any eyes could see
year after year
thunderously pounding the shore as now.
For whom, for what?
On a dead planet
with no life to entertain.

Never at rest
tortured by energy
wasted prodigiously by the Sun
poured into space.
A mite makes the sea roar.

Deep in the sea
all molecules repeat
the patterns of one another
till complex new ones are formed.
They make others like themselves
and a new dance starts.
Growing in size and complexity
living things
masses of atoms
DNA, protein
dancing a pattern ever more intricate.

Out of the cradle
onto dry land
here it is
standing:
atoms with consciousness;
matter with curiosity.

Stands at the sea,
wonders at wondering: I
a universe of atoms
an atom in the Universe.


142 years before, Anne Brontë wrote about a thing with feathers:

In all we do, and hear, and see,
Is restless Toil, and Vanity.
While yet the rolling earth abides,
Men come and go like ocean tides;

And ere one generation dies,
Another in its place shall rise;
That, sinking soon into the grave,
Others succeed, like wave on wave;

And as they rise, they pass away.
The sun arises every day,
And hastening onward to the West,
He nightly sinks, but not to rest:

Returning to the eastern skies,
Again to light us, he must rise.
And still the restless wind comes forth,
Now blowing keenly from the North;

Now from the South, the East, the West,
For ever changing, ne'er at rest.
The fountains, gushing from the hills,
Supply the ever-running rills;

The thirsty rivers drink their store,
And bear it rolling to the shore,
But still the ocean craves for more.
'Tis endless labour everywhere!
Sound cannot satisfy the ear,

Light cannot fill the craving eye,
Nor riches half our wants supply;
Pleasure but doubles future pain,
And joy brings sorrow in her train;

Laughter is mad, and reckless mirth–
What does she in this weary earth?
Should Wealth, or Fame, our Life employ,
Death comes, our labour to destroy;

To snatch the untasted cup away,
For which we toiled so many a day.
What, then, remains for wretched man?
To use life's comforts while he can,

Enjoy the blessings Heaven bestows,
Assist his friends, forgive his foes;
Trust God, and keep his statutes still,
Upright and firm, through good and ill;

Thankful for all that God has given,
Fixing his firmest hopes on heaven;
Knowing that earthly joys decay,
But hoping through the darkest day.

A die hard fan of Richard Feynman since I read Surely you are joking and some essays by him. Thus going by the title, had more expectations from the books in terms of the variety and depth of the stories in this one.
This book, in majority has the Arlene (the love of his life) and the NASA commission story. And a few short ones, which were very average.
But Arlene story is filled with emotions, Richard Feynman had found someone who could be as close to perfection for him. The stories of them together, their love, their out of this world bond, which he has written beautifully. And then her death, her loss.
The second major story is him being on the NASA commission for figuring out how the NASA manned space shuttle “challenger” exploded right after its launch. This one gets more scientific and explains the major components of the NASA built shuttle and how they are operated. The commission consisted of formidable figures like, Neil Armstrong, Sally Ride, General Kutyna, etc. From this story, a reader will learn what the title of the book is asking. Why do you care what people think?

I personally find Feynman inspiring for this reason as well, for how Prof Feynman never cared what others think and did everything by the most logical route possible. And when you read the book you will realise why he was always (99.99% times) right in whatever he did.

A brilliant man, I wish more people were taught about figures as him.

The great thing about this one is that he goes into the details of his investigations of the Challenger disaster as part of the government commission, though he writes in such a way that the reader needs a fair bit of contextual awareness to understand it all.

There's also an account of his second visit to Japan. In his first book I noticed that he stayed at a traditional inn in Japan, but he avoided discussing a certain matter that I had wondered about, and I assumed would never know the answer. But no, in this one he came back and answered it. I had been wondering, when he stayed at a ryokan, did he choose one of the ones that had the modern, Western toilets, or did he go traditional with that as well, which basically means squatting over a hole? Turns he he was fine with the tradition! When in Japan I was also presented with this choice and stayed with the modern model. I like tradition, but there are limits.

If there’s one thing I take away every time I read a book from or about Richard Feynman it’s that he stuck to fundamental principles of anything he put his mind to. This book also shows ample glimpses of how his mind worked, and am sure that a lot of advocates of first principles thinking will be drawn to Feynman and his work. I only wish the books could amply decide his genius, to leave a blueprint behind for how to think without having cobwebs in the mind. Coming back to the specifics of the book, it has some rich anecdotes from his childhood which show how his parents ignited intellectual curiosity in him as a young boy while reading to him from books and always translating vague concepts to something more relatable from a child’s perspective. It takes a lot of patience and imagination to simplify things. The book has several other chapters from different parts of his life , but his relationship with his first wife Arlene really touched me.

I liked this a lot, especially the chapters about Feynman's experiences as a commissioner in the Challenger shuttle accident investigation. The last quote by Feynman at the very end stood out and struck me, as a sort of inter-ocular impact:

"It is our responsibility as scientists, knowing the great progress which comes from a satifactory philosophy of ignorance, the great progress which is the fruit of freedom of thought, to proclaim the value of this freedom; to teach how doubt is not to be feared but welcomed and discussed; and to demand this freedom as our duty to all coming generations."

Mr. Feynman was surely NOT joking when he penned that, and I for one will remember his legacy as a scientist and most curious character indeed.

Feynman's stories are so good. If you want to cry, laugh, and understand why the space shuttle was one of the biggest boondoggles in America's space program, you should read this.

Another great addition from Richard Feynman. The section about his involvement on the Presidential commission on the Challenger disaster was the highlight for me

Feynman has influenced my thinking and outlook on many things more than I would like to admit. His curiosity is infectious and the adventures funny and hyperbolic. His writing is a pleasure to read. This sequel to "Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman!": Adventures of a Curious Character is filled with far fewer and often dryer anecdotes. However, the section about Arline is pretty lovely.

If I have to be honest, this was such a refreshing read after hooks. While she tends to sermonise and talk down to you, Feynman (even if he did not write the book himself), tends to want to figure it all out along with us. I personally prefer the approach so much more. Funny and impacting, this will leave you with quite a bit to think about. There was a lot of Physics in one section, but I did get the general idea of most of it. I guess it's the way you narrate (more than teach) anything that makes the difference.

Loved every bit of the words <3
What a curious character he was. It was total fun learning from his delightful, hilarious, flamboyant experiences. However the epilogue touched my mind very profoundly regarding hia contemplations on the value of Science! It was an unfathomable feeling occupied with his ideas.

"We are at the very beginning of time for the human race. It is not unreasonable that we grapple with problems. But there are tens of thousands of years in the future. Our responsibility is to do what we can, learn what we can, improve the solutions, and pass them on."

"If we want to solve a problem that we have never solved before, we must leave the door to the unknown ajar."
- Richard Feynman, What Do You Care What Other People Think?



An interesting book. Not as good as Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman!: Adventures of a Curious Character, but it is still a gem. Part 1 of the book (A Curious Character) contains roughly 9 essays spanning Feynman's life. Some of the essays are expansions of stories and essays from other books. Part 2 (Mr. Feynman Goes to Washington) details Dr. Feynman's time on the Roger's Commission investigating the Challenger accident. While not the Manhattan Project, Feynman's work on the Roger's Commission provides an amazing vehicle for looking at Feynman's unique way of tackling a project. At the end of the book, Feynman includes a beautiful essay on "The Value of Science".

n  n
Richard Feynman was a world-famous physicist who won the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1965 for his contributions to quantum electrodynamics. He is also famous for Feynman Technique and Feynman diagram.
n  n

Feynman discusses more about his family life and his first wife Arline's tragic death in this book. The reason for the challenger disaster was perfectly demonstrated that the material used in the Challenger shuttle's O-rings were less resilient to cold.
n  n
This book is also discussing that topic in depth.

—————————————————————————
n  You can also follow me on n
Instagram ID - Dasfill  | YouTube Channel ID - Dasfill  |  YouTube Health Channel ID - Dasfill - Health |  YouTube Malayalam Channel ID - Dasfill - Malayalam   |  Threads ID - Dasfill  | X ID - Dasfill1  | Snapchat ID - Dasfill  |  Facebook ID - Dasfill |  TikTok ID - Dasfill1