Comments on: Criminal charges against Russian workers who caused Proton failure

By: David M. Cook

David M. Cook — Fri, 29 May 2015 22:34:36 +0000

Didn’t the Stardust mission have the same type of failure? This probe was supposed to open a parachute and then be snatched in mid-air by a helicopter. As I understand it, the G-sensor was mounted upside down and, unable to detect the increasing gravity, did not pop the ‘chute. Happens to the best of us. Perhaps if the Soviet (I mean Russian) government paid it’s workers something more than starvation wages their performance would improve. Just sayin’!

By: PeterF

PeterF — Thu, 28 May 2015 17:06:51 +0000

In reply to Ralph Gardner.

Or at least a “This end up” sticker.
Of course that only works if the technician can read and cares what it says. ref: “A Christmas Story” when the “Major Award” is delivered.

By: Ralph Gardner

Ralph Gardner — Wed, 27 May 2015 19:11:35 +0000

Why prey tell didn’t the designers design the sensor with three fastners arranged in a triangle so that the sensor could not be mounted the wrong way in the first place? They ignored the true phrasing of Murphy’s law, which is “If there are two or more ways to do something and one of them will lead to total diaster, they som technichian will do it that way.” Don’t blame the techs for bad design.