Slighty OT, but still ... Using the lessons from Apollo 13 t

The following is slighty OT as it doesn´t deal with the conspiracy angle, but "merely" with the lessons from Apollo 13. Still ....

Toronto Sun columnist Marianne Meed Ward writes, in a June 10 column on "the importance of working together", the following:

"I have two suggestions. Everyone in government should rent Apollo 13 and study in detail the scene following the "Houston, we have a problem" declaration. Every able-bodied space worker who isn't otherwise occupied is thrown into a room with samples of what the men on the troubled lunar flight have on board, and they try to figure out how to extend the air supply. They are literally trying to fit square pegs into round holes. And they make it work, with a lot of duct tape and co-operation. Sharing brainpower goes much further than intelligence alone ever will.

But if bureaucrats still aren't convinced, they should all be sent back to kindergarten for a day, to witness first-hand how annoying turf warfare, temper tantrums and hoarding the toys can be. And how rewarding co-operation and sharing are. We can't expect such behaviour from our kids if we don't model it ourselves. So let's get going. "

Source: http://www.canoe.ca/Columnists/meedward.html




<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: Cyberspaced on 2002-06-14 11:07 ]</font>

[SpacedOut]

FYI – that Apollo 13 movie scene of dumping the objects on the table to fix the CO2 problem was the seed that created the UK TV series “Junkyard Wars”.

[Darkwing]

I don't have the book with me, but if I remember correctly in the book "Apollo 13" by Jim Lovell and Jeffrey Kluger they state that the LiOH cannister problem was already solved well before the accident by Ed Smiley (I think), a NASA engineer. When he heard that the accident had occurred, he walked into the space center and presented his solution--the "modified" LiOH cannister.

[JayUtah]

The scene was meant to represent the overall approach to solving the problem. That is, a "tiger team" was appointed to work out the various problems. Members of the tiger team were given absolute veto authority over their particular aspect of the mission, and they were given carte blanche to request any resources. If a Tiger asked you to do something, you dropped whatever you were doing and did it. If a Tiger asked you for data, you gave him the raw data with no reservations or margins.

But most importantly, the tiger team was physically segregated in its own workspace. No people popping up with suggestions. No interested onlookers. They had a place where they could work isolated from distraction.

If we wish to extend this analogy to government, our leaders don't have this luxury. They must deal with distraction -- with helpful suggestions and interested onlookers. And this is a requirement of democracy. Unfortunately space operations is not a democracy, nor should it be. It is a benevolent dictatorship headed by the flight director.

[ZaphodBeeblebrox]

On 2002-06-14 13:41, JayUtah wrote:
If we wish to extend this analogy to government, our leaders don't have this luxury. They must deal with distraction -- with helpful suggestions and interested onlookers. And this is a requirement of democracy. Unfortunately space operations is not a democracy, nor should it be. It is a benevolent dictatorship headed by the flight director.

Also unfortunately, The Benevolent Dictatorship, Has to be Nested within a Larger Democracy, that must be Answerable, to All of The Dictatorship's, uh, Discretions.

It's the Absolute, Nastiest, of All Governmental, Catch 22s!

[Espritch]

And they make it work, with a lot of duct tape and co-operation.

Wow! Is there anything duct tape can't do? [img]/phpBB/images/smiles/icon_smile.gif[/img]

[David Hall]

On 2002-06-15 09:38, Espritch wrote:

Wow! Is there anything duct tape can't do? [img]/phpBB/images/smiles/icon_smile.gif[/img]

What was that I heard recently (maybe somewhere else on this board)? A handyman really only needs 2 things: WD-40 and duct tape. If it moves and it's not supposed to, you use the duct tape. If it doesn't move and it's supposed to, you use the WD-40. [img]/phpBB/images/smiles/icon_biggrin.gif[/img]


One of the strangest things to ever happen to me was when I was in university and some of us were fixing up a house we were going to move into. We actually used duct tape... on a duct!!!!! [img]/phpBB/images/smiles/icon_eek.gif[/img] [img]/phpBB/images/smiles/icon_razz.gif[/img] [img]/phpBB/images/smiles/icon_eek.gif[/img]

Also visit The Duct Tape Guys:

http://www.octanecreative.com/ducttape/index.html

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: Cyberspaced on 2002-06-15 11:53 ]</font>

[Kaptain K]

Wow! Is there anything duct tape can't do?

Yes. Back in the 70s, my brother's dog's tail got broken. A friend (accidently) stepped on it. Being musicians, the friend and my brother "fixed" it with duct tape. The dog wound up with a stump tail. The veterinarian had to cut it off after gangrene set in. The dog did live a long and presumably happy, if tailess life.

[JayUtah]

Today's space tape is not duct tape. Yes, heavy tape is sent aloft, but it's what's known as "gaff tape" or "gaffer tape" to the entertainment industry -- the tape used to secure cables to surfaces. It's manufacturd by Shure and sold under the trade name Shuretape at an exorbitant price.

It's a densely-woven cloth tape with the same sort of strong adhesive and a thin coating of insulative material. It's nearly fireproof and you can tear it with your fingernails. Most happily, the adhesive doesn't usually leave a residue behind. I use it for all my duct-tape needs. Well, except for taping ducts, at which it's fairly mediocre.

[ZaphodBeeblebrox]

On 2002-06-15 11:04, David Hall wrote:
One of the strangest things to ever happen to me was when I was in university and some of us were fixing up a house we were going to move into. We actually used duct tape... on a duct!!!!! [img]/phpBB/images/smiles/icon_eek.gif[/img] [img]/phpBB/images/smiles/icon_razz.gif[/img] [img]/phpBB/images/smiles/icon_eek.gif[/img]

You Rebel, you!

Is Nothing Sacred, Anymore?

[infocusinc]

Ah yes...Gaffers Tape! Gotta have that stuff. It is so overpriced its nuts! Also overpriced but very handy is Black Photographic masking tape. Its opaque and has tons of uses and costs $8 a roll. And its just black masking tape! Like many of the simple gadgets for photography its way overpriced. Like the $50 right angle cable release adapter for a Hasselblad...

[Wally]

On 2002-06-15 11:04, David Hall wrote:

On 2002-06-15 09:38, Espritch wrote:

Wow! Is there anything duct tape can't do? [img]/phpBB/images/smiles/icon_smile.gif[/img]

What was that I heard recently (maybe somewhere else on this board)? A handyman really only needs 2 things: WD-40 and duct tape. If it moves and it's not supposed to, you use the duct tape. If it doesn't move and it's supposed to, you use the WD-40. [img]/phpBB/images/smiles/icon_biggrin.gif[/img]


One of the strangest things to ever happen to me was when I was in university and some of us were fixing up a house we were going to move into. We actually used duct tape... on a duct!!!!! [img]/phpBB/images/smiles/icon_eek.gif[/img] [img]/phpBB/images/smiles/icon_razz.gif[/img] [img]/phpBB/images/smiles/icon_eek.gif[/img]

I crew on a sailboat that races on Lake Michigan. This is a well known and commonly stated fact! However, it's often put to the test. Once, when the edge of one of the sails was flapping in the wind, creating a heck of an annoying helicopter-like noise, one of the crew asked, "so, how do you fix that with duct tape???". My answer? Rip off a couple small pieces, wad them into balls, and shove them in your ears!

Yep. Works for everything!