Aero-News: Quote of the Day

ANN's Quote of the Day usually derives from current news, though we reserve the right to pick quotes out of history that have a bearing on the day's events and issues.

Sometimes, you'll find them timely and in keeping with the content of the day's news... and sometimes, they'll just be thought-provoking.

Reader suggestions and comments are welcome... and if particularly intriguing, timely, or poignant, may themselves become future Quotes of the Day.

Let us hear from you, folks!

Aero-News Quote of the Day

"The feeling is we had better technical expertise here, particularly in the area of the shuttle's thermal protection system. But (Boeing and NASA) ignored us. It's a pretty universal feeling among the California employees."

Source: Anonymous thermal engineer at Boeing's Huntington Beach (CA) facility. For more than 20 years, Huntington Beach provided engineering support for shuttle missions. Boeing tried to relocate the engineers to Houston (TX), but more than 80-percent refused to go. As a result, Columbia's final mission was the first for a new team of engineers who recommended the shuttle was safe to land, even after its left wing leading edge was struck by debris from the shuttle's fuel tank. The Huntington Beach engineers were never called in to consult.

FMI: www.caib.gov