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I got to eat lunch with Allan Macdonald in college. I was an IEEE officer and we hosted him for a talk at Montana State, so I got to take him out for lunch before his talk.

Dude got a lunch beer without a second though. (My man!)

He then gave a talk that afternoon talking about interrupting a closed session of the Challenger commission to gainsay a Thiokol VP. The VP in question testified to Congress that he wasn't aware of any launch risks. Macdonald stood up, went to the aisle, and said something to the effect of "Mr. Yeager, that is not true - this man was informed of the risks multiple times before the launch. I was the one that told him." (He was addressing Chuck Yeager, btw. Yeah, that Chuck Yeager.)

No mean feat to have the stones to interrupt a congressional hearing stacked with America's aviation and space heavyweights.



> to gainsay a Thiokol VP

My understanding is that it was the NASA manager, Larry Mulloy, who had given the go for launch for the SRBs.


isn't lying to congress a crime? was there documented proof of the notification or was it just a he said / he said situation?




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