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I’ve not been paying detail attention to the recent shuttle mission. I figure the NASA people run this thing 24/7 and I don’t. They are intimately involved and I’m not. I have delegated responsibility to them.
But two recent utterances from Commander Eileen Collins have breached my sensitivity threshold.
The first was a couple of days ago, when they were discussing some of the unexpected events of the lift-off with the foam and all. I was surprised to hear her complaining about the situation. I found it unseemly for the commanding officer to whine, in public.
I’m old enough to remember the original seven astronauts. Given the same situation, I can guarantee they would not have publicly voiced any concerns. They would have expressed complete confidence in NASA and the whole team.
Now, once they had hung up on the public discussion and they were back to a private conversation with NASA they may very well have ripped someone a new one. But they would have done that in private.
A man of honor does not complain or whine about his circumstances. He does everything within his power to alter his circumstances and never quits, even if he dies in the attempt.
Leadership and honor demand you criticize in private and give accolades in public.
Now she’s complaining about the environment. Sheesh. What does that have to do with the mission? Doesn’t she have any other work to do up there?
The first seven astronauts completly personified the right stuff. I don’t think Collins does. To me, she sounds so stereotypical female.
Posted by The Vorlon at August 4, 2005 9:33 PMMy sentiments are with Commander Collins - to complain about serious situations is something that leaders need to do and she is a leader. Thankfully the mission has completed successfully - making a complaint is the prerogative of all free people.
Posted by: Phil Droney at August 9, 2005 4:35 PMThere are only two truly stereotypcial female attributes. (1) They like to have babies and mother. (2) They are more verbal than men.
While not an astronaut, I was a professional pilot (business jets) for 17 years. (Now in the much more stable institutional investment management business.) My pilot training at Middle Tenn State University, American Airlines Flight Training Academy, Beechcraft, Learjet, FlightSafety and Simuflite incorporated a lot about crew leadership and crew coordination, especially in handling abnormal and emergency situations in the cockpit during flight operations. As you know, in civilian operations (i.e. where there's no such thing as giving orders) it's all about leadership. One of the leadership techniques I learned was to allow those whom you're leading to know that you, too, are aware of the problem AND to commiserate momentarily about the situation. This (a) enables the crew to indentify with you in the problem, and (b) which usually instantly puts leader and crew on the same frequency. It's like, "Oh (insert favorite expletive) here we go again...you'd think they could get this right after three tries. Well, you know the drill, let's get after it." If this comes from a man it's leadership. If this comes from a woman it's whining??? Furthermore, her "whining" gave her crediblity, because in my circle of pilots, the Space Shuttle has already proven to be too fragile as an aircraft to be operated safely. In civilian aviation, it might even be considered unairworthy. One certainly wouldn't buy an aircraft for commercial operations with a safety record of the shuttle. I have long wondered if our astronaut corp consists of a bunch of naieve and gullable dupes who have drank too much NASA Kool-Aid. They continue to climb aboard a type that has disentigrated twice in less than 500 flights! To hear Collins complain like that makes me think they too are doubting the Shuttle's integrity and it gives her some credibility. Maybe the astronauts should unionize and demand a safe aircraft be built before putting their lives at risk again.
In closing, some of your comments make you sound envious of her.
Posted by: Joseph W. Sloan at August 10, 2005 9:32 AMWhen I think of test pilots I think of Chuck Yeager. I wonder what he would have done/said in the same circumstance.
Posted by: Ted at August 10, 2005 8:27 PMTed,
I agree with you 100%. She should have kept her mouth shut until she was behind closed doors with NASA.
Posted by: Reb Orrell at August 12, 2005 7:22 AM