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  Thiokol engineer Roger Boisjoly (1938-2012) (Page 1)

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Author Topic:   Thiokol engineer Roger Boisjoly (1938-2012)
garyd2831
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posted 02-01-2012 09:39 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for garyd2831   Click Here to Email garyd2831     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Seeing how the other day was the anniversary of the Challenger disaster, I decided to conduct a Google search on Roger Boisjoly who was part of Morton Thiokol's SRB O-ring task force and read that he passed away on Jan 6, 2012, at age 73.
Roger M. Boisjoly (1938-2012) was a mechanical engineer, fluid dynamicist and an aerodynamicist who worked for Morton Thiokol, the manufacturer of the solid rocket boosters for the Space Shuttle program. He is best known for raising objections to the launch of the Space Shuttle Challenger the day before the loss of the spacecraft and its crew.
Editor's note: The New York Times published an obituary on Friday, Feb. 3.
Mr. Boisjoly (pronounced like Beaujolais wine) died in Nephi, Utah, near Provo, on Jan. 6. He was 73. His death was reported only locally at the time. He lived in southwest Utah, in St. George. His wife, Roberta, said he recently learned he had cancer in his colon, kidneys and liver.

Until the Challenger disaster, Mr. Boisjoly was known in his field as a crackerjack troubleshooter who had worked for companies in California on lunar module life-support systems and the moon vehicle. In 1980, he accepted a cut in pay to move with his family to Utah to deepen his involvement in the Mormon religion and to join Morton Thiokol.

After the Challenger explosion, Mr. Boisjoly gave a presidential commission investigating the disaster internal corporate documents. His disclosure of the internal memo he had written six months before the disaster was regarded as a bombshell...

A moment of silence can be signified by a reply with no words and only a period.

Lasv3
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posted 02-01-2012 10:56 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for Lasv3   Click Here to Email Lasv3     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
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KSCartist
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posted 02-01-2012 10:59 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for KSCartist   Click Here to Email KSCartist     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
I hope he went to his rest knowing he did all he could. God Bless him and his family.

sts205cdr
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posted 02-01-2012 11:57 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for sts205cdr   Click Here to Email sts205cdr     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
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Gilbert
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posted 02-01-2012 12:14 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Gilbert   Click Here to Email Gilbert     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
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dom
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posted 02-01-2012 12:18 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for dom   Click Here to Email dom     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
A good man who you always felt carried the tragedy on his shoulders...

garymilgrom
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posted 02-01-2012 12:40 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for garymilgrom   Click Here to Email garymilgrom     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
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kr4mula
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posted 02-01-2012 12:48 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for kr4mula   Click Here to Email kr4mula     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
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randy
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posted 02-01-2012 01:35 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for randy   Click Here to Email randy     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
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Delta7
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posted 02-01-2012 02:48 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Delta7   Click Here to Email Delta7     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
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apollo11lem5
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posted 02-01-2012 04:18 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for apollo11lem5   Click Here to Email apollo11lem5     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Roger was a true American patriot and personally I am very saddened to hear of Roger's passing. His life was pretty much ruined for doing the right thing. I will deeply miss his occasional phone call. He was an American treasure in the truest sense of the word! He was truly touched by a kind word of praise. Godspeed Roger.

onesmallstep
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Michael Davis
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ea757grrl
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MB
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Jeff
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GACspaceguy
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jasonelam
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Richard Rogers
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brianjbradley
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posted 02-01-2012 09:47 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for brianjbradley   Click Here to Email brianjbradley     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
HIs whistle-blowing about the o-rings and continuing to spread the message of safety took real courage.

dss65
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mach3valkyrie
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posted 02-01-2012 10:22 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for mach3valkyrie   Click Here to Email mach3valkyrie     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
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capoetc
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Jay Gallentine
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posted 02-01-2012 10:53 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Jay Gallentine   Click Here to Email Jay Gallentine     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Ugh. This is terrible news.

Over a decade ago, I corresponded very briefly with Mr. Boisjoly. He was an immensely gracious man. Below, completely unedited, are a few of the comments he made which I think reveal much about the kind of man he was.

I characterize myself as an ordinary man who was a good engineer that just happened to be placed into an extraordinary situation and who responded like I had always done for the previous 27 years of my aerospace career - standing up for what I knew was the right thing to do.

I want you to also know that although I wouldn't wish what I went through on anyone else, I wouldn't change it for me because the experience has made me an even better person and I have fully weathered the storm.

And yes, I would do it again in a heart beat if put into a similar situation today.

David Carey
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posted 02-01-2012 11:38 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for David Carey   Click Here to Email David Carey     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
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hlbjr
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irish guy
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ApolloAlex
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posted 02-02-2012 10:52 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for ApolloAlex   Click Here to Email ApolloAlex     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
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Kite
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garyd2831
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posted 02-02-2012 12:47 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for garyd2831   Click Here to Email garyd2831     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
While I was only 8 years old at the time of the accident, I remember hearing about Roger and his role in the SRB O-ring situation and learned more about him over time.

This was gentleman who had ethics, integrity, morals, responsibility and self will to try and do the right thing. I only wish this world had more people like Roger Boisjoly.

I truly was saddened to read yesterday that he had passed just last month as I was doing a little more research on the Challenger accident. This is a topic of great interest and passion to me because I will always remember that day.

Sy Liebergot
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posted 02-02-2012 01:32 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Sy Liebergot   Click Here to Email Sy Liebergot     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
quote:
Originally posted by garyd2831:
This was gentleman who had ethics, integrity, morals, responsibility and self will to try and do the right thing. I only wish this world had more people like Roger Boisjoly.
I agree. I use Roger as the perfect example of "doing all the right things" in my "Ethics In Engineering" lecture. RIP.

413 is in
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tegwilym
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posted 02-02-2012 03:38 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for tegwilym   Click Here to Email tegwilym     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
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Roger was a hero for trying to save Challenger. A good guy.

dogcrew5369
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posted 02-03-2012 04:44 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for dogcrew5369   Click Here to Email dogcrew5369     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
He did it right. RIP.

machbusterman
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posted 02-04-2012 03:58 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for machbusterman   Click Here to Email machbusterman     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
A terrible way for someone to die, particularly when Roger himself went out on a limb and tried to prevent what turned out to be a national tragedy. The Challenger disaster was completely avoidable. The Morton Thiokol management knew the risks but advised NASA the data regarding the risks were inconclusive and when asked did not object to the launch.

Godspeed and RIP Mr Boisjoly.

Joel Katzowitz
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posted 02-04-2012 08:02 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for Joel Katzowitz   Click Here to Email Joel Katzowitz     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
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issman1
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posted 02-04-2012 01:25 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for issman1     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
I don't know what was more sad, the fact that Mr. Boisjoly was shunned by his co-workers or that only Sally Ride, then with NASA, thanked him for his courage in exposing his bosses in 1986.

But history was repeated 17 years later.

Jay Chladek
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posted 02-04-2012 02:31 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Jay Chladek   Click Here to Email Jay Chladek     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
I hope Roger finally is at peace. It sounds like he made peace with his demons a few years ago, but now he really can rest in peace.

Reading "Truth, Lies and O-Rings" by Allan McDonald revealed a lot of factual data about the whole Challenger situation and what went on before and after. If you have not read that book, I urge you to pick up a copy as it really pulls no punches or tries to spin it into anything more than it is.

Considering Roger and Allan McDonald were the whistle-blowers on the O-ring situation, it is sad how Roger's post Challenger life was different from Allan's. Allan stuck it out at Thiokol for many years while Roger got out much sooner and it seems as though he got destroyed by the whole thing (with some of the damage being self inflicted). Allan said in his book that he believes the reason why that happened was Roger kept blaming himself and feeling like he should have done more and it ended up destroying him inside.

rjb1elec
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posted 02-04-2012 03:23 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for rjb1elec   Click Here to Email rjb1elec     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
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East-Frisian
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