The AoS Lifestyle Hits DARPA! [Jack M.]

The result? The loss of a multi-million dollar rocket.

"What's the AoS Lifestyle got to do with rocket science?" you may be asking yourselves. Beats me, but check out the headline to the story:

"Falcon 1 Failure Traced to a Busted Nut"

A busted nut? Really? But that isn't even proper English is it? I guess it is, because the lead paragraph cites this as the cause too, and some editor approved its usage.

A busted nut, not human error, is to blame for the fuel leak that doomed the Falcon 1 rocket on its maiden flight, according to the findings of a government review board chartered to investigate the March 24 launch failure.

So, let me get this straight. All these years I thought that busting a nut on maidens (opportunities that are exceedingly rare for those who, like me, are full adherents to the AoS Lifestyle) was a GOOD thing. Now I'm being told that it can cause havok and destruction of almost unparalleled dimensions.

Which, come to think of it, so can the AoS Lifestyle. So maybe my surprise is misplaced.

I don't even know what the following paragraph in the story means, but it sounds pretty kinky to me. Anyone know how to get in touch with Fiesty for some "expert analysis"?

Musk said an inspection conducted the day before the launch found that the nut was still intact and holding its pipe fitting securely in place. Rocket parts recovered after the accident show that nut’s lock wire was still attached, an indication that technicians working on the rocket the day before had properly tightened the pipe fitting before closing up.

Since I've never been accused of splitting atoms with my mind, I'll just assume that that paragraph is a geeky/Mrs. Peel way of saying "better living through science!". And if it isn't? Please don't ruin it for me.

Really. I haven't got much. It would just be cruel to take this away.

posted by Ace at 06:57 PM

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