Elon Musk on Recent Failure

For John, BLUF:  When you have been doing something for a long time it is possible for one's sequence of steps to drift, leading to failure.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

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Reporter Melody Petersen, of The LA Times, has a 20 July report, "SpaceX founder Elon Musk blames rocket failure on shoddy part"

SpaceX founder Elon Musk said Monday that the company believes its rocket disintegrated last month after a small steel band purchased from a subcontractor snapped under pressure.

Musk said the investigation's preliminary conclusions point to the 2-foot-long strut that was holding down one of many helium bottles on the rocket's second stage, where the explosion occurred.

“This was a purchased part,” Musk said.  “We just install it at SpaceX.”

But he added that he did not put all fault for the June 28 rocket failure on what appeared to be a shoddy part from a supplier.  He said he believed that SpaceX employees may have become somewhat complacent about quality control because of the firm's repeated successes in recent years.

Complacency is always a problem.  And its twin, paranoia.

Regards  —  Cliff