(Tom Merkle) wrote:

(Derek Lyons) wrote in message ...
h (Rand Simberg) wrote:
Fox: "In avoiding risk, we almost ensure failure." In some ways,
that's the most important message.

And of course, the Langley vs Wright theme (analogy with government
versus private theme) prevailed throughout.

Hyman Rickover may debate you on that. The conspicuous *lack* of
failure in Naval Reactors compared with the well documented
failures[1] of commercial reactors provides an interesting counterpart
to your themes.

frickin' nukes. Always worshipping at the altar of Hyman G.

First off, I wasn't a nuke, I was a coner. Specifically I was a
strategic weaponeer. (And believe me, there's even less love lost
between weaponeers and nukes than between the sonar girls and the evap
operator. If you ever draw SSBN duty, you'll be in for a surprise.
Or probably not in today's kinder/gentler Navy.) Also, I was
enlisted, not O-ganger, and things look different down on the
deckplates.

The point wasn't really a government vs. private thing, it's a focused,
incremental effort thing vs. a 'perfect end product on the first try'
thing. Both government and private programs are easily capable of
selling out this way.

However, Naval Reactors was *both*. Focused incremental development
of components, then a leap to full scale testing with the MKI/STR/S1W,
then a leap to a 'perfect on the first try' MKII/S2W. (Was the MKI
the SIR or the STR? I could fetch the book, but it does not really
matter.) There was nothing incremental about Rickover's program, it
more resembled the Saturn V [1] than the Wright Flyer.

[1] Test and verify components, build and operate a full scale
prototype, commit humans to ride the third SV, the second nuclear
power plant.

D.
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