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How ordinary People's Letters Helped Challenger Shuttle Engineer Shed 30 Years Of Guilt
Jim Sides listened to the NPR story in his car in Jacksonville, N.C.
“When I heard he carried a burden of guilt for 30 years, it broke my heart,” Sides, an engineer, says. “And I just sat there in the car in the parking lot and cried.”
Like many engineers who responded to Ebeling’s story, Sides knows what it’s like to present data and face resistance. He’s also certain about who bears responsibility for the decisions that result.
“He and his colleagues stated it very plainly. It was a dangerous day for the launch,” Sides says. “But [Ebeling] was not the decision-maker. He did his job as an engineer. He should not have to carry any guilt.”
Read (or listen to) it all NPR.