Paper/Chapter: Appendix F - Personal observations on the reliability of the Shuttle by Richard Feynman

[ferd]

I'm not exactly sure if this fits in here, but the appendix F from the Challenger explosion investigation was a goldmine of engineering principles and how things can go wrong that I could learn from for software.

Included:

• Estimation of failure rates across organizational hierarchy
• Assessing risk (stress testing, certification, reviews)
• Testing and bottom vs. top-to-bottom design of components and their related costs
• Actual computer systems discussion (for safety-critical systems)

I won't be surprised to see it not fit, but it's an interesting read nonetheless.

[mmcgrana]

Interesting suggestion, thanks! I will definitely check it out. I recently finished another Challenger-related book so it will be interesting to compare.