“Go fever” is the pressure to finish a project at the expense of safety, seen in many industries including space. NASA has experienced dangerous consequences, such as the loss of spacecraft. Precautionary measures include setting up independent teams to evaluate projects at various stages.
The term “go fever” is used in the space industry to describe a push to finish a project, sometimes at the expense of safety. Many things contribute to this phenomenon, such as pressure from government officials to achieve a goal or a genuine desire to get a project done no matter what problems are encountered, but it can have dangerous consequences. For the US National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), some more spectacular examples of the cost of go fever include the fire of Apollo One, the near loss of Apollo 13, the explosion of the Space Shuttle Challenger and the loss of the Space Shuttle. Columbia Shuttle.
Found in many industries
Go fever is certainly not unique to the space industry; many industries experience similar pressure to complete projects, and when coupled with a willingness to overlook hazards and safety concerns, the result can sometimes be tragic. The space industry perhaps illustrates the go fever more prominently than other industries due to the vast interest in space and getting people into space; decades after humans first landed on the moon, people eagerly follow the launch of spacecraft and hail astronauts as heroes. The loss of spacecraft isn’t just seen as a setback to the space industry, it’s treated as a national loss.
Contributing factors
Agencies like NASA have attempted to protect themselves from go fever. Before any spacecraft launches, a large team assesses the situation, and the launch may be canceled if the team has any concerns. However, the pressure to make the roll can be quite intense. Launch schedules are extremely complicated, and a decision to scratch a launch can result in schedules being disrupted for months or years to come. The decision to cancel a launch is also costly and this can be another fever factor.
The race to the moon
Some people use the run to the moon in the 1960s to illustrate go fever at its peak. The race to the moon was made even more complex because it was tied to the Cold War rivalries between the United States and the Soviet Union, and when US President John F. Kennedy declared that humans would walk on the moon within the decade by the early 1960s, the pressure was on. Many scientists and other professionals worked overtime for years so that Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin could get on the moon in 1969.
Precautionary measures
One of the best ways for people to protect themselves from go fever in any industry is to set up several independent teams to evaluate a project at various stages. At each stage, these teams should ensure that the project is still safe and practical. By isolating teams from each other and from pressure from above, people can be confident that it is safe to proceed on a project with an ambitious goal.
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