My “Death by Environmentalism“ article on the Mises page still generates controversy, as it has been reprinted, translated into Spanish, and generally circulated. It has also been a source of problems to me, as one environmentalist emailed our president and demanded I be fired. (She graciously declined to do so.)
However, I find that I was partly in error over the issue of asbestos and the putty used to seal the O-rings that failed Challenger in 1986. (I mistakenly said that the O-rings were made of putty.) The substitute putty that failed also had asbestos, but was made by a different manufacturer. Here is an article written by Malcolm Ross in 1996 that helps clear up the situation, something he sent personally to me September 3.
Yes, environmentalism indirectly (but not directly) led to the Challenger’s demise. My apologies for not being more accurate.
