I attempted to cite this story yesterday but it was temporarily unavailable on ComputerWeekly's website. Since then, Erik van Bekkum in his blog "It's all about people and networks" has taken an interest in this topic via my additional posting on intranets.com and nasa... And so, here it is again with an unbroken link:
Report: Knowledge management failures central to Shuttle disaster
"Knowledge management systems failures played a major role in February's Columbia space shuttle disaster, the final report of an official investigation has claimed.
NASA's reliance on informal communications to manage space shuttle operations - coupled with the agency's insular culture - turned risk and danger into disaster according to the Columbia Accident Investigation Board.
The report also questioned whether a more efficient and interactive form of communications and information sharing would have made a difference, given NASA's dysfunctional corporate culture."
K-Collector