Richard Cook is a former federal government analyst who was one of the key figures in the investigation of the space shuttle Challenger disaster.
In 1985, he went to work for NASA as the lead resource analyst for the space shuttle solid rocket boosters, external tank, and Centaur upper stage. Cook’s first assignment led to his writing a memo on engineers’ concerns that flaws with the solid rocket booster O-ring seals could cause the shuttle to blow up. In 1986, after the Challenger disaster, he disrupted a NASA cover-up when he provided his memo, along with other documents on the hazards of the O-rings, to the New York Times. His disclosures paved the way for revelations by engineers from Morton Thiokol, Inc., about how they opposed the launch of Challenger the night before lift-off.
Called to testify before the Presidential Commission at an internationally televised public hearing, Cook stood his ground when his experience and competence were challenged. He continued to contribute to the investigation during interviews with Commission staff and the NASA Office of Inspector General and in meetings with Senator Ernest Hollings, who was trying to raise issues before the Senate on whether there had been White House pressure to launch Challenger.
In addition to extensive interviews with the media after the disaster, Cook published articles in the Washington Post, Washington Monthly, Space and Security News, and the Houston Post; gave a press conference with the Institute of Space and Security Studies, where he said that the Presidential Commission had been created to cover-up the role of the White House in the launch decision; and wrote a report which he submitted to the U.S. Justice Department with a request for a new investigation. In 1991, he was the recipient of the Cavallo Foundation Award for Moral Courage in Business and Government, sharing the award with Roger Boisjoly of Morton Thiokol.
Before joining NASA, Cook worked as an analyst for the U.S. Civil Service Commission, where he received extensive training in federal government operations. He then worked for the Food and Drug Administration and next served in the Jimmy Carter White House under Esther Peterson, special assistant to the president for consumer affairs. He also taught history at the Field School, a private high school in Washington, D.C.
Cook left NASA to become an analyst with the U.S. Treasury Department in 1986. There he developed and taught training courses on policy analysis and led project teams on financial policy and organizational restructuring. He authored Challenger Revealed- An Insider’s Account of How the Reagan Administration Caused the Greatest Tragedy of the Space Age in 2006. He retired from the federal government in January 2007 and works today as a writer, lecturer, and consultant. His website is richardccook.com.
Cook graduated with honors from the College of William and Mary, where he was elected to Phi Beta Kappa. He resides in College Park, Maryland.
One of his areas of interest has been the monetary system and he has written a series of articles about the current financial crisis including- Extraordinary Times, Intentional Collapse, and Takedown of the U.S.A., Has the Battle for America Begun?, and An Emergency Program of Monetary Reform for the United States.
He spoke recently on Will We See the End of the Empire in Our Time? at the Building a New World Conference". His forthcoming book is entitled We Hold These Truths: The Hope of Monetary Reform and he can be contacted regarding the book at economicsanity@gmail.com.
Richard spoke about the current crisis we're in, particularly what is not reported in the press or widely understood by the public about money creation, debt, and credit and the financial shenanigans that are impoverishing the country. He also oferred his ideas for monetary reform, including the abolition of the Federal Reserve, national control over the creation of credit and a citizen's dividend.
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Richard C. Cook's website is: http://www.richardccook.com
Source: We The People Radio Network (WTPRN)
Aired: 6/03/08 12:00 AM
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