Example: how NASA wastes resources

[Dr Mordrid]

NASA KSC actually did a full-blown failure analysis of an old piece of office furniture that broke. That's right - an old office chair broke and they did a full-bore failure analysis including imagery using a Scanning Electron Microscope.

It would be one thing if this were an isolated incident, maybe even funny, but it isn't - this stuff happens all the time.

Document (PDF)....

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A 17 year old EckAdams model number 5353 chair was submitted for failure analysis when the cylinder of the chair failed during use. Both macroscopic and microscopic indications of fatigue were observed on the cylinder fracture surface, indicating that the cylinder progressively failed due to the bending stresses imparted on the cylinder during a reclining motion. The stress on the cylinder was likely exacerbated by failed welds that were observed between the chair back mounting plate and the base plate, which ....
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[KRSESQ]

Bored rocket scientists getting their geek on?

Gotta stay sharp somehow.

[Dr Mordrid]

Nope - not a geek-on practice run, it was published in all seriousness with a ton of official documents.

[degrub]

depends, sometimes these are used for training purposes for the less experienced, since failures are not all that common, however well documented in literature.

[VJ]

I tend to agree with degrub. Random failures are a great study subject, and are probably more natural than simulated failures.