I hope NASA doesn't think that an investment in overpriced modeling software alone would have stopped the shuttle disaster...

Microsoft Excel is really a very powerful modeling tool if the data analysis toolpacks and add-ins are installed.

You can even do multiple regression analysis with up to 16 independent variables...probably more variables than most "fancy" (and therefore expensive) models include...And if you are a creative programer in visual basic, I'm sure you could find a way arounf even that restriction...

If the models were flawed, it was likely that they were flawed for reason other than the underlying modeling software: For example, some critical variable like cryogenic tempatures were left out of the model...If thats true, then thats an engineering oversight that would have been present in the model no matter what applications software was used.

Scott