Space/Science — HabitableZone

Space/Science » in reply to a comment on the go for shuttle launch

Intermittent problems are tough to fix
Larry J — (archived)

When I was an electronics technician many years ago, I hated it when I got a system that was experiencing intermittent problems. If the problem isn't manifesting itself, you can't find and fix it. One of my textbooks actually recommended striking such units (like they did with the Apollo 12 camera) and trying to actually break it. Once it's broken, it's easier to fix it. The other alternative was to constantly poke and flex the unit until you could find the problem. That could take a while.

I'll bet the same applies to medical problems - if your condition isn't active when you see the doctor, he/she'll have a hard time identifying the problem. They can run a lot of expensive tests (poking and flexing you), but that doesn't always identify the problem. My wife had something similar happen to her a couple months ago. She checked herself into the emergency room with shortness of breath and chest pains. They ruled out a heart attack but never could figure out what caused the problem.

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