Glad to see Jim included the "EPA banned the putty - shuttle blew up" myth. It certainly is out there. Diane Vaughn, author of _The Challenger Launch Decision_, gave a talk at my grad program, and the Q&A was quickly taken over by some old guy from another dept who badgered her about the asbestos putty. In his view, the whole schedule pressure / management decision making issue was bunk, it was those damn environmentalists who killed the astronauts sure as if they'd shot 'em.

On a side note, that was one of the fun things about MIT. When a grouchy, disheveled old guy showed up a talk asking kooky questions, you never knew if he was a homeless guy who wandered in off the street, or an emeritus faculty member....