In 1987 I joined NASA HQ in Washington, D.C., to help modify the Space Shuttle program after the Challenger accident. I was hired by what they called Code Q, the brand-new quality and safety organization. Before the accident, the safety related offices were all under the chief engineer and had no direct path to the Administrator and other senior leaders. Code Q was part of improving the agency's oversight of its work.
This is a companion discussion topic for the original entry at https://www.avweb.com/insider/guest-blog-martins-seamaster-may-be-the-reason-the-space-shuttle-had-no-ejection-seats