 Gene Kranz called a meeting of his staff in Mission Control three days after the accident , delivering a speech which has subsequently become one of NASA 's principles . Speaking of the errors and overall attitude surrounding the Apollo program before the accident , he stated : " We were too ' gung @-@ ho ' about the schedule and we blocked out all of the problems we saw each day in our work . Every element of the program was in trouble and so were we . " He reminded the team of the perils and mercilessness of their endeavor , and stated the new requirement that every member of every team in mission control be " tough and competent " , requiring nothing less than perfection throughout NASA 's programs . In 2003 , following the Space Shuttle Columbia disaster , NASA administrator Sean O 'Keefe quoted Kranz 's speech , applying it to the Columbia crew . 
