Not related per se but for that reason all the more interesting. The Wired article refers to a different 1984 patent grant for another Pragenau invention which

Not related per se but for that reason all the more interesting. The Wired article refers to a different 1984 patent grant for another Pragenau invention which, had it been utilized by NASA, would have prevented the Challenger accident. It seems Pragenau is an un[der]sung hero.