I'm not so sure it is over the top. We're looking back after the fact. Think about it before the fact. Ebeling knew that it was the coldest that a launch was be

I'm not so sure it is over the top. We're looking back after the fact. Think about it before the fact. Ebeling knew that it was the coldest that a launch was being attempted, the o-rings didn't seal in that weather, and so he knows something is going to happen, so what's the worst thing that goes through his mind? Total catastrophic failure. I don't think it was a prediction so much as a combination of gut instinct and panic knowing the shuttle should not launch.