1.0 Introduction
Seventy three seconds into its 10th flight, on January 28, 1986, the Space Shuttle Challenger broke apart over the Atlantic Ocean, killing the seven crew members on board [1]. The Challenger was the second space shuttle constructed by NASA and had completed nine successful missions prior to the disaster. Following the accident, the shuttle program was suspended for 32 months as President Ronald Regan appointed a Commission, chaired by William P. Rogers and known as the Rogers Commission, to investigate the cause of the accident [1].
The analysis in this report will include a summary of the sequence of events leading up to the disaster, analysis of the professional ethical behaviours and responsibilities that were compromised, and finally the lessons learned and recommendations to avoid such future disasters.
2.0 Sequence of Events
The Challenger space shuttle was originally scheduled to be launched from the Kennedy Space Center on January 22, 1986; however, due to delays with the previous mission, issues with the weather, and failure of some mechanical and electrical components, the launch was delayed until January 28, 1986 [2].
The forecast, however, predicted a cold morning with temperatures of -1°C, which according to technical specifications, was the lowest permissible temperature for launch. The cold temperature caused concern for two of the shuttle’s primary contractors, Morton Thiokol and Rockwell International, as the launch structure was covered with ice and the joint design in the Solid Rocket Booster (SRB) was suspected to perform poorly in cold temperatures [2].
In the mid-1980’s, the shuttle space program was the focus of the political media since it had failed to deliver on its exp...
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...lenger inquiry” [online], World Socialist Web Site, May 6, 2003 [cited March 16, 2010], available from World Wide Web:
[4] Joseph P. Kerwin, “Report to Admiral Truly”, [online], Washington, DC.: National Aeronautics and Space Administration, July 28, 1986 [cited March 16, 2010], available from World Wide Web:
[5] Roger M. Boisjoly, “Telecon Meeting (Ethical Decisions – Morton Thiokol and the Challenger Disaster)” [online], Washington, DC.: National Academy of Engineering, May 15, 2006 [cited March 16, 2010], available from World Wide Web:
[6] Gordon Andrews et al, Introduction to Professional Engineering in Canada, 3rd ed., Toronto, Ont.: Pearson Education Canada, 2006.
The failure was due to a faulty design unacceptably sensitive to a number of factors. (NASA, n/d)
The United Space endured a long, competitive, tumultuous, and primed-to-explode relationship with the Soviet Union since its inception. The Space Race was perhaps the greatest spectacle of scientific engineering in the first 5.755 millennia. The U.S. had to reclaim its superior status after the Soviets launched Sputnick I into orbit on October, 4, 1957, and launched Yuri Gagarin into space on April 12, 1961 as the first human in space. Kennedy knew that the American people wanted a victory in the space race, and realized that, being so far away, the United Space could achieve it. Then, on September 12, 1962, President Kennedy gave the “Address at Rice University on the Nation's Space Effort”. This address is best known by this paragraph:
Many things happened before the challenger exploded into fire. The cost of the space shuttle was around 1.2 billion. (Hanson 26+) To avoid disaster and any troubles, millions of dollars were wasted in attempt to keep the Challenger safe. Many things like Space simulation for failure, computer shut downs, engine failures, and many things along those lines. We all know that it didn't succeed. The Challenger made lift off at Cape Canaveral, Florida. In 1949, this site had been the area where the Air Force tested missiles and missile systems. Many of NASA's shuttles were launched out from here including Gemini and Apollo flights. From 1963 to 1973, the Shuttle site was changed to “Cape Kennedy” in memory of President Kennedy. The Space Shuttle was delayed six days prior to the event, due to rainfall and cold weather exceeding launch regulations. (“Challenger Disaster”). Mil...
It took NASA a couple years to resume its flight to orbit. The catastrophe of the space shuttle challenger shook them up and have rethink their procedures and methods of operation. NASA, improve or I should say worked on developing its shuttle management structure, its shuttle safety panel, critical review and hazard policy, communication, safety organization and many more.
A. The Space Age at the Grass Roots: NASA, Cleveland, 1958-1990. (2006): 114, http://www.jstor.org/stable/40643956 (accessed April 18, 2014). Kennedy, John F. “1962 Rice University Transcript.” John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum.
Martin, M.W. and Schinzinger, R. (2005) Ethics in Engineering. 4th ed. New York: McGraw Hill.
During the time of preparation, NASA administration was very adamant about launching the Challenger because of “economic consideration, political pressures, and scheduling backlogs” (The Engineer, 2006). There were prior missions that were delayed due to various reasons associated with the weather and mechanical factors. Several mechanisms on the Challenger were not as suitable as they should have been due to decisions made during the design process. These decisions were determined by the lack of timely funding during the design and development process of the shuttle. However, when it came to the launch of Challenger, NASA wanted to press fo...
The Challenger disaster of 1986 was a shock felt around the country. During liftoff, the shuttle exploded, creating a fireball in the sky. The seven astronauts on board were killed and the shuttle was obliterated. Immediately after the catastrophe, blame was spread to various people who were in charge of creating the shuttle and the parts of the shuttle itself. The Presidential Commission was decisive in blaming the disaster on a faulty O-ring, used to connect the pieces of the craft. On the other hand, Harry Collins and Trevor Pinch, in The Golem at Large, believe that blame cannot be isolated to any person or reason of failure. The authors prove that there are too many factors to decide concretely as to why the Challenger exploded. Collins and Pinch do believe that it was the organizational culture of NASA and Morton Thiokol that allowed the disaster. While NASA and Thiokol were deciding whether to launch, there was not a concrete reason to postpone the mission.
NASA introduced to the world, in 1976, the first reusable manned spacecraft. This became known as the space shuttle. Five years later, in 1981, space flights began with Columbia. Columbia ascended into space for a 54 hour orbiting mission. Later, it descended back to earth, as if it was a regular airplane that just took passengers from Boston to Detroit. Columbia only had two crewmembers, Commander John Young and Pilot Bob Crippen. Columbia completed 27 missions before disintegrating in the descent of its 28th mission in 2003. Challenger was NASA’s second space shuttle. Its first mission was April 4, 1983. Challenger made nine journeys into space, before that tragic January day.
The Space Shuttle was supposed to launch into space, but due to the weather, NASA was debating if they should launch or not.
On a cold winter’s morning on the 28th day of January in the year 1986, America was profoundly shaken and sent to its knees as the space shuttle Challenger gruesomely exploded just seconds after launching. The seven members of its crew, including one civilian teacher, were all lost. This was a game changer, we had never lost a single astronaut in flight. The United States by this time had unfortunately grown accustomed to successful space missions, and this reality check was all too sudden, too brutal for a complacent and oblivious nation (“Space”). The outbreak of sympathy that poured from its citizens had not been seen since President John F. Kennedy’s assassination. The disturbing scenes were shown repeatedly on news networks which undeniably made it troublesome to keep it from haunting the nation’s cognizance (“Space”). The current president had more than situation to address, he had the problematic undertaking of gracefully picking America back up by its boot straps.
The Challenger Disaster occurred in 1968 in Florida, USA. It was a tragic incident that resulted in the death of everyone who was in the space shuttle. The accident happened due to a mechanical failure. It all began when the O-ring failed at liftoff, which then caused a breach allowing burning gas to reach the outside and thus cause it to blow up.
It was on January 28, 1986 at 11:38 A.M. that the shuttle Challenger, NASA flight 51-L, the twenty-fifth shuttle flight, took off. It was the "Teacher in Space" mission. At lift-off, the temperature at ground level was 36° Fahrenheit, which was 15° Fahrenheit cooler than any previous launch by NASA. It was the Challenger's tenth flight. Take-off had been delayed several times. Finally the shuttle had taken off. The shuttle had climbed high in the sky thirty-five seconds after take-off, and it was getting hit by strong winds. The on board computers were making continuous adjustments so the shuttle would stay on course. About eight miles in the air, about seventy-two seconds after take-off, people watched in fear and horror as the shuttle was engulfed by a huge fire ball. All the crew members were killed instantly.
The original launch date was set for 1983, but the actual launch date was April 24, 1990, due to various problems with funding, construction of the telescope, and the Challenger disaster. The launch commenced with only one slight delay, when the computer didn’t shut off a fuel valve. It was disconnected manually and the launch continued. After that minor hiccup, the shuttle, carrying the telescope and the five astronauts, Loren Shriver, Charles Bolden Jr, Steven Hawley, Bruce McCandlless II, and Kathryn Sullivan embarked on a journey to space from the John F. Kennedy Space Center.
It was a full year before Challenger was going to be launched; a major fault was discovered in the design of the solid rocket boosters (Stathopoulos, V. 2014). Did NASA use a flawed database in its decision to launch the Space Shuttle Challenger or did they mismanage the meeting with the Group Decision Support System (GDSS). NASA uses this system to make decisions when it comes to the space shuttles launches. The (GDSS) knew that the temperature was too low to launch (Forrest, J. 2005). Lawrence B. Mulloy, the NASA rockets engineer was one of few that were to blame for the loss of the Shuttle Challenger. Mulloy in conversations with Thiokol wanted the Challenger to take off. Mulloy told Thiokol '’My God, Thiokol, (Forrest, J. 2005)” “when do you want me to launch, next April? (Forrest, J. 2005).” Here are some of the NASA management team members that were in the meeting when that final decision to launch the challenger was made (Slideserve, n.d.).