What was the fatal flaw that caused the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster?
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The so called “O” ring on the solid rocket boosters failed. They sealed the sections of the solid rocket boosters.
The failure came from the cold temperatures the night before the launch. This was a known possibility. The sealing material lost its integrity below some temperature, and needed to be above that threshold for a certain time to recover. Engineers were calling for the launch to be scrubbed to avoid the possibility of the failure. They were called into a meeting and forced to OK the launch or resign. They reluctantly agreed. (My memory is fuzzy on this exactly, but I remember they definitely raised the issue)
The rest is history. The launch proceeded, and the O ring seals failed, and the boosters exploded. Update, thanks to u/Masshole_Mick for clarifying, it was the fuel tank that exploded, due to the leak from the booster O ring failure.
I remember sitting in grade school when the principal came over the school wide PA system and announced the tragedy. It was a national tragedy.
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