What was the fatal flaw that caused the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster?
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The launch had been delayed several times already. The brass were tired of waiting for the big publicity stunt of sending a schoolteacher to space. They launched knowing the risks of failure due to freezing o-rings. Morton Thiocol even warned them not to launch.
If you have Netflix I highly recommend the challenger documentary. Its very interesting and explains the issues very well.
The “fatal flaw” was poor communication. There was an engineer who knew about the O-ring issue, and knew they should not launch in that weather. He even put together a presentation before the launch that talked about it (among other things). But the information was presented in a way that you could walk away underestimating the risk.
Clear technical communication is insanely important.
**Physically:** it was the rubber O rings that iirc froze (very cold morning for the cape, I think it was like 38 degrees)
However, the issue was that NASA was aware of this issue with the O rings and decided to “go” anyway.
No one ever went to prison or anything either and it was basically gross negligence that cost those souls.
The “fatal flaw” was poor communication. There was an engineer who knew about the O-ring issue, and knew they should not launch in that weather. He even put together a presentation before the launch that talked about it (among other things). But the information was presented in a way that you could walk away underestimating the risk.
Clear technical communication is insanely important.
**Physically:** it was the rubber O rings that iirc froze (very cold morning for the cape, I think it was like 38 degrees)
However, the issue was that NASA was aware of this issue with the O rings and decided to “go” anyway.
No one ever went to prison or anything either and it was basically gross negligence that cost those souls.
The Space Shuttle Challenger disaster, which occurred on January 28, 1986, was caused by the failure of an O-ring seal in one of the solid rocket boosters (SRBs). The O-rings, which were made of a material called elastomeric seal, were designed to seal the gap between the sections of the SRBs. However, due to the cold temperatures on the day of the launch, the O-ring material became stiff and lost its ability to properly seal the joint, allowing hot gases to escape and ultimately causing an explosion that led to the loss of all seven crew members on board.
In addition to the engineering failure, there were also administrative and management decisions that played a role in the disaster. Prior to the launch, engineers from the manufacturer of the SRBs, Morton Thiokol, raised concerns about the performance of the O-rings in cold weather and recommended against launching the shuttle. However, NASA management overruled the objections and decided to proceed with the launch. This decision was influenced by political pressure to maintain the schedule of shuttle launches, as well as a lack of effective communication and collaboration between NASA’s management and engineering teams, which led to a culture within NASA that did not prioritize safety and allowed for risks to be taken without proper consideration of the potential consequences. The Challenger disaster highlighted the importance of effective communication, collaboration, and prioritization of safety in complex engineering projects.
The Space Shuttle Challenger disaster, which occurred on January 28, 1986, was caused by the failure of an O-ring seal in one of the solid rocket boosters (SRBs). The O-rings, which were made of a material called elastomeric seal, were designed to seal the gap between the sections of the SRBs. However, due to the cold temperatures on the day of the launch, the O-ring material became stiff and lost its ability to properly seal the joint, allowing hot gases to escape and ultimately causing an explosion that led to the loss of all seven crew members on board.
In addition to the engineering failure, there were also administrative and management decisions that played a role in the disaster. Prior to the launch, engineers from the manufacturer of the SRBs, Morton Thiokol, raised concerns about the performance of the O-rings in cold weather and recommended against launching the shuttle. However, NASA management overruled the objections and decided to proceed with the launch. This decision was influenced by political pressure to maintain the schedule of shuttle launches, as well as a lack of effective communication and collaboration between NASA’s management and engineering teams, which led to a culture within NASA that did not prioritize safety and allowed for risks to be taken without proper consideration of the potential consequences. The Challenger disaster highlighted the importance of effective communication, collaboration, and prioritization of safety in complex engineering projects.
p/PerturbedHamster gave an excellent physical answer, but there was also a flaw in the may that people behaved. It’s actually a much bigger flaw, and it’s a lesson that a five year old can understand and remember.
The second flaw was giving in to peer pressure. The people who were in charge were told that it was dangerous to take off in cold weather, but they wanted to look good. They were afraid of being called wimps by the people in congress, who can be bullies and like to take people’s lunch money away. They let their fear control them and made bad decisions.
The people built the rocket knew that it shouldn’t take off in the cold, so it wasn’t really a flaw. The flaw was that the people in charge used the rocket when they shouldn’t. This is what grownups mean when they talk about “using a tool inappropriately.”
p/PerturbedHamster gave an excellent physical answer, but there was also a flaw in the may that people behaved. It’s actually a much bigger flaw, and it’s a lesson that a five year old can understand and remember.
The second flaw was giving in to peer pressure. The people who were in charge were told that it was dangerous to take off in cold weather, but they wanted to look good. They were afraid of being called wimps by the people in congress, who can be bullies and like to take people’s lunch money away. They let their fear control them and made bad decisions.
The people built the rocket knew that it shouldn’t take off in the cold, so it wasn’t really a flaw. The flaw was that the people in charge used the rocket when they shouldn’t. This is what grownups mean when they talk about “using a tool inappropriately.”
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