Christa Mcauliffe's Natural Disasters

The challenger disaster called for certain changes in the NASA organizational structure, culture and operations. The Rogers Commission carried out a full investigation into the causes of the disaster and recommended to NASA certain actions to mitigate future incidents. First of all, there was a creation of a Solid Rocket Motor Joint redesign team who would also analyse the sealing system (NATA Technical Reports Centre, 2010).

Rockwell, the shuttle’s primary contractor, did not support the launch due to the possibility of ice leaving the structure and damaging the thermal shield tiles during takeoff. Their concerns were relayed to NASA, but in such a way that NASA chose to proceed with the launch [2]. Though this was eventually determined to be a non-issue in the Challenger launch, the true nature of the problems that can occur when an object strikes the shuttle during takeoff would not be learned until 2003, when the space shuttle Columbia disintegrated on re-entry due to damage of a heat shield tile that occurred during takeoff [2]--[3].

Then came the disaster that would change not only change space, but also US history. The Challenger exploded mid-flight on their way to their historic mission. What went wrong? What actually happened to cause a veteran space shuttle such as Challenger to dysfunction on its tenth run? A videotape showed black smoke coming from the bottom field joint of the right solid rocket booster (SRB). The black smoke suggested that grease, joint insulation, and rubber O-rings were being burned. The smoke continued to come from the bottom field joint facing the exterior tank in cycles of three puffs of smoke per second. The black smoke was an indication that the bottom field joint was not sealing correctly. Into flight the a flame was seen coming from the right SRB. The flame was coming from the underside of the bottom joint. As the flame increased in size, it had begun to push against the external tank due to the rushing air around the orbiter. Soon later there was a sudden chain of events that destroyed Challenger and the seven crew members on

On August 20th, 1955, President Dwight Eisenhower declared Connecticut a disaster area, due to major flooding from both Hurricane Connie on August 11 and Hurricane Diane on the 17th. Sixty-seven towns experienced flooding prompting residents to banned together to save their community and homes. Considered by many to be the most tragic events in the history of Connecticut, it also brought the necessary public awareness to the danger of floods and what can cause them. The devastation caused by Connie and Diane awakened forecasters, politicians, and regional planners. "A week after the now-named Hurricane Floods of 1955, the Weather Bureau acknowledged the need to upgrade their flashflood warning system. Levees and other flood protection measures

Shuttle Challenger exploded just moments after liftoff on national television. Approximately 74 seconds into its flight, the shuttle erupted into flame and “was totally enveloped in the explosive burn” before breaking apart, killing all seven astronauts aboard. The Rogers Commission, appointed by President Ronald Reagan to investigate the disaster, later concluded that the accident occurred due to the failure of an O-ring seal in the right solid rocket booster of the shuttle.1 Saddened by the event, Reagan postponed his annual State of the Union address and instead gave a national address on the disaster the night of the incident.

The launch of the Challenger shuttle was highly popular and publicized event because the National Aeronautics and Space Administration had conducted a nationwide search, searching for a teacher to send on the flight. NASA wanted to show people of America and the world that space traveling can be routine like traveling through an airplane. After a long search, NASA found the teacher, Christa McAuliffe. President Reagan was conducting a search addressed to primary and secondary schools looking for an American to fly aboard the Space Shuttle, which is how Ms. McAuliffe heard NASA’s nationwide search on a car radio one evening. She was not sure if she would be able to be part of such exciting adventure when she procrastinated and submitted in her

It determined that the accident was due to a failure of rubber O-rings made by Morton-Thiokol that provided a pressure seal in the aft field joint of the shuttle's right Solid Rocket Booster. The failure of the O-rings was attributed to a design flaw, as their performance could be too easily compromised by factors that included the low temperature on the day of launch. The Commission found that O-ring resiliency is directly related to temperature and due to the low temperature at launch—36 degrees Fahrenheit or 15 degrees lower than the next coldest previous launch—it was probable the O-rings had not provided a proper

in oneself (page 34)." Michael Smith, born in 1945, always had his head in the

There are many astronauts who have taken that step to try and exit Earth’s atmosphere. Most have flown to space and returned to the ground with no problems at all. There are also those who have not been so lucky. Of these space missions, was one of the most anticipated flights in the history of NASA. On January 28, 1986, Space Shuttle Challenger was supposed to be the first flight to orbit Earth with a school teacher onboard. Many of the schools around the country were watching the televised launch of Space Shuttle Challenger and its crew of eight. However, just over 1 minute into the launch something went wrong. What happened to the Shuttle Challenger?

On January 28, 1986, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) launched the space shuttle Challenger. The launch was held in Cape Canaveral, Florida, at the Kennedy Space Center. The Challenger shuttle carried seven crew members, including pilots, aerospace engineers and a citizen. Unfortunately, after it launched, the space shuttle broke apart and hit the ocean. The failure of the mission traumatized the whole nation. In fact, millions of people watched the shocking tragedy on television. This incident saddened the nation, and President Ronald Reagan appointed some persons from different areas, such as engineers, pilots, politicians and astronauts, to find the cause of this disaster. Although the investigation revealed that the main reason for the disaster was because of technical issues. In actuality, the disaster was caused by the decision to launch, which was driven by political pressures. The focus on political interest over hard science was the reason for the Challenger disaster.

On January 28, 1986, the shuttle Challenger broke up after liftoff, bringing a devastating end to the spacecraft’s 10th mission. The disaster claimed the lives of all seven astronauts aboard. Seventy-three seconds later, hundreds on the ground, including the families of the astronauts on board, stared in disbelief as the shuttle exploded in a forking plume of smoke and fire. Millions more watched the wrenching tragedy unfold on live television. Within instants, the spacecraft broke apart and plunged into the ocean, killing the entire crew, traumatizing the nation and throwing NASA’s shuttle program into turmoil.

After the disaster, President Ronald Reagan arranged a commission to determine what happened to the Challenger Space Shuttle. (History.com) The commission was comprised of former astronaut Neil Armstrong and former test pilot Chuck Yeager. (History.com) The commission concluded that the O-rings were defective because of the cold weather. They also found that the company that designed the rocket boosters, Morton Thiokol, had disregarded warnings about potential issues.

Natural disasters have never been an issue for me in the twenty years I have been living in Florida. There have always been the threats of dangerous hurricanes living near the coast, but I never took them seriously. I always thought " they're just little storms, what's the worst that could happen?". I was so naive to think that way.

One of the greatest tragedies in history occurred on January 8, 1986. Shortly after it was launched, the space shuttle Challenger exploded, killing seven astronauts, including Christa McAuliffe, a New Hampshire schoolteacher chosen to be the first teacher in space (“Challenger Disaster, n.d.). The explosion was caused by a failure of the O-rings of the solid rocket boosters. The O-rings were unable to seat properly, causing the leaking of hot combustion gases, which burnt through the external fuel tank. The malfunction was not any one person’s or organization’s fault; it was caused by many factors including the decision to launch despite the cold weather, the poor communication between management levels of the National Aeronautics and

This paper will discuss the differences between two different natural and man-made disasters. The disasters that will be discussed are Hurricane Katrina and the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. Additionally, this paper will look into the specifics of what constitutes a natural and man-made disaster. Specifically, this paper will look into each disaster to include the events surrounding them; the risks; and the assessments. Furthermore, this paper will look at some of the details of each disaster and why there was so much devastation. Finally, this paper will look at a few similarities, but mainly the differences between the two, and how the effects of each still linger today.