The significant engineering failure that will be analyze is the Space Shuttle Challenger. In 1986, the Challenger faced many launch delays. The first delay of the Challenger was due to the expected weather front and presence of the Vice President (ENGINEERING.com). Since rain and cold temperatures were expected to move into the area, they didn’t want the Vice President to make unnecessary trips. However, the launch window became perfect weather conditions since the weather front stalled. The second delay was due to a defective microswitch in the hatch locking mechanism. By the time the problem was fixed, the winds became too high and the weather front had started to move again.
Due to these delays, the night before the launch, there was a teleconference between engineers and management from Kennedy Space Center, Marshall Space Flight Center in Alabama, and Morton-Thiokol in Utah (ENGINEERING.com). This teleconference was to investigate whether the challenger was safe to launch with the predicted temperatures of low 20s. Due to inconclusive data and having no low-temperature data below 53°F, the managers recommended the launch to continue and not be delayed. Temperatures dropped to about 8°F the night before launch. On January 28, 1986, the space shuttle challenger broke apart after seventy-three seconds from launch (History.com). This catastrophic event killed the entire crew in Challenger while traumatizing the nation and throwing the NASA’s shuttle program into turmoil.
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).
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].
On the morning of January 28th, 1986, Americans watched in shock and horror as the space shuttle Challenger exploded only 74 seconds after its launch, killing all seven crew members on board including a high school teacher Christa McAuliffe. Thousands, including families of the crew and schoolchildren
The Columbia mission, STS-107, was interesting because the public was more aware of the risk that was being taken upon re-entry. During the launch a piece of insulating foam broke away from the external tank surface, striking the left wing. In previous missions there had been evidence of this occurring which to engineers was seen as minor. In the case of the Columbia craft failure, it was more serious because the damaged section of the wing was damaged to the extent of which it allowed hot atmospheric gases to penetrate the structure of the wing, pulling it apart, rendering the craft unstable.
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.
Weather can play an enormous role in historical events that are remembered decades, and even centuries, after they happen. It can turn small events that would go unnoticed in history to events that are remembered as some of the most important in world history. Until relatively recently, when the Weather Bureau was formed in 1870, we lacked the capability to forecast the weather and prevent incidents like these (Robbins). Even though weather reporting from that moment on would become widespread across the country, it would not be enough to prevent disasters such as the Challenger disaster that rocked the country on a chilly day in 1986.
In November of 1986 when the space shuttle Challenger launched for its voyage it broke apart in the atmosphere after 73 seconds; because the O-rings could not hold at the cold temperatures. This was an issue brought up by scientists and later
President Regan ordered an immediate postponement of the Space Shuttle Program. The U.S. Congress then authorized an investigation of the Challenger disaster. It was a cold morning when Challenger was supposed to fly into space. Several NASA officials urged that the launch be postponed for warmer weather conditions. Since the NASA Launch Decision Team had okayed several space shuttles launches at and below that present temperature and had gotten away with it, the order was ignored (Howell). Seventy-three seconds later NASA realized that their luck had finally run out. President Ronald Regan tasked the Disaster Authority Commission with the investigation of the destructive incident. They concluded that there was two causes leading to the Challenger
“Speak your mind even if your voice shakes”, a quote made famous by Maggie Kuhn, is the foundation of how I conduct my life. While the fundamentals of being an open-minded, educated, and well-rounded individual involve considering the opinions of others and evaluating both sides of the argument, too often people become complacent and lose the ability to think for themselves. The common term that refers to this type of herd mentality is “sheeple”. The play, 12 Angry Men, and NASA’s Challenger disaster are two prime examples of the downfalls of groupthink. Below, I will discuss both the helpful and harmful aspects of groupthink surrounding both 12 Angry Men, and the Challenger disaster, as well as the effects of groupthink on today’s voting young adults.
The hot gas acted like a blow torch by burning through the fuel tank. This caused liquid hydrogen to escape and damage one of the supports of the orbiter. When the challenger entered higher altitudes the support broke and the orbiter broke away hit the fuel tank, which set of an explosion that destroyed the challenger. Unacceptable management skills were also
On January 28th 1986 the space shuttle Challenger was set to be sent into space with teacher Christa McAuliffe from New Hampshire as part of its crew. It was colder than normal on that day and engineers from NASA were concerned about possible failure of the O rings of the shuttle. However, their supervisors ignored them and let the shuttle embark on schedule. As a result the challenger exploded before it even exited the atmosphere
January 28, 1986 was meant to be a day of joy and happiness, but turned into one of the most devastating events in history. The Challenger’s lift off was scheduled for January 22nd at Kennedy Space Center (Cape Canaveral, Florida), but was delayed mainly because of weather conditions. It was delayed for several days until January 28th. The weather conditions were still miserable, but NASA only detained it two additional hours. The crew was patiently waiting for departure. Sharon Christa McAuliffe was going to be the first teacher in space. Ellison S.
Spencer Kenley Mrs. Efaw American Literature, P5 29 January 2018 The Effect of the Space Shuttle Challenger Disaster The Challenger malfunctioned on January 28, 1986, at 11:38 AM. The temperature was thirty-six degrees Fahrenheit in Cape Canaveral, Florida, and after seventy-three seconds of flight, the O-rings failed and the Challenger exploded into a giant cloud in the sky. All seven astronauts died, including Christa McAuliffe, a teacher in Concord, New Hampshire, chosen by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration from thousands of applicants to go into space and preform school lessons.
On 1st of February, 2003, the space shuttle Columbia exploded when it re-entered the Earth’s atmosphere after finished a 16 days mission in space. All seven astronauts were dead because of this incident. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) had stopped the space shuttle program for more than two years to investigate this tragedy. In the 16 days period, the astronauts did approximately 80 experiments on different categories, for example, life science and material science [1]. An investigation later has found out that the disaster was caused by a problem on the day that took off on 16th of January.
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