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ct! "hen it is decided to change a ne# engineering concept into its first ro gh design$ preliminary tests or sim lation sho ld %e cond cted! &sing formal experimental methods$ the materials and methods of designing are tried o t! These tests may %e %ased on more detailed designs! The test for designing sho ld %e e'ol'ed till the final prod ct prod ced! "ith the help of feed%ac( of se'eral tests$ f rther modification can %e made if necessary! )eyond these tests and experiments$ each engineering pro*ect has to %e 'ie#ed as an experiment! Similarities to Standard Experiments There are so many aspects$ #hich are of 'irt al for com%ining e'ery type of engineering #or(s to ma(e it s ita%le to loo( at engineering pro*ects as experiments! The main three important aspects are+ ,- Any engineering pro*ect or plan is p t into practice #ith partial ignorance %eca se #hile designing a model there are se'eral ncertainities occ rred! The reason to the fact that engineers don.t ha'e all the needed facts a'aila%le #ell in ad'ance %efore starting the pro*ect! At some point$ %oth the theoretical examining and the la%oratory testing m st %e %y/passed for the sa(e of completing the pro*ect! Really$ the s ccess of an engineer is %ased on the his talent #hich is exactly %eing the a%ility to s cceed in achie'ing *o%s #ith only a partial (no#ledge of scientific la#s a%o t the nat re and society! 0- The final o tcomes of engineering pro*ects are generally ncertain li(e that of experiments #hat #e do! In engineering$ in most of the cases$ the possi%le o tcomes may not %e (no#n and e'en small and mild pro*ects itself in'ol'e greater ris(s! The follo#ing ncertainities occ r in the model designs ,! Model sed for the design calc lations 0! Exact characteristics of the material p rchased! 1! 2onstancies of materials sed for processing and fa%rication! 3! A%o t the nat re of the press re the finished prod ct #ill enco nter! 4or instance$ a reser'oir may ca se damage to the s rro ndings and affect the ecosystem! If it lea(s or %rea(s$ the p rpose #ill not %e ser'ed! A special p rpose fingerprint reader may find its application in the identification and close o%ser'ation on the disagreeing persons #ith the go'ernment! A n clear reactor may ca se nexpected pro%lems to the s rro nding pop lation leading to a great loss to the o#ners! A hair dryer may gi'e damage to the n(no#ing or #rong sers from as%estos ins lation from its %arrel! 1- Good and effecti'e engineering depends pon the (no#ledge possessed a%o t the prod cts at the initial and end stages! This (no#ledge is 'ery sef l for increasing the effecti'eness of the c rrent prod cts as #ell as for prod cing %etter prod cts in f t re! This can %e achie'ed %y (eenly o%ser'ing on the engineering *o%s %y the #ay of experimentation! This monitoring is done %y ma(ing periodic o%ser'ations and tests %y loo(ing at for the s ccessf l performance and the side effects of the
*o%s! The tests of the prod ct.s efficiency$ safety$ cost/effecti'eness$ en'ironmental impact and its 'al e that depends pon the tility to the society sho ld also %e monitored! It also extends to the stage of client se! 5earning from the past It has %een expected that the engineers ha'e to learn not only form their o#n design and the prod ction system % t also the res lts of others! 6 e to lac( of comm nication$ pre* diced in not as(ing for clarification$ fear of la# and also mere negligence$ these things can happen to the contin ation of past mista(es! The follo#ing are some of the examples+ ,! The tragedy of 7Titanic. happened %eca se of the s fficient n m%er of life %oats! The same disaster too( place in the steamship 8the Arctic9 some years %efore$ %eca se ofthe same pro%lem! 0! The fall do#n of 8the S nshine S(yline )ridge9 in the %ay of Tham%a at S#eden in ,:;<$ on a mo'ing ship d e to improper matching of hori=ontal impact forces in mind! This co ld ha'e %een a'oided of the engineers had (no#n a%o t the stri(ing of the ships #ith the Maracai%o )ridge at >ene= lea in ,:?3 and the Tasman )ridge of A stralia in ,:@A! 1! The n clear reactor accident at Three Mile Island on March ,:@:$ #as d e to malf nctioning of the 'al'es! >al'es tho gh min te items$ are %eing among the least relia%le components of hydra lic systems! It #as a press re relief 'al'e and lac( of information a%o t its opening or closing state contri% ted to a n clear reactor accident at Three Mile Island! This malf nction #as already happened %eca se of the same reasons at other locations! 3! The disaster of Tettron 6am in 5os Angles #as d e to rapid flo# of #ater and s dden %rea( do#n! The % ilder didn.t consider the case of the 4ontenelle 6am$ #hich #as also collapsed d e to the same pro%lem! So$ to say that engineers sho ld not f lly depend on hand%oo(s and they sho ld ha'e some re'ie# of the past cases relating to their c rrent tas(! 2omparisons #ith standard Experiments Engineering is entirely different from standard experiments in fe# aspects! Those differences are 'ery m ch helpf l to find o t the special responsi%ilities of engineers and also help them in (no#ing a%o t the moral irresponsi%ilities #hich are in'ol'ed in engineering! ,! Experimental 2ontrol Mem%ers for t#o gro ps sho ld %e selected in a standard experimental control$ i!e Gro p A and Gro p )! The mem%ers of the gro p 7A. sho ld %e gi'en the special experimental treatment! The gro p 7). do not recei'e the same tho gh they are in the same en'ironment! This gro p is called the 7control gro p. Tho gh it is not possi%le in engineering % t for the pro*ects #hich are confirmed to la%oratory experiments! )eca se$ in engineering the experimental s %*ects are h man %eings #ho are o t of the control of the experimenters! In engineering$ the cons mers ha'e more control as they are the selecting a thority of a pro*ect! So in engineering it is impossi%le to follo# a random selection! An engineer has to #or( only #ith the past data a'aila%le #ith 'ario s gro ps #ho se the prod cts! So engineering can %e 'ie#ed as a nat ral experiment #hich ses h man s %*ects! ) t today$ most of the engineers do not care for the a%o'e said Experimental 2ontrol! 0! Informed 2onsent Engineering is closely related to
the medical testing of ne# dr gs and techniB es on h man %eings as it also concerned #ith h man %eings! "hen ne# medicines ha'e %een tested$ it sho ld %e informed to the persons #ho ndergo the test! They ha'e moral and legal rights to (no# a%o t the fact #hich is %ased on 8informed consent9 %efore ta(e part in the experiment! Engineering m st also recogni=e these rights! "hen a prod cer sells a ne# prod ct to a firm #hich has its o#n engineering staff$ generally there #ill %e an agreement regarding the ris(s and %enefits form that testing! Informed consent has t#o main principles s ch as (no#ledge and 'ol ntariness! 4irst$ the persons #ho are p t nder the experiment has to %e gi'en all the needed information to ma(e an appropriate decision! Second$ they m st enter into the experiment #itho t any force$ fra d and deception! The experimenter has also to consider the f ndamental rights of the minorities and the compensation for the harmf l effects of that experiment! In %oth medicine and engineering there may %e a large gap %et#een the experimenter and his (no#ledge on the diffic lties of an experiment! This gap can %e filled only #hen it is possi%le to gi'e all the rele'ant information needed for dra#ing a responsi%le decision on #hether to participate in the experiment or not! In medicine$ %efore prescri%ing a medicine to the patient$ a responsi%le physician m st search for rele'ant information on the side effects of the dr g! The hospital management m st allo# him to ndergo different treatments to different patients and finally the patient m st %e ready to recei'e that information from the physician! Similarly it is possi%le for an engineer to gi'e rele'ant information a%o t a prod ct only #hen there is a %etter co/operation %y the management and B ic( acceptance from the c stomers! The follo#ing conditions are essential for a 'alid informed consent a! The consent m st %e gi'en 'ol ntarily and not %y any force! %! The consent m st %e %ased on the rele'ant information needed %y a rational person and sho ld %e presented in a clear and easily nderstanda%le form! c! The consenter m st %e capa%le of processing the information and to ma(e rational decisions in a B ic( manner! d! The information needed %y a rational person m st %e stated in a form to nderstand #itho t any diffic lty and has to %e spread #idely! e! The experimenter.s consent has to %e offered in a%sentia of the experimenter %y a gro p #hich represents many experiments! Cno#ledge Gained Scientific experiments ha'e %een cond cted to acB ire ne# (no#ledge! "hereas engineering pro*ects are cond cted as experiments not for getting ne# (no#ledge! S ppose the o tcomes of the experiment is %est$ it tells s nothing ne#$ % t merely affirms that #e are right a%o t something! Mean #hile$ the nexpected o tcomes p t s search for ne# (no#ledge!
The engineers ha'e so many responsi%ilities for ser'ing the society! ,! A primary d ty is to protect the safety of h man %eings and respect their right of consent! DA conscientio s commitment to li'e %y moral 'al esE! 0! Fa'ing a clear a#areness of the experimental nat re of any pro*ect$ tho ghtf lforecasting of its possi%le side effects$ and an effort to monitor them reasona%ly! DA comprehensi'e perspecti'e or relati'e informationE! 1! &nrestricted free personal in'ol'ement in all the steps of a pro*ect! DA tonomyE 3! )eing acco nta%le for the res lts of a pro*ect DAcco nta%ilityE A! Exhi%iting their technical competence and other characteristics of professionalism! 2onscientio sness 2onscientio sness implies conscio sness Gsense of a#areness-! As holding the responsi%le profession #ith maintaining f ll range moral ethics and 'al es #hich are rele'ant to the sit ation! In order to nderstand the gi'en sit ation$ its implications$ (no#ho#$ person #ho is in'ol'ed or affected$ Engineers sho ld ha'e open eyes$ open ears and open mind! The present #or(ing en'ironment of engineers$ narro# do#n their moral 'ision f lly #ith the o%ligations accompanied #ith the stat s of the employee! More n m%er of engineers are only salaried employees$ so$ they ha'e to #or( #ithin large % rea cracies nder great press re to #or( smoothly #ithin the company! They ha'e to gi'e importance only to the o%ligations of their employers! Grad ally$ the small negati'e d ties s ch as not altering data %y fra d$ not 'iolating patent right and not %rea(ing confidentiality$ may %e 'ie#ed as the f ll extent of moral desire! As mentioned$ engineering as social experimentation %rings into light not only to the person concerned % t also to the p %lic engineers as g ardians of the p %lic interest i!e!$ to safeg ard the #elfare and safety of those affected %y the engineering pro*ects! This 'ie# helps to ens re that this safety and #elfare #ill not %e affected %y the search for ne# (no#ledge$ the h rry to get profits$ a small and narro# follo# p of r les or a concern o'er %enefits for the many and ignoring the harm to the fe#! The social experimentation that in'ol'ed in engineering sho ld %e restricted %y the participants consent! Rele'ant Information "itho t rele'ant fact al information$ conscientio s is not possi%le! 4or sho#ing moral concern there sho ld %e an o%ligation to o%tain and assess properly all the a'aila%le information related to the f lfillment of one.s moral o%ligations! This can %e explained as+ ,- To nderstand and grasp the circ mstance of a person.s #or($ it is necessary to (no# a%o t ho# that #or( has a moral importance! 4or example$ A person is trying to design a good heat exchanger! There is nothing #rong in that! ) t at the same time$ if he forgets the fact that the heat exchanger #ill %e sed in the man fact re of an illegal prod ct$ then he is said to %e sho#ing a lac( of moral concern! So a person m st %e a#are of the #ider implication of his #or( that ma(es participation in a pro*ect! 0- )l rring the circ mstance of a person.s #or( deri'ed from his speciali=ation and di'ision of la%o r is to p t the responsi%ilities on someone else in the organi=ation! 4or example if a company prod ces items #hich are o t of fashion or the items #hich promotes nnecessary energy #astage$ then it is easy to %lame sales department! The a%o'e said means$ neglecting the
importance of a person.s #or(s also ma(es it diffic lt in acB iring a f ll perspecti'e along a second feat re of fact al information i!e!$ conseB ence of #hat one does! So$ #hile gi'ing regard to engineering as social experimentation$ points o t the importance of circ mstances of a #or( and also enco rage the engineers to 'ie# his speciali=ed acti'ities in a pro*ect as a part of a large social impact! Moral A tonomy This refers to the personal in'ol'ement in one.s acti'ities! People are morally a tonomo s only #hen their moral cond ct and principles of actions are their o#n i!e!$ gen ine in one.s commitment to moral 'al es! Moral %eliefs and attit des m st %e integrated into an indi'id al.s personality #hich leads to a committed action! They cannot %e agreed formally and adhered to merely 'er%ally! So$ the indi'id al principles are not passi'ely a%sor%ed from others! "hen he is morally a tonomo s and also his actions are not separated from himself! "hen engineering ha'e seen as a social experimentation$ it helps to (eep a sense of a tonomo s participation in a person.s #or(! An engineer$ as an experimenter$ is ndergoing training #hich helps to form his identity as a professional! It also res lts in nexpected conseB ence #hich helps to inspire a critical and B estioning attit des a%o t the c rrent economic and safety standards! This also moti'ates a greater sense of personal in'ol'ement in a person.s #or(! Acco nta%ility The people those #ho feel their responsi%ility$ al#ays accept moral responsi%ilities for their actions! It is (no#n as acco nta%le! In short$ 7acco nta%le. means %eing c lpa%le and hold responsi%le for fa lts! In general and to %e proper$ it means the general tendency of %eing #illing to consider one.s actions to moral examinations and %e open and respond to the assessment of others! It comprises a desire to present morally con'incing reasons for one.s cond ct #hen called pon in specific circ mstances! The separation of ca sal infl ence and moral acco nta%ility is more common in all % siness and professions and also in engineering! These differences arising from se'eral feat res of modern engineering practices are as follo#s+ ,! 5arge H scale engineering pro*ects al#ays in'ol'e di'ision of #or(! 4or each and e'ery piece of #or($ e'ery person contri% tes a small portion of their #or( to#ards the completion of the pro*ect! The final o tp t s transmitted from one.s immediate #or( place to another ca sing a decrease in personal acco nta%ility! 0! 6 e to the fragmentation of #or($ the acco nta%ility #ill spread #idely #ithin an organi=ation! The personal acco nta%ility #ill spread o'er on the %asis of hierarchies of a thority! 1! There is al#ays a press re to mo'e on to a different pro*ect %efore finishing the c rrent one! This al#ays leads to a sense of %eing acco nta%le only for f lfilling the sched les! 3! There is al#ays a #ea(er pre/occ pation #ith legalities! In other #ords this refers to a #ay a moral in'ol'ement %eyond the laid do#n instit tional role! To concl de$ engineers are %eing al#ays %lamed for all the harmf l side effects of their pro*ects! Engineers cannot separate themsel'es from personal responsi%ilities for their #or(! 2O6ES O4 ETFI2S
The codes of ethics ha'e to %e adopted %y engineering societies as #ell as %y engineers! These codes exhi%it the rights$ d ties$ and o%ligations of the mem%ers of a profession! 2odes are the set of la#s and standards! A code of ethics pro'ides a frame#or( for ethical * dgment for a professional! A code cannot %e said as totally comprehensi'e and co'er all ethical sit ations that an engineer has to face! It ser'es only as a starting point for ethical decision/ma(ing! A code expresses the circ mstances to ethical cond ct shared %y the mem%ers of a profession! It is also to %e noted that ethical codes do not esta%lish the ne# ethical principles! They repeat only the principles and standards that are already accepted as responsi%le engineering practice! A code defines the roles and responsi%ilities of professionals! Roles of codes and its f nctions ,! Inspiration and G idance 2odes gi'e a con'inced moti'ation for ethical cond ct and pro'ide a helpf l g idance for achie'ing the o%ligations of engineers in their #or(! 2odes contri% te mostly general g idance as they ha'e to %e %rief! Specific directions may also %e gi'en to apply the code in morally good #ays! The follo#ing engineering societies ha'e p %lished codes of ethics! AAES / American Association of Engineering Societies A)ET / Accreditation )oard for Engineering and Technology G&SANSPE / National Society of Professional Engineer G&SAIEEE / Instit te of Electrical and Electronics Engineering G&SAAI2TE / All India 2o ncil for Technical Ed cation GIndiaMost of the technological companies ha'e esta%lished their o#n codes s ch as pentagon G&SA-$ Microsoft etc! These codes are 'ery m ch helpf l to strengthen the moral iss es on the #or( of an engineer! 0! S pport 2odes al#ays s pport an engineer #ho follo#s the ethical principles! 2odes gi'e engineers a positi'e$ a possi%le good s pport for standing on moral iss es! 2odes also ser'e as a legal s pport for engineers! 1! 6eterrence and 6iscipline 2odes act as a deterrent %eca se they ne'er enco rage to act immorally! They also pro'ide discipline among the Engineers to act morally on the %asis of codes does not o'err le the rights of those %eing in'estigated! 3! Ed cation and M t al &nderstanding 2odes ha'e to %e circ lated and appro'ed officially %y the professionals$ the p %lic and go'ernment organi=ations #hich concern #ith the moral responsi%ilities of engineers and organi=ations! A! 2ontri% ting to the profession.s P %lic Image 2odes help to create a good image to the p %lic of an ethically committed profession! It helps the engineers in an effecti'e manner to ser'e the p %lic! They also gi'es self/reg lation for the profession itself! ?! Protecting the Stat s I o 2odes determine ethical con'entions #hich help to create an agreed pon minim m le'el of ethical cond ct! ) t they can also s ppress the disagreement #ithin the profession!
@! Promoting ) siness Interests 2odes help to impro'e the % siness interests! They help to morali=e the % siness dealings to %enefit those #ithin the profession! 5imitations of 2odes ,! 2odes are restricted to general and 'ag e #ordings! 6 e to this limitation they cannot %e applica%le to all sit ations directly! It is also impossi%le to analy=e f lly and predict the f ll range of moral pro%lems that arises in a complex profession! 0! Engineering codes often ha'e internal conflicts! So they can.t gi'e a sol tion or method for resol'ing the conflict! 1! They cannot %e treated as the final moral a thority for any professional cond ct! 2odes represent a compromise %et#een differing * dgments and also de'eloped among heated committee disagreements! 3! Only a fe# practicing engineers are the mem%ers of Professional Societies and so they can not %e compelled to a%ide %y their codes! A! Many engineers #ho are the mem%ers of Professional Societies are not a#are of the existence of the codes of their societies and they ne'er go thro gh it! ?! 2odes can %e reprod ced in a 'ery rapid manner! @! 2odes are said to %e coerci'e i!e!$ implemented %y threat or force! A )A5AN2E6 O&T5OOC ON 5A" A %alanced o tloo( on la#s stresses the necessity of la#s and reg lations and their limitations in directing engineering practice! In order to li'e$ #or( and play together in harmony as a society$ there m st %e a %alance %et#een indi'id al needs and desires against collecti'e needs and desires! Only ethical cond ct can pro'ide s ch a %alance! This ethical cond ct can %e applied only #ith the help of la#s! 5a#s are important as the people are not f lly responsi%le and %eca se of the competiti'e nat re of the free enterprise system #hich does not enco rage moral initiati'e! The model of engineering as social experimentation allo#s for the importance of clear la#s to %e effecti'ely enforced! Engineers o ght to play an effecti'e role in promoting or changing enforcea%le r les of engineering as #ell as in enforcing them! So the codes m st %e enforced #ith the help of la#s! The follo#ing are the t#o %est examples! ,! )a%ylon.s ) ilding 2ode+ G,@A; )!2!This code #as made %y Famm ra%i$ (ing of )a%ylon! Fe formed a code for % ilders of his time and all the % ilders #ere forced to follo# the code %y la#! Fe 8If a % ilder has % ilt a ho se for a man and has not made his #or( so nd$ and the ho se #hich he has % ilt #as fallen do#n and so ca sed the death of the ho seholder$ that % ilder shall %e p t to death! If it ca ses the death of the ho se holder.s son$ they shall p t that % ilder.s son to death! If it ca ses the death of the ho se holder.s sla'e$ he shall gi'e sla'e to the ho seholder! If it destroys property he shall replace anything it has destroyedJ and %eca se he has not made the ho se so nd #hich he has % ilt and it has fallen do#n$ he shall re% ild the ho se #hich has fallen do#n from his o#n property! If a % ilder has % ilt a ho se for a man and does not ma(e his #or( perfect and the #all % lges$
that % ilder shall p t that #all in to so nd condition at his o#n cost9! The a%o'e portion of )a%ylon.s % ilding code #as respected d ly! ) t the aspects find only little appro'al today! This code gi'es a po#erf l incenti'e for selfreg lation! 0! The &nited States Steam%oat 2ode+ D,;A0 A!6E Steam engines in the past #ere 'ery large and hea'y! Kames "att$ Oli'er E'ans and Richard Tre'ethi( modified the old steam engines %y remo'ing condensers and made them compact! )eyond caref l calc lations and g idelines$ explosions of %oiler happened on steam %oats$ %eca se of the high speed of the %oats! The safety 'al'es #ere na%le to (eep steam press re p ca sing explosion! 6 ring that period in ,;th cent ry$ more than 0A<< people #ere (illed and 0<<< people #ere in* red %eca se of the explosion of %oilers in steam %oats! 6 e to this$ the r ling congress in &SA passed a la# #hich pro'ided for inspection of the safety aspects of ships and their %oilers and engines! ) t his la# t rned o t to %e ineffecti'e d e to the corr ptions of the inspectors and also their inadeB ate training regarding the safety chec(ing! Then Alfred G thiro$ an engineer of Illinoise had inspected a%o t 0<< steam %oats on his o#n cost and fo nd o t the reasons for the %oiler explosions and made a report! Fis recommendations #ere p %lished %y a Senator Shields of Illinoise and incorporated in senate doc ments! "ith the help of this$ another la# #as passed! No# it is in the hands of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers #ho form lated the standards for prod cing steam %oats! TFE 2FA55ENGER 2ASE ST&6L The #orld has (no#n a%o t many n m%er of accidents! Among them the explosion of the space sh ttle 72hallenger. is the 'ery familiar one! In those days this case had %een re'ie#ed 'igoro sly %y media co'erage$ go'ernment reports and transcripts of hearings! This case deals #ith many ethical iss es #hich engineers faced! It poses many B estions %efore s! "hat is the exact role of the engineer #hen safety iss es are concernM "ho sho ld ha'e the ltimate a thority for decision ma(ing to order for a la nchM "hether the ordering of a la nch %e an engineering or a managerial decisionM 2hallenger space sh ttle #as designed to %e a re sa%le one! The sh ttle mainly consisted of an or%iter$ t#o solid propellant %oosters and a single liB id/ propeller %ooster! All the %oosters #as ignited and the or%iter #as lifted o t the earth! The solid roc(et %ooster #as of re sa%le type! The liB id propellant %ooster #as sed to finish the lifting of the sh ttle in to the or%it! This #as only a part of the sh ttle #hich has %een re sed! The accident too( place on 0;th Kan ary ,:;?$ d e to the fail re of one of the solid %oosters! In the design of the space sh ttle$ the main parts #hich needed caref l design of the fields *oints #here the indi'id al cylinders #ere placed together! The assem%ly mainly consists of tang and cle'is *oints #hich are sealed %y t#o O/rings made p of synthetic r %%er only$ not specifically hat resistant! The f nction of the O/rings are to pre'ent the com% stion gases of the solid propellant from escaping! The O/rings #ere eroded %y hot gases$ % t this #as not a serio s pro%lem$ as the solid roc(et %oosters #ere only for re se initially for the fe# min tes of the flight! If the erosion of the O/rings co ld %e in a controlled mannaer$ and they #o ld not completely % rnt thro gh$ then the design of the *oint #o ld %e accepta%le$ ho#e'er the design of the O/rings in this sh ttle #as not so! In the post flight experiment in ,:;A$ the Thio(ol engineers noticed %lac( soot and grease on
the o tside of the %oosters d e to lea( of hot gases %lo#n thro gh the O/rings! This raised a do %t on the resiliency of the materials sed for the O/rings! Thio(ol engineers redesigned the rings #ith steel %illets to #ithstand the hot gases! ) t nfort nately this ne# design #as not ready %y that time of flight in ,:;?! )efore la nching$ it #as necessary to disc ss the political en'ironment nder #hich NASA #as operating at that time! )eca se the % dget of NASA has decided %y 2ongress! These factors played the main ca se for na'oida%le delay in the decision to %e ta(en for the sh ttle performance$ the press res placed for rgency in la nching in ,:;? itself$ %efore the la nch of R&SSIAN pro%e to pro'e to the congress that the program #as on processing! The la nching date had already %een postponed for the a'aila%ility of 'ice president GEORGE )&SF$ the space NASA s pporter! 5ater f rther delayed d e to a pro%lem in micro s#itch in the hatch/loc(ing mechanism! The cold #eather pro%lem and long disc ssions #ent on among the engineers! The n m%er of tele/conferences f rther delayed the pre'io s testing in ,:;A itself! The lo#est temperat re #as A1o4 % t O/ring temperat re d ring the proposed la nch period happened to %e only 0: o4$ #hich #as far %elo# the en'ironment temperat re at #hich NASA had the pre'io s trail! Someho#$ the ma*or factor that made the re'ised final decision #as that pre'io s trial! Someho#$ the ma*or factor that made the re'ised final decision #as that #ith the a'aila%le data at that time there seemed to %e no correlation %et#een the temperat re and the degree at #hich O/rings had eroded %y the %lo#/%y gas in the pre'io s la nch! Ass ming a safety concern d e to cold #eather$ tho gh the data #ere not concl ded satisfactorily$ a decision #as ta(en not to delay f rther for so many reasons$ and the la nch #as finally recommended! ) t nexpectedly the o'ernight temperat re at the time of la nch #as ; o4 colder than e'er experienced! It #as estimated that the temperat re of the right hand %ooster #o ld %e only at 0;4! The camera noticed a p ff of smo(e coming o t from the field *oints as soon as the %oosters #ere ignited! ) t the O/rings #ere not positioned properly on their seats d e to extreme cold temperat re! The p tty sed as heat resistant material #as also too cold that it failed to protect the O/rings! All these effects made the hot gases to % rn past %oth the Orings$ leading to a %lo#/%y o'er an arc aro nd the O/rings! Tho gh immediately f rther sealing #as made %y the %y/prod cts of com% stion in the roc(et prop lsion$ a glassy oxide formed on the *oints! The oxides #hich #ere temporarily sealing the field *oints at high temperat re$ later #ere shattered %y the stresses ca sed %y the #ind! Again the *oints #ere opened and the hot gases escaped from the solid %oosters! ) t the %oosters #ere attached to the large liB id f el %oosters as per the design! This made the flames d e to %lo#/%y from the solid f el %oosters B ic(ly to % rn thro gh the external tan(! This led to the ignition of the liB id propellant ma(ing the sh ttle exploded! 5ater the accident #as re'ie#ed and in'estigations #ere carried o t %y the n m%er of committees in'ol'ed and %y 'ario s go'ernment %odies! President Regan appointed a commission called Rogers 2ommission #hich constit ted many disting ished scientists and engineers! The eminent scientists in the commission after thoro gh examination and in'estigations ga'e a report on the flexi%ility of the material and pro'ed that the resiliency of the material #as not s fficient and drastically red ced d ring the cold la nch! As the res lt of commission hearings$ a lot of contro'ersial arg ments #ent on among the Thio(ol engineers! Thio(ol and NASA in'estigated possi%le ca ses of the explosion! Mr!)ois*oly$ the main mem%er
in the in'estigation team$ acc sed Thio(ol and NASA of intentionally do#nplaying the pro%lems #ith the O/rings #hile loo(ing for the other ca ses of the accidents! The hot disc ssions h rted the feelings and stat s of the headed engineers li(e Mr!)ois*oly$ Mr!2 rtis and Mr!Mellicam! 4inally the management.s atmosphere also %ecame intolera%le! This e'ent sho#s the responsi%ility$ f nctions$ morality$ d ties of the engineers leading to ethical pro%lems!