CHALLENGER

SPACE

SHUTTLE
Normal Accident Theory
CHALLENGER MISSION 51-
L AS A NORMAL
ACCIDENT
 Space Shuttle Challenger
On Jan 28, 1986, at 11.38
am EST, the space shuttle
challenger was launched
from Cape Canaveral,
Florida.

The mission ended 73

seconds later when the
Challenger exploded.

All 7 crew members were

killed.
 Cause of the explosion?

Hot propellant gases flew

past the aft joint of the
right solid rocket booster,
burning through two rubber
O-rings.
Cause of the accident?
“The decision to launch the
Challenger was flawed”
“The fundamental problem
was poor technical decision-
making”
 NASA’S SHUTTLE KICK-OFF

NASA’s Shuttle program was begun in the 1970s, to

create reusable craft for transporting cargo into space.
Previous space craft could only be used once, then
were discarded. The first shuttle, Columbia was
launched in 1981. One year later, the Space Shuttle
Challenger rolled off the assembly line as the second
shuttle of the US fleet. They were followed by
Discovery in 1983 and Atlantis in 1985.
The Space Shuttle Challenger flew nine successful
missions before that fateful day of the disaster in
1986.
 UNIQUENESS DESPITE
DECIMATION

One thing made this mission unique. It was

scheduled to be the first flight of a new program
called TISP, the Teacher In Space Program. The
Challenger was scheduled to carry Sharon Christa
McAuliffe, the first teacher to fly in space.

Selected from among more than 11,000 applicants

from the education profession for entrance into the
astronaut ranks, McAuliffe was very excited about
the opportunity to participate in the space program.
“I watched the Space Age being born and I would
like to participate.”
Besides McAuliffe, the Challenger crew
consisted of mission

Commander Francis R. Scobee,

Pilot Michael J. Smith;
Mission specialists Ronald E. McNair,
Ellison S. Onizuka, and Judith A. Resnik,

And

Payload specialists Gregory B. Jarvis.

Christa was also listed as a payload
specialist
 A Description of what caused the
explosion

 The Challenger tragedy is the result of a complex series of events and

poor decisions.

-Economic and Political Impacts

-Thiokol’s Role in the Shuttle Program

 An analysis of NASA and Thiokol’s violation of ethics regarding safety.

-Poor Management Decisions by Thiokol and NASA

-Reasonable Solutions to the Decision Problem
 Political Climate
 The lack of government interest and economic inflation
hindered the Space Shuttle Program
-Resulted in questionable decision to deploy SRBs

 The European Space Agency provided international

competition for NASA

 The fatal Challenger mission would carry the first teacher

into space, generating much publicity
-NASA used publicity as a tool to help secure funding
-Reagan sought publicity with his State of the Union
address that focused on education
O – RING AN OVERVIEW
launch
flight5
flight7
flight8
destruction
Solid Rocket Booster (SRB) Segments

The arrow marks the joint that failed

on the 51-L
Joint Rotation Under Pressure
Abort Recovery
Thiokol and NASA’s Violation of Ethics Regarding
Safety
• NASA’s decision to use  Risks safety for business
SRBs instead of liquid fuel purposes
boosters
• NASA’s decision to  Risks safety to stay on tight
continue with launching
launch schedule (again,
despite near-disaster in
business purposes)
1985
 Unprofessional and
• NASA and Thiokol
unethical pressure on
management ignored the
Thiokol to “okay” the
concerns of SRB engineers
launch (again, safety is
in a teleconference the
risked for business
night before the
interests)
Challenger launch
Arguments With
Fleddermann’s
Ethical Theories
1) NASA and Thiokol were violation of
“Rights Ethics”

2) NASA and Thiokol were in violation of

“Virtue Ethics”
 Why the Challenger Shuttle
was launched in such a hurry and
cause of failure

Political Pressure.

Multiple Authority.

Too many missions and agendas were pending

for NASA.

Lack of decision making capability at various

levels.
 WHAT NASA DID NOT DO

 Maintain Sense Of Vulnerability

 Combat Normalization Of Deviance
 Establish an Imperative for Safety
 Perform Valid/Timely Hazard/Risk
Assessments
 Ensure Open and Frank Communications
 Learn and Advance the Culture
 What Should Have Been Done

•Perhaps the accident could have been avoided if more

decision-making power was placed in the hands of
engineers.

•The flaws in the Space Shuttle Program that ultimately

led to the Challenger disaster must be used as a precedent
for future situations. Safety must come before all else.

www.jhs.nhusd.K12.ca.us/Classes/Social_Science/Challenger.html/Challenger.html
 CHALLENGER DISASTER
KEY ISSUE

NASA POLICY SHIFT FROM:

DON’T FLY UNLESS

SAFE
TO
FLY UNTIL IT IS PROVEN IT
IS NOT SAFE!