Faiz Almansour Alemu Azanaw Rachel Downen Timothy Herbig Angie Schneider
Introduction The Challenger Space Shuttle exploded on January 28, 1986 Caused by an O-ring failure All 7 crew members perished
Process Description O-ring SRB segments diameter growth Clearance between O- ring and upstream channel wall Putty Temperature effects
Timeline Night of Jan. 27 th Teleconference with Marshall, Kennedy, and Thiokol Launch recommendation signed Ice teams work through the night removing ice Jan. 28 th 1:00 AM Tanks started to be filled with fuel 10:30 AM Flight delayed for extra ice inspection
Timeline (continued) 11:38 AM (T = 0) The Challenger launches T s Eight puffs of smoke T Flame appears on right SRM T Continuous plume on right SRM T Rocket starts to deviate from course due to plume
Timeline (continued) T Hydrogen tank pressure decreases T All engines respond to loss of fuel and liquid oxygen T Intense white flash T SRBs destruct
Root Causes O-rings failed Technical failure Previous warnings Untested conditions Pressure to launch Miscommunication
Ultimate Results Death of all seven crew members Space Shuttle program suspended for 32 months Thiokol accepted liability and forfeited $10 million of their incentive fee Country watching the launch live demoralized Replacement Shuttle for the Challenger cost $1.7 billion
Lessons Learned Communication is key Only operate in tested conditions Safety over schedule
Summary O-ring failure resulted in Challenger explosion on Jan. 28, 1986 Pressure to launch led to operation in unsafe conditions Replacement Shuttle for the Challenger cost $1.7 billion 7 people lost their lives 3 main lessons were learned from this disaster
References McDonald, Allan J., and James R. Hansen. Truth, Lies, and O- rings: Inside the Space Shuttle Challenger Disaster. Gainesville: University of Florida “NASA – National Aeronautics and Space Administration.” NASA. Web. 01 Mar “Report of the Presidential Commission on the Space Shuttle Challenger Accident.” Presidential Commission Report on Space Shuttle Challenger Accident. Web. 28 Feb Vaughan, Diane. The Challenger Launch Decision: Risky Technology, Culture, and Deviance at NASA. Chicago: University of Chicago “What Went Wrong.” Online Ethics Center for Engineering. 29 Aug Web. 01 Mar
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