One Sad Day for Mankind

Today 25 years ago the Space Shuttle Challenger exploded high in the sky shortly after liftoff, taking the lives of seven astronauts on board, including a school teacher. In a congressional hearing on the causes of the tragic accident, the eminent physicist Richard Feynman would later elegantly demonstrate to the public that the O-ring seals in the booster rockets lost elasticity at freezing temperatures. He dropped a piece of the material into an ice water cup in front of him, letting it soak for a while. He then took it out and pinched it. The result was lasting indentations, affirming that the material changed its properties dramatically with dropping temperatures.

During the days before Columbia's liftoff, Florida endured a cold spell with freezing temperatures. The O-rings sealing the fuel into the booster rockets had turned stiff and leaky. Flames blasting sideways onto the main liquid fuel tank ignited the fuel, triggering the tank's explosion. The manufacturer's warning that the rings' strength would not withstand low temperatures had gone unheeded when the fateful decision for launch was cast.

Space Shuttle Decoy at Huntsville, AL, showing the white booster rocket and the brown fuel tank.

Projects as complex as the Space Shuttle program demand unprecedented care. Only a few nations are able to command the needed resources, infrastructure,  intellectual capital and economies sufficiently advanced to embark on such endeavors. The organizational challenges involved in the management of the risks inherent in such projects should teach us lessons. It may be true that great explorations are not for the faint of heart. Alas, the Challenger tragedy should serve as a lasting reminder to be prudent. Murphy's law does apply!

Addendum

• Political considerations may have played a pivotal role in the tragic decision of Challenger's launch. Listen to May-Lily Lee's interview with former NASA employee Richard C. Cook with the title "Virginia Conversations: The Whistleblower" aired by Virginia Public Radio Nov. 11, 2013. Richard wrote a book about his experience with the title "Challenger Revealed: An Insider's Account of How the Reagan Administration Caused the Greatest Tragedy of the Space Age" (11/19/2013).

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