Challenger Essay -- essays research papers

On January 26, 1986, one ofthe greatest disasters of our time occurred. When Challenger was destroyedmany questions were asked close to the refuge of space missions. Many questionswere asked about the credibility of the engineers who intentional the air craft.It is now know that crucial information about the faulty O-rings was knowto many if not all of the engineers. These engineers had many deterrent example decisionsthey had to face when the problem was first noticed, which was as early asNovember 1981.When a wench is launched their are two booster rockets attachedto the side of it that disconnect when the hiss gets into orbit. The rocketsthat were on the Challenger were manufactured by Morton-Thiokol, an engineeringcompany. This company then sends the rockets to the launch site where theyare assembled. Where the different pieces of the rocket fit together, thereis a set of O-rings that make a seal around the booster. Around the O-ringstheir is a putty substance that holds t he O-rings in place. In November of1981, after the flight of the second shuttle mission, the joints where examined,and the O-rings were gnaw.The joints were still sealing effectively butthe O-ring material was decaying because of hot gasses that went through theputty. At this point Roger Boisjoly an engineer for Morton-Thiokol startedresearching different types of putty to reduce the corrosion on the O-rings.After testing the O-rings in the laboratory it was found that they did notreturn to their original size after being compressed at low temperatures. Thiokol designed a set of billets that would hold the joint more firmly inplace. These billets were not ready on the day of the Challenger disasterbecause they took too yen to manufacture, and NASA did not want to delay theproject. The next tests took place in June of 1985 at Morton-Thiokol inUtah. The primary seal on flight 51B which flew on April 29, 1985, was eroded"eroded in 3 places over a 1.3 inch length up to a maximum d epth of.171 inches.It was postulated that this primary seal had never sealed during the largetwo minute flight."i Its at this point that Boisjoly knew he had to go tohis superiors about the problem. In August of 1985 Morton-Thiokol formed atask force of engineers to solve the problem of the O-rings. This task forceonly consisted of 5 engineers wh... ...tressed more in the education of an engineer. Engineers must realizethat their are many situations that people put their stick up in the hands of theengineer. Every time we step into a car we are relying on the design of anengineer, and if any part of it fails the passenger could get combat injury if not killed.In todays society their are many institutions that protect the public fromtechnology buildings must meet certain regulations, and cars have to meetcertain safety standards. But their are not as many organizations that protectthe rights of the engineers. When can we say that it is no longer the engineersfault, and say t hat it is the fault of the operator? Engineers must be carefulwhen it comes to ethical standards, they should not have to be in the sameposition that Boisjoly was in. By evaluating the situation and acting accordingto what is best for society and themselves they should expose a perfect medianbetween morals and management. i Http//www.mit.edu8001/activities/ethicsiiHttp//www.mit.edu8011/ethicsiii http//www.mit.edu8001/activities/ethics/boisjoly/RB-intro.htmlivhttp//www.mit.edu8001/activities/ethics/boisjoly/RB-intro.html