The Space Shuttle Challenger Accident

Just 73 seconds after its launch on January 28, 1986, Space Shuttle Challenger exploded, killing all 7 of its crew members on-board.

Wix image "Rocket Launches Skyward"

There were 7 human lives lost on this mission. SEVEN. That's seven sons and daughters, seven mothers and fathers, seven people that are no longer here because of a small part (in relation to the size of the rocket) called an O-Ring. O-rings create seals between mechanical joints, preventing liquids and gases from leaking through. These rubber rings are susceptible to failure in low temperature. They lose their elasticity and ability to expand to complete their seal. These parts only work properly at temperatures above 53 degrees, yet it was only 36 degrees on launch morning. This begs the question: Why did NASA not delay or reschedule the launch?

To put it bluntly, NASA wanted to look good in front of the American public. They were trying to justify why so much spending was going to space travel and they needed this rocket in the sky as soon as possible. One of the crew members was a high school teacher, a normal citizen, and that got America excited. She was going to teach a class in space that Friday, but if they delayed for a day, she'd be teaching her class to nobody on Saturday, so NASA went ahead with the launch.

Engineers warned NASA managers about the cold temperature and how it can negatively affect the rocket, but those warning fell on deaf ears.

Mechanical Engineers can learn learn many lessons from this, but the main one is to always make sure your mechanism will carry out its intended function. If it doesn't, take it back to the drawing board and fix whatever issues it has, especially if its a potentially deadly issue.

Works Cited:

Teitel, Amy Shira. "What Caused the Challenger Disaster? / How the Challenger Disaster Changed NASA." History, A&E Television Networks, 25 Jan. 2018, https://www.history.com/articles/how-the-challenger-disaster-changed-nasa