Challenger Disaster Essay example

Words: 1123
Pages: 5
Open Document
Risk Quantification

7. How did NASA decide what is or is not an acceptable risk?

NASA identified and evaluated hazards through a formalized hazard reduction process as described in the NASA Handbook, NHB5300.4. The process required that hazards be determined for probability and credibility. In order to ensure that the standards within NHB5300.4 were adhered to, a Senior Safety Review Board was established for overseeing the risk assessment process. The process allowed for a certain amount of risk to be allowed as long as it was acceptable. To determine whether or not a hazard was an acceptable risk, NASA used a Safety Classification System, which was a qualitative system rather than a quantitative system. This was due to the high …show more content…
What response mechanism was used when waivers were used? What about when they ignored the engineer’s recommendation?

In order to reduce paperwork, NASA utilized a waiver system. This system was in place decades before the Challenger disaster. It allowed project managers and contract administrators the authority to bypass standard protocol in order to save time. Waivers were a way for NASA to state that the risk was acceptable and to continue operations. If a waiver was issued and the coinciding mission was a success, the same waiver would be used for future operations and were not revisited. Since the risk management system used by NASA was based on qualitative data rather than quantitative data, waivers were extremely subjective. This was seen throughout the space shuttle development process. Essentially, NASA and Thiokol did not do a satisfactory job in controlling risks, which includes evaluating the risk process effectiveness throughout the project and is intended to optimize risk responses. Since it was a qualitative waiver process, most of the decisions made were ‘management decisions’ rather than engineering ones. Since there wasn’t organized data they could utilize in defense of their positions, the engineers opinions weren’t heavily considered when they contradicted the decision of the management.

Problems Encountered: NASA and Thiokol encountered numerous issues during the duration of the space shuttle program. Some of these include paperwork
Show More

Related Documents: Challenger Disaster Essay example

Case Study: The Challenger Disaster

Most Americans acknowledge the fact that the Challenger disaster was reasonably one of the most important events in terms of its meaning on the United States of America space and aeronautic program, but also in the whole history of space flight. It was on the freezing cold morning tide of Jan 28th, in the year of 1986, when 7 cosmonauts aboard Challenger lost their lives live in front of millions of TV spectators. The shuttle tore up just a minute and 13 seconds after taking off, consuming more…

Words 777 - Pages 4

Space Shuttle Challenger Disaster

After the shuttle Challenger had exploded on the launch pad in 1986 a private investigation team had been set up by NASA to investigate such disasters. As the recovery of debris took place the team set out to give answers as to what had caused the break-up of the Columbia. From the very beginning the team looked into the foam that had hit the wing on launch day as other materials such as ice had been known to damage other shuttles before this incident. At this point in the investigation NASA stated…

Words 1195 - Pages 5

Space Shuttle Challenger Disaster Summary

Ron Luckenbihl MPM210-1601-03 January 29, 2016 Review of the Space Shuttle Challenger Disaster in regards to Project Management. The Challenger program was plagued with issues that began several years before the disaster happened. A majority of the problems were due to the management style that NASA used. According to Max Weber’s theory of Bureaucracy , NASA had a narcissistic management style. The upper management was more interested in the public image of the company. Ever since the first…

Words 563 - Pages 3

Space Shuttle Challenger Disaster Analysis

nations. This is crucial as those nations will be looking for answers as to what occurred. The Space Shuttle Challenger disaster in 1986, exemplified some of these concerns, although the crew themselves were American, therefore there is not an intense need for diplomatic dialogue between the U.S. and the international community. However, in 2003 with the failure of the Space Shuttle Columbia disaster, seven astronauts were on board as it reentered the atmosphere and began to disintegrate. Two of the astronauts…

Words 1899 - Pages 8

The Space Shuttle Challenger Disaster Essay examples

RISK CASE STUDY – ASSIGNEMENT 2 August 3, 20111 THE SPACE SHUTTLE CHALLENGER DISASTER Risk Management Plan 1. Risk management plan summarizes risk management approach, list methodologies and processes, defines everyone’s role – definition of risk management plan. NASA was using for the most part qualitative risk assessment process. Launch of the shuttle was allowed as long as aggregate risk remained acceptable. Quantitive method was applied for risk assessment because if the complex…

Words 2672 - Pages 11

Space Shuttle Challenger Disaster and Twenty-fifth Shuttle Flight Essay

Astronomy Challenger Disaster It was on January 28, 1986 when the shuttle Challenger, NASA flight 51-L, the twenty-fifth shuttle flight, took off. At lift-off, the temperature at ground level was 36° Fahrenheit, which was 15° Fahrenheit cooler than any previous launch by NASA. It was the Challenger's tenth flight. Take-off had been delayed several times. Finally the shuttle had taken off. The shuttle had climbed high in the sky thirty-five seconds after take-off, and it was getting hit…

Words 340 - Pages 2

Challenger Explosion Essay

the 70’s and 80’s paved the path for one of NASA’s greatest accomplishments, the Space Shuttle program. The Space Shuttle fleet was comprised of orbiters Atlantis, Challenger, Columbia, Discovery, and Endeavor, which completed many missions that contributed to our knowledge of space and science. Unfortunately, the events of the Challenger Explosion in 1986 now serve as a grim reminder of why communication and precision is vital in the world of space exploration. It was an unusually cold morning on…

Words 745 - Pages 3

1986 Challenger Shuttle Failure

The 1986 Challenger tragedy shook the nation to its core as a malfunction in the o-rings caused a seal breach in one of the connecting joints of the right rocket booster, creating the perfect environment for disaster. The ruptured liquid hydrogen and oxygen tanks combined with the jet fuel that had been ignited during the launch resulted in an explosion that took place just 73 seconds after liftoff. The o-ring failure ultimately caused the deaths of seven astronauts, halting the space program’s shuttle…

Words 644 - Pages 3

Challenger Space Shuttle Research Paper

On January 28, 1986, the American shuttle orbiter Challenger broke up 73 seconds after liftoff and brought a devastating end to the spacecraft’s 10th mission. The disaster claimed the lives of all seven astronauts aboard. NASA had initially wanted to put man on the moon through the Apollo program. However, as Apollo was nearing completion, the cost of the Vietnam War was rising. As an alternative to the expensive Apollo program, the Space Shuttle program was proposed. On January 5, 1972, President…

Words 920 - Pages 4

Essay on The Tragic Challenger Explosion

The Tragic Challenger Explosion The Tragic Challenger Explosion Space Travel. It is a sense of national pride for many Americans. If you ask anyone who was alive at the time, they could probably tell you exactly where they were when they heard that Neil Armstrong was the first person to walk on the Moon. But all of the success in our space programs is overshadowed by tragedy. On January 28, 1986, one of the worst disasters in our space program's history occurred. Many people were watching…

Words 3033 - Pages 13