Challenger Explosion Essay

The new technology of 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 January 28, 1986, which was the launch day of Challenger’s 10th mission. Although some engineers were “worried about the integrity of the seals on the solid rocket boosters in cold weather”(Howell), NASA proceeded to launch …show more content…
Once the Challenger disaster was resolved, NASA began making major improvements to the culture and safety measures within their Space Shuttle program. For instance, before NASA could resume space flights, “The space shuttle had to be entirely re-certified, and every last little technical piece was re-analyzed”(Wall). After nearly three years of re-designing the space shuttles, the orbiter Discovery finally blasted off from Cape Canaveral, Florida, on September 29, 1988. As for cultural changes, NASA worked to strengthen communication between contractors and the launch decision team. According to Mike Wall, “If the decision-makers had known all of the facts, it is highly unlikely that they would have decided to launch 51L on January 28, 1986”(Wall). By creating more communication between teams, NASA can avoid the simple misunderstandings that occurred during the Challenger launch, that consequently lead to disaster. Moreover, the crew of Challenger had a very powerful impact on NASA and the rest of America. At the time, the American education system was under fire for being inadequate; and in spite of the education dilemma, Teacher in Space participant, Christa McAuliffe, helped change the public’s perception of teachers and education. To this day the Challenger Center for Space Science Education continues to reach out to children to inspire interest in science, technology, and

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