challenger disaster(挑战者号)

1、Remembering the Challenger shuttle ExplosionOne of the most tragic events in the history of the United States space program occurred.ContentsIntroductionOriginating cause of explosionDiscussion of ethic issueConclusion1. IntroductionThe space shuttle Challenger disaster occurred on January 28th 1986

2、,when Space Shuttle Challenger (mission STS-51-L) broke apart 73 seconds into its flight, leading to the deaths of its seven crew members. The challenger space shuttle went to nine successful space flight missions before the disaster. A little over one minute after takeoff, the shuttle began breakin

3、g apart, and eventually the spacecraft reached complete structural failure and crashed. But what exactly caused the space shuttle to explode? （outer space universe, 2011）2. Originating cause of explosionThe NASA investigational commissions report on the incident cited the cause of the disaster as a

4、failure of an O-ring seal in the solid-fuel rocket on the Space Shuttle Challengers right side. The faulty design of the seal coupled with the unusually cold weather of the launch date, let hot gases leak through the joint. This allowed booster rocket flames to pass through the failed seal, further

5、enlarging the small hole. Ultimately, the flames proceeded to burn through the Space Shuttle Challengers external fuel tank and through one of the supports that attached the booster to the side of the tank. The booster broke loose and collided with the tank, piercing the fuel tanks side. Liquid hydr

6、ogen and liquid oxygen fuels from the tank and booster mixed and ignited，causing the challenger to tear apart.A special commission, named the Rogers commission, was tasked with finding out more information surrounding the causes of the disaster. They identified another contributing factor to be the

7、culture of the NASA organization at the time, as well as some of the decision-making processes used.The Rogers Commission 3. Discussion of ethic issue January 22ndJanuary 24thJanuary 25thJanuary 27thJanuary 28thLast mission delayed to 23rdTAL ,bad weatherTAL could not cope with night landingFixed th

8、e problem of an external door channelLaunch timetable of challengerRoger Boisjoly : an engineering, he tried to stop shuttle challenger launchReported a problem about O-ring, was the elastic seals at the joints of the multi-stage booster rockets. They might tended to stiffen and unseal in cold weath

9、er and NASAs ambitious shuttle launch schedule included winter lift-offs with risky temperatures, even in Florida.(Howard, 2012)“I fought like Hell to stop that launch. Im so torn up inside I can hardly talk about it, even now.“We have backup O-ring for every O-ring, it is unlikely for the backups t

10、o fail as wellNASA management : take charge in launching shuttle challenger.NASA management responded that this problem can be solved by add a backup O-ring.He argued that the estimates of reliability offered by NASA management were wildly unrealistic, differing as much as a thousand fold from the e

11、stimates of working engineers. “For a successful technology, reality must take precedence over public relations, for nature cannot be fooled.”Richard Feynman: a member of Rogers commission. NASA management acted as if keeping to the schedule was more important than the safety of the astronauts.The e

12、ngineers did not stress the severity of problems created by the cold weather enough. Because the O-rings were never tested at temperatures as low as the conditions during the actual launch.NASA management think because each O-ring had backup O-ring in place, it is assumed that any failure would not

13、cause any problems because it would be unlikely for the backups to fail as well. Engineers accepted this solution.ConclusionOne of the most tragic events in the history of United States space program.Cause by O-ring, which tended to stiffen and unseal in cold weather.Due to the pressure of public op

14、inion, NASAs manager offered a estimates of reliability, which is much higher than the working engineering did, it is another reason for the challenger disaster.Reference Outer Space Universe. Remembering the Challenger Shuttle Explosion: A Disaster 25 Years Ago. Retrieved January 28, 2011 from http:/www.outerspaceunive