Engineering Ethics

Chapter 5

1986: Challenger Space

Shuttle Explosion

63

THE REPORTED STORY

The New York Times Abstract:

Cape Canaveral, FL, January 28—The space shuttle Challenger exploded in

a ball of fire shortly after it left the launching pad today, and all seven astro-

nauts on board were lost. (Broad, 1986)

THE BACK STORY

THE SPACE SHUTTLE DESIGN

The concept of a completely reusable space shuttle was first discussed

in the 1960s, before the Apollo lunar landing spacecraft had flown. Over

time, to minimize cost, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration

(NASA) compromised on a reusable orbiter, an expendable external fuel

tank carrying liquid propellants for the orbiters’ engines, and two recover-

able solid rocket boosters (Figure 5.1).

To provide for the broadest possible spectrum of civil and military

missions, the shuttle was designed to deliver 65,000 lbs of payload to an

easterly low-Earth orbit or 32,000 lbs to polar orbit. In early 1972, NASA

estimated it would cost $6.2 billion to develop and test this three-part

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64 Engineering Ethics: An Industrial Perspective

Figure 5.1 Two views of the space shuttle system: the orbiter, the expendable external fuel

tank, and two recoverable solid rocket boosters.

Reprinted from Rogers Commission, 1986.

system. NASA awarded the contract for development of the orbiter and its

main engines to Rockwell International Corporation, the contract for

development of the external tank to Martin Marietta Denver Aerospace,

and the contract for development of the solid rocket boosters to Morton

Thiokol Corporation. Four space shuttle systems were built: the Columbia,

the Discovery, the Atlantis, and the Challenger.

The orbiter is as large as a midsize airline transport and is con-

structed of an aluminum alloy skin stiffened with stringers to form a

shell over frames and bulkheads of aluminum or aluminum alloy. The

major structural sections are the forward fuselage, which encompasses

the pressurized crew compartment; the mid fuselage, which contains the

payload bay; the payload bay doors; the aft fuselage, from which the

main engine nozzles project; and the vertical tail, which splits open

along the trailing edge to provide a speed brake used during entry and

landing. The payload bay is designed to securely hold a wide range of

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