How the Challenger shuttle disaster happened

Process map by Brian. 11 steps, 1 layer. Tags: history, disasters, space, engineering.

1. Rocket engineers: Know that the rubber seals in the rocket joints get stiff in the cold
2. NASA: Forecast calls for the coldest launch ever
3. Rocket engineers: Recommend not launching below a safe temperature
4. Managers: Ask the engineers to prove it is NOT safe
5. Managers: Overrule the engineers and approve the launch
6. The shuttle: Liftoff: a puff of gray smoke from the joint
7. The shuttle: Hot gas burns through the seal and a flame hits the fuel tank
8. The shuttle: The shuttle breaks apart 73 seconds after liftoff
9. Investigation panel: A commission investigates and a physicist drops a rubber seal in ice water
10. Investigation panel: Finds the cause, and also a culture that treated small problems as normal
11. NASA: Redesigns the joints and changes how safety concerns are heard

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