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The Space Shuttle Challenger I Disaster On January 28,1986, the space shuttle Challenger lifted off the launch pad at 1 1:38 A.M., beginning the flight of mission 51-L.' Approximately seventy-four seconds into the flight, the Challenger was engulfed in an explosive burn and all comrnuni- cation and telemetry ceased. Seven brave crewmembers lost their lives. On board the Challenger were Francis R. (Dick) Scobee (commander), Michael John Smith (pilot), Ellison S. Onizuka (mission specialist one), Judith Arlene Resnik (mission specialist two), Ronald Erwin McNair (mission specialist three), S. Christa McAuliffe (payload specialist one), and Gregory Bruce Jarvis (payload specialist two). A faulty seal, or O-ring, on one of the two solid rocket boosters caused the accident. Following the accident, significant energy was expended trying to ascertain whether the accident had been predictable. Controversy arose from the desire to assign, or to avoid, blame. Some publications called it a management failure, specifically in risk management, while others called it a technical failure. Whenever accidents had occurred in the past at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), an internal investigation team had been formed. 'The first digit indicates the fiscal year of the launch (i.e., "5" means 1985). The second number in- dicates the launch site (i.e., "1" is the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, "2" is Vandenberg Air Force Base in California). The letter represents the mission number (i.e., "C" would be the third mission scheduled). This designation system was implemented after Space Shuttle flights one through nine, which were designated STS-X. STS is the Space Transportation System and X would indicate the flight number.404 THE SPACE SHUTTLE CHALLENGER DISASTER But in this case, perhaps because of the visibility, the White House took the ini- tiative in appointing an independent commission. There did exist significant jus- tification...