HOW THE WISH OF PROGRESS CAN BE DEVASTATING ?

I told you that I’m fond of astronomy and random things about space, so I’m back with a new article which deals with the launch of the space shuttle « Challenger », the spacecraft of the mission STS-51-L. In 1986, this shuttle has been one of the most important disaster of the NASA in all the history of the space flight. Accidents happens due to a succession of errors, we will see in this case that the crash of the shuttle could have not happen if certain decisions hadn’t been taken.

This shuttle was planned to bring seven astronauts to the international space station during a week and two days. They have some tasks to do : deploy a satellite, observe the comet “Halley”, bring new equipment to the ISS and resupply all the astronauts who are still in the ISS etc…

One of the crew members, Christa McAuliffe, could have been the first civil person to go into

space ; as a science teacher, she was selected for the “Teacher In Space Program”, promoted by the president Reagan. She had to train as a professional astronaut during months to be able to survive aboard the shuttle in space.

This program can be the symbol of an opening between the civil world and the space agency, without limits of knowledge. For the president Reagan, it could also be a way of displaying the progress and the evolution of the country, right in the middle of the Cold War.

Let’s get to the heart of the technical matter, without lose to much our brain…

This twenty-fifth mission of the program had the goal of restoring the hope in regular public spatial trips, but due to the financial cost, this project could not be achieved.

To make it simple, the shuttle was built with several elements : the body of the shuttle, a tank for the hydrogen and oxygen, two rockets engines, two boosters on the sides and the capsule, where the crew was set during the launch.

On each boosters is located an O-ring, which avoid leaks of hot gas near the main tank. The 28th January 1986, they will be the cause of the huge explosion of the tank.

The shot has been postponed many times because of the climatic conditions, the final day programmed was the 28th January 1986 at 11:38 AM at the Kennedy Space Center. This day, the launch site has been completely frozen because of the temperature (-0.5°C). The ground control decided to maintain the launch despite all risks they may have, and also several advises of the engineer Roger Boisjoly, who tried all that he could to stop or avoid the launch. He was the only to have found the risk factor of the launch : the O-ring.

This is how it happened : due to the cold wave, the O-rings became shrink and they broke, because they were not made to resist to such temperatures. Obviously, near the rocket engines, they couldn’t resist, so they collapsed. The fire of the engines damaged the tank, which caused a violent explosion seventy three seconds after the takeoff.

An investigation was directed, and many people affirms that in various missions, the NASA had the “risk taking tendencies”, and ignored some details that could have been majors.

This accident can be an example of the deep desire of evolve in technology, showing the technical progress, but omitting risks which can cause human loss.