A quiz question · medium
What was the proximate cause of the Challenger break-up on 28 January 1986?
Morton Thiokol engineers had argued against launch the night before because Viton O-rings lose elasticity below 12°C. They were overruled. The right SRB joint leaked at ignition, the gap resealed with combustion debris, then failed at 58 seconds. Vehicle break-up at 73 seconds.
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The American Space Shuttle That Broke Apart at 73 Seconds After Launch on 28 January 1986 Because the O-Rings on the Right Solid Rocket Booster Had Failed at Low Temperature The Space Shuttle Challenger broke apart 73 seconds after launch on 28 January 1986, killing all seven crew. The proximate cause was the failure of a rubber O-ring seal on the right solid rocket booster at the unusually cold overnight launch temperature. The engineers at the manufacturer Morton Thiokol had argued against the launch for thermal reasons the night before; they had been overruled by their own management on a NASA conference call.
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