Texto en Español
Roger Boisjoly on the Challenger Disaster
III. Being Asked to Soften the Urgency of the O-ring Problem
Question:
NASA once again wanted the seal task force team to soften the urgency of the O-ring problem. If the word leaked that there existed a major malfunction in the solid rocket booster, Congress would likely lose even more faith in the Shuttle program. No cold weather launches were scheduled for the near future. Should Boisjoly continue to listen to NASA and play down the importance of the problem? Which of the following are good things to do in this situation?
Answer: Inform media.
The members of the media are like the rest of humanity. They may or may not share your concerns about safety. They may be mainly interested in selling newspapers. Case histories of some whistleblowers show that the reporter whom they consulted pursued the matter in a way that obstructed rather than furthered the engineer's efforts to remedy the safety problem. It is prudent to find out about the purposes and methods of the reporters whom you are considering approaching.
Further actions to possibly take:
Supporting Materials to Aid Decision Making
- Morton Thiokol and the Space Shuttle Challenger Disaster
- Essay by Roger Boisjoly. A background summary of important events leading to the Challenger disaster starting with January, 1985, plus the specifics of the telecon meeting held the night prior to the launch at which an attempt was made to stop the launch by the Morton Thiokol engineers. In the essay he argues that the off-line telecon caucus by Morton Thiokol Management constituted the unethical decision-making forum which ultimately produced the management decision to launch Challenger without any restrictions.
- 7/31/85 Memo about O-Ring Erosion
- 8/22/85 Memo from A.R. Thompson on the Flight Seal
- What Went Wrong With the Solid Rocket Booster
- Morton Thiokol Wasatch Division Corporate Structure
- Report of the Presidential Commission on the Space Shuttle Challenger Accident
- Representation and Misrepresentation: Tufte and the Morton Thiokol Engineers on the Challenger