EPQ Reflections on Challenger's 39th Anniversary

“Obviously a major malfunction.”

These were the words of launch commentator Steve Nesbitt as stunned NASA officials and onlookers watched, horrified, as the Space Shuttle Challenger disintegrated over the Atlantic, only 73 seconds after its launch from Cape Canaveral on 28 January 1986. It is estimated that 17% of Americans, as well as millions worldwide, watched the launch live on TV. Huge interest had been generated in this particular mission because the crew included high-school teacher Christa McAuliffe, who was to be the first non-astronaut civilian in space. Instead, all seven crew members perished.

At the time, the cause of the accident was a mystery. But in the 39 years since, the evidence has been analysed and re-visited many times. Initially, the Rogers Presidential Commission concluded that O-Ring seals in the booster rockets were the primary cause of the disaster. But this component was not entirely responsible. NASA’s organisational structure was heavily criticised: issues with the boosters were known about, but hadn’t been addressed. The launch also occurred after engineers had objected to it, citing O-Ring performance data at the cold late-January temperatures.

But this is not the whole story - zooming out, it was evident that NASA was stretching itself to the limit in order to manage a low budget, high expectations and an absurdly optimistic launch schedule. In a process called ‘normalisation of deviance’, the organisation treated increasingly risky situations as ‘normal’ or ‘within safe limits’ - making a disaster almost inevitable.

My in-depth knowledge of this event stems from my Extended Project Qualification. I chose to study Challenger because I’ve always had an interest in spaceflight and engineering - but as the project progressed, this range of topics broadened. I’ve really enjoyed learning how politics, business culture and various more ‘social’ factors played a part in the disaster, as well as forming my own opinions on what was most to blame as a result. The EPQ Exhibition was held last week, which gave my fellow students and I time to showcase our projects and get valuable feedback. We now have under two months before the final submission deadline of early May; time to edit our essays, make any final changes and refine the overall project. Looking back, it’s been a truly fascinating experience which I would highly recommend to other students; I’ve had the chance to put my research and writing skills to the test, explore a topic I’m passionate about and learn how to manage a large-scale project. These are skills that I will undoubtedly use and improve on throughout my life.

In memory of Challenger's crew:

Francis R. Scobee, Flight Commander

Michael J. Smith, Pilot

Judith A. Resnik, Mission Specialist and Flight Engineer

Ellison S. Onizuka, Mission Specialist

Ronald E. McNair, Mission Specialist

S. Christa McAuliffe, Payload Specialist

Gregory B. Jarvis, Payload Specialist