Author Dr. Robert Saul

Raising Young Citizens in the Age of Columbine

January 28, 1986 – Trust misplaced

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I have previously suggested that trust is the currency of social relationships, allowing us to believe in what we have been told and to act accordingly.1   That trust must be based on truth, knowledge, humanity, empathy, dependability and confidence.  Truth is perhaps the most important ingredient of that mix, for without truth the other factors crumble under the weight of misinformation and disinformation.2 

History can provide valuable lessons about misplaced trust and its, at times, fatal consequences.3   When history is ignored, the noble work of so many and the sacrifice of so many is ignored to our own peril.  Adam Higginbotham’s book, Challenger: A True Story of Heroism and Disaster on the Edge of Space, provides us with a look at such an example, one that each of us can remember where we were when we heard the news.4

January 28, 1986.  The space shuttle Challenger stood on the launchpad in Florida.  Flight 51-L was undergoing its final preparations for take-off.  The seven space travelers were strapped in ready to go – Dick Scobee, Mike Smith, Ellison Onizuka, Judy Resnick, Ron McNair, Greg Jarvis, and Krista McAuliffe.  The latter traveler was scheduled to be the first teacher in space (“teachernaut”) and set to re-ignite enthusiasm for our space program by delivering science lessons from space.

 

 

But…as they say in rocket lingo, should that candle have been lit?  Were there warning signs that should have been acknowledged?  Was the trust that the astronauts placed in the entire space shuttle program misplaced?  Had the truth been completely sought in the launch approval process?

Well, there were multiple trouble signs over the entire life of the shuttle program. To name a few –

  • The exterior of the shuttle (to protect from the extreme heat on re-entry) had thousands of tiles (over 31,000 tiles) about the size of a square iPhone that had to be hand applied. These tiles had to be individually engineered and applied with a special adhesive.  The time devoted to this process and the occasional loss of tiles during takeoff posed significant risks, yet alternatives were not seriously considered given time constraints.
  • The shuttle was attached to the side of a main rocket with solid rocket boosters (SRBs) also attached. The SRBs were built in sections that had to be stacked on top of each other.  The section joints were joined with giant rubber washers (like in your garden hose) to keep the intense heat of the gases from escaping.  They were referred to as O-rings and were ¼ inch in thickness and 37 feet in diameter.  And this arrangement was recognized as far from perfect.  It was consistent with “acceptable risk” in NASA vernacular.  Everyone knew that all risks cannot be eliminated.
  • Earlier missions of the shuttle had demonstrated that some erosion of the O-rings had occurred and signaled potential failure of the rocket leading to an explosion. This was especially noted when the temperatures prior to and around liftoff were below a certain temperature especially those encountered in the winter, even in Florida.  The O-rings lost some of their elasticity in the cold.

Given the multiple delays prior to the January 28th launch, the NASA officials were eager to finally get the shuttle aloft with Krista McAuliffe aboard.  Every launch is required to have a flight readiness review the night before and all of the engineers and teams needed to sign off.  These teams included folks in Utah, Houston, Alabama and Florida.  Several engineers at the Utah SRB plant had serious concerns about the integrity of the O-rings given the subzero temperatures anticipated in the early morning on January 28th.  They did not recommend launch but their superiors overrode them and approved launch from their team.

Shuttle on way to launchpad

Nonetheless at 11:38 am on January 28, 1986, Five…Four…Three…Two…One…Liftoff from Florida proceeded with seven astronauts aboard.  The families, thousands of observers and millions on TV watched a picture-perfect launch.  But 73 seconds into the flight, an explosion occurred as hot gas escaped from the right SRB.  The only recorded voice (pilot Mike Smith) from the cockpit after the incident was “uh-oh” and that was extracted from recovered tapes from the ocean.  In retrospect, it was estimated that the crew might have been alive for the 2 minute and 45 second freefall until impact with the ocean.  It is chilling to think about this sequence of events.

The subsequent inquiry demonstrated that the O-rings had significant potential flaws, that the weather (rare freeze in Florida) most likely contributed, and that the review process was inadequate.  Even scarier were the overt attempts to misconstrue the data and place the blame on those that had the moral courage to report the problems.  I would also be remiss not to mention corporate profit motives that drove certain decisions when more caution was needed.

The cost of lies, the erosion of truth, affects every step of a complicated event such as a shuttle launch.5 

  • Before – early data and reviews of previous missions revealed serious concerns that were glossed over by some.
  • Around the time – the day before, the launch team knew full well about the freezing weather and the flight readiness review should have taken an additional pause.
  • The time of – one suspects that those that gave their approval were already thinking about what to do next given the loss of the crew of 7 in front of the nation and the world.
  • After – the unwillingness to admit to the faults in the program, the equipment, and the review processes can doom future flights to possible failure and loss of life (unfortunately 17 years later, the shuttle Columbia broke up on re-entry after the loss of some external tiles on takeoff, and all seven astronauts were killed). The obligatory trust necessary for such a dangerous enterprise as space travel is lost when that occurs.

The lessons of the space program dramatically emphasize the importance of trust with its accompanying truth, knowledge, humanity, empathy, dependability and confidence.  We can view the disaster of the Challenger as an isolated problem or look for ways to re-instill trust and integrity to an inherently perilous process so as to improve and honor the memory of those who lost their lives.  The individuals lost and their families deserve no less.  The temptation to view such a disaster as an isolated event further misplaces the trust needed for the continued success of space travel.  Trust without action dishonors the brave women and men pioneers who are helping advance science and exploration.

The Challenger disaster is not just a NASA failure but one characteristic of any enterprise where people interact with people.  The machines involved can distract us, but the people must (not should) have absolute trust in everything and everyone involved.

Everything that we do relies on trust, and misplaced trust can kill.  Before we send a rocket off (“light the candle”) or simply engage in our relationships with others, let’s be sure that the trust necessary is well-founded and earned, based on truth, knowledge, humanity, empathy, dependability and confidence.  We honor those who have gone before us when we do that.

 

  1. https://mychildrenschildren.com/trust-is-the-currency-of-social-interaction-2/
  2. https://mychildrenschildren.com/staying-true-to-the-truth-moral-courage/
  3. https://mychildrenschildren.com/is-history-the-path-forward/
  4. Higginbotham A. Challenger: A True Story of Heroism and Disaster on the Edge of Space. Avid Reader Press; 2024. 561 pp.
  5. https://mychildrenschildren.com/the-cost-of-lies-2/