Abstract
The NASA Challenger STS 51-L accident is an archetypal example of a disaster with no clear scapegoat. While it is easy to simply blame the management for disregarding engineers’ warnings about the safety of the mission, this analysis of the Challenger Disaster is erroneous because it fails to consider other factors such as a flawed communication system. In order to comprehensively analyze the ethical violations that led to the Challenger accident, we must consider the scenario holistically. This means we must take into account not only the mistake of some engineers who did not strongly protest the launch and management who did not heed the engineers’ warnings, but also the tense atmosphere surrounding the launch of Challenger in addition to the flaws of the structure of the NASA communication system. By rigorously and completely analyzing the Challenger situation, we can then formulate preventive measures for future missions based upon the ethical violations that occurred on the Challenger mission in order to minimize the possibility of human, economic, dignity, and safety loss for missions in the future.
Introduction
On January 28th, 1986, the space shuttle Challenger exploded 72 seconds after launch, killing six astronauts as well as schoolteacher Christa McAuliffe (“Challenger Disaster”, …show more content…
However, their efforts did not meet the standards listed in the NSPE Code of Ethics. As a result, the engineers share some of the blame in the Challenger Disaster. However, while identifying the key issues and causes of the disaster is very important, searching for a specific group of people to blame will not help prevent future disasters. While it may be tempting to place all of the blame on the management or the engineers or even NASA in general, this approach simplifies the case and is simply erroneous. The only way to prevent future disasters like this one is to
The NASA Challenger STS 51-L accident is an archetypal example of a disaster with no clear scapegoat. While it is easy to simply blame the management for disregarding engineers’ warnings about the safety of the mission, this analysis of the Challenger Disaster is erroneous because it fails to consider other factors such as a flawed communication system. In order to comprehensively analyze the ethical violations that led to the Challenger accident, we must consider the scenario holistically. This means we must take into account not only the mistake of some engineers who did not strongly protest the launch and management who did not heed the engineers’ warnings, but also the tense atmosphere surrounding the launch of Challenger in addition to the flaws of the structure of the NASA communication system. By rigorously and completely analyzing the Challenger situation, we can then formulate preventive measures for future missions based upon the ethical violations that occurred on the Challenger mission in order to minimize the possibility of human, economic, dignity, and safety loss for missions in the future.
Introduction
On January 28th, 1986, the space shuttle Challenger exploded 72 seconds after launch, killing six astronauts as well as schoolteacher Christa McAuliffe (“Challenger Disaster”, …show more content…
However, their efforts did not meet the standards listed in the NSPE Code of Ethics. As a result, the engineers share some of the blame in the Challenger Disaster. However, while identifying the key issues and causes of the disaster is very important, searching for a specific group of people to blame will not help prevent future disasters. While it may be tempting to place all of the blame on the management or the engineers or even NASA in general, this approach simplifies the case and is simply erroneous. The only way to prevent future disasters like this one is to