Engineering Disasters Engineers. The minds behind the scenes. From buildings to machinery they are responsible for maintaining the safety, performance, and every other aspect of the object. However, what happens if the engineer makes a mistake? Does it go unnoticed? Most likely not. Many engineering disasters have occurred over the course of recorded history. The Hindenburg, Space Shuttle Challenger, and Space Shuttle Columbia are examples of engineering disasters that resulted in catastrophe.
The Hindenburg marked the end of the airship era. Many other airships went down prior to its destruction including the USS Akron and the British R 101 both which cost the same number of lives as the Hindenburg. The reason that these events were not recognized as signs at the time is because these crashed occurred at night and over the ocean, far away from any spectators or cameras. Despite this, many countries decided to stop the production of hydrogen airships before the Hindenburg went up in …show more content…
The shuttle was intended for the crew to be able to conduct some experiments in outer space and then later re enter Earth. This was not the case as Columbia went up in flames as it was attempting to come back to Earth. The cause of this was that a small hole formed when a piece of debris hit Columbia during its ascension into space. A small piece of foam broke off from an external tank and struck the left wing of the aircraft. This foam left a hole approximately 20 cm in length on the wing of the craft. As the craft attempted to reenter the atmosphere, the shuttle was moving at such a high speed that a substantial heat was produced. The hole allowed the heat of 1300 degrees to enter the aircraft. The temperature increased as the craft got closer to the ground. This high amount of heat caused the shuttle to slowly fall apart. Eventually, the astronauts lost complete control of the
The Hindenburg marked the end of the airship era. Many other airships went down prior to its destruction including the USS Akron and the British R 101 both which cost the same number of lives as the Hindenburg. The reason that these events were not recognized as signs at the time is because these crashed occurred at night and over the ocean, far away from any spectators or cameras. Despite this, many countries decided to stop the production of hydrogen airships before the Hindenburg went up in …show more content…
The shuttle was intended for the crew to be able to conduct some experiments in outer space and then later re enter Earth. This was not the case as Columbia went up in flames as it was attempting to come back to Earth. The cause of this was that a small hole formed when a piece of debris hit Columbia during its ascension into space. A small piece of foam broke off from an external tank and struck the left wing of the aircraft. This foam left a hole approximately 20 cm in length on the wing of the craft. As the craft attempted to reenter the atmosphere, the shuttle was moving at such a high speed that a substantial heat was produced. The hole allowed the heat of 1300 degrees to enter the aircraft. The temperature increased as the craft got closer to the ground. This high amount of heat caused the shuttle to slowly fall apart. Eventually, the astronauts lost complete control of the