Case Study: The Challenger Launch

Risk management primarily refers to the risk of life that an organization must account and conduct procedures for, implying that the risk is already present and not created by the organization’s decisions which grants a protective coating for the consequences of the risk to be hidden. Risks can be managed in one of three categories: preventable risks, strategy risks, and external risks; which are categorized based on the level of controllability an organization can take accountability for. Preventable risks are often internal risks of an organization that are can be controlled by monitoring operational processes. Strategy risks are significant risks that are voluntarily accepted by an organization in hope for a greater return and monitored by procedures that are set in place in case these risks materialize. External risks are events that rise from completely outside the company’s control, making these risks unpreventable and only manageable by identifying the risks before it’s too late. In the case of the United …show more content…
One can argue that whenever an astronaut goes into space, they are subject to the unknown risks that space holds; like the Challenger accident made evident, space flight is not a routine practice. That theory could not be comparable to an astronaut embarking into space with the full knowledge of a pre-existing and very real mechanical issue that could be potentially fatal to the entire crew. In the case of the Challenger launch, there has been overwhelming evidence that the crew of astronauts were completely and utterly unaware about the specific dangers that the flawed design of the O-rings posted (Allinson 2005). It is true that theses astronauts understood the risks associated with space travel, but they lacked the full knowledge that one simple component could have easily been dealt with in an effective manner to ensure the safety of their