There was national, group, and political pressure on NASA and Morton Thiokol, the company that built the solid rocket boosters to have the Challenger launch on time. With this knowledge that NASA and Morton Thiokol had, how did the launch get approved for launch? Was it a lack of communication amongst the groups, a way to chase publicity that the companies saw was dwindling, a result of major pressure the group had internally and externally, or all three? Temperature on the launch pad that morning was 36 degrees.”. In the article, Challenger Explosion: How Groupthink and Other Causes Led to the Tragedy it states, “The O-ring was known to be sensitive to the cold and could only work above 53 degrees. After the explosion, the Rogers Commission examined the causes of the explosion and one of the “potentially catastrophic” elements was a rubber part called an O-ring. Groupthink is defined as “a process of flawed decision making that occurs as a result of strong pressures among group members to reach an agreement”. Groupthink theory could help explain how leaders and decision makers played a major part in the disaster that occured in 1986. America was becoming disinterested in spaceflight and NASA saw the dwindling popularity and excitement in their space shuttle program. Decision Makers and top echelons at NASA and Morton Thiokol cared more about satisfying and entertaining its major customer, the American people rather than the safety of the launch and its crew members. Have you ever felt pressured to do something while you were part of a team or group that led to a flawed decision? In January of 1986, the orbiter Challenger exploded 73 seconds after the launch due to that exact reason.
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