Roger Boisjoly's Ignored Challenger Warning

In January 1986, engineer Roger Boisjoly, working for NASA contractor Morton Thiokol on the space shuttle Challenger, predicted that the booster rocket O-rings could fail in the unusually cold launch conditions. He and several colleagues urged managers in a prelaunch teleconference to delay the mission because the rubber seals had already shown problems in lower temperatures. Despite their warnings, NASA ultimately approved the launch for January 28, 1986. The O-rings failed shortly after liftoff, Challenger broke apart, and Boisjoly later became a key whistleblower on how his prediction and safety concerns were ignored.

Previous Fact Next Fact