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Background: Challanger Space Shuttle disaster happened in January 28 at 11:38 am. According to the report of the Presidential Commission on the Space Shutte Challanger accident, shortly after 1 am ET on January 27, NASA’s booster rocket manager, Larry Wear, asks officials of rocket maker Morton Thiokol in Utah whether cold weather on January 28 would present a problem for launch. They got the answer by late afternoon after the midlevel NASA managers are on the phone with Thiokol managers, who point out that the booster’s ruberry O-rings, which seal in hot gases, might be affected by cold.
This concern brings in officials from NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center which buys the rockets from Thiokol and readies them for launch. Marshall managers decide a three-way telephone conference needed between NASA, Thiokol engineers and managers in Alabama, Florida and Utah. In the first conference Thiokol tells NASA the lauch should be delayed until noon or afternoon when the weather turn warmer. According to Marshall deputy project manager, if Thiokol persist, NASA should not launch.
In the second conference, Thiokol engineers Boisjoly and Arnie Thompson present chart showing a history of leaking O-ring joints from tests and pervious flights. Although they already know the risks, NASA’s George Hardy and Laary Mulloy, Marshall’s booster rocket manager, insist that they should launch Challanger. Thiokol vice president, Joe Kilminster, held a private talk with Boisjoly, Thompson, and engineer Bob Ebeling and others. The result is that Thiokol changed its mind and reommends launch. Then Challanger is launch at 11:38 am January 28 in temperature 36 degreees.
Shortly after launch, Challanger was engulfed in a fiery explosion that led to the deaths of six astronauts, and teacher-in-space Christa McAuliffe. This accident has a big impact and a long time impact. Thiokol engineers Roger Boisjoly and Arnie Thompson live took widely differing paths after the accident. Boisjoly became nationally known as the primary whistle blower. Thiokol removed him from the investigation and sent him home after he testified before a presidential comission. He was blackballed by the industry and run out of town by Thiokol.
Boisjoly is convinced he is marked man because some former co-workers believe his testimony contributed to resulting layoffs at Thiokol. Yet, with longer ties to Thiokol than Boisjoly, Thompson was promoted to manager and stayed on through the shuttle’s redesign. Ebeling, says that within a week of the accident he became impotent, and suffered high stress and constant headeaches, problems he still has today. One of those overruled Ebeling and the others was Jerry Mason, the senior Thiokol manager on the conference call. He took an early retirement from Thiokol five months after the disaster.
In Mason’s case, that meant going abruptly from corporate chieftain to unpaid volunteer. For Judson Lovingood, formerly one of NASA’ deputy managers for the shuttle project, wonders still if Challanger contributed to the breakup of his marriage. From the investigations of the Challanger explosion placed much of the blame on NASA’s George Hardy, a senior engineering manager. By saying he was “appalled” by Thiokol’s fears of flying in cold weather, critics charged, Hardy pressured Thiokol into approving the launch. Discussion : 1. Elaborator is promotes greater understanding through examples or exploration of implications.
Thiokol engineers, Boisoly and Thompson should be more persistent and more convincing with their presentation about data that O-rings perform worse at lower temperatures and that the worst leak of hot gases came in January 1985, when a shuttle launched with the temperature at 53 degrees. They should give more understanding about how big is the risk they’re taking by launching in cold weather. Evaluator is tests group’s accomplishments with various criteria such as logic and practically. Joe Kilminster should have evaluate about the risk.
He should consider all possibilities in logic and practical ways. He shouldn’t have just decided on his own about launching Challanger. Encourager is fosters group solidarity by accepting and praising various points of view. Other members of that conference call should stand up and pushed Thiokol to listen to other opinion. Gatekeeper is encourages all group members to participate. Anyone can be gatekeeper, although it’s best for managers to be encourager cause they know their subordinate and understand how to make his subordinate cooperate and involve in a discussion. 2.
Invulnerability : An illusion that breeds excessive optimism and risk taking. Joe Kilminster are taking risk by launching Challanger because he knew about the risk launching Challanger in cold weather. Illusion of unanimity: silence interpreted to mean consent. Silence from Boisjoly, Thompson, and other members were interpreted as an agreement to launch Challanger. Because they didn’t speak up their protest, the launch keep going. Solution: 1. Each member of the group should be assigned the role of critical evaluator. This role involves actively voicing objections and doubts. 2.
Different groups with different leaders should explore the same policy questions. 3. Top level executives should not use policy committees to rubber-stamp decisons that have alredy been made. Conclution & Suggestions ???The task and maintenance roles such as elaborator, evaluator, encourager, gatekeeper etc, should perform better and better by each of the group members so that the group can work to their fully potential and can minimize the chance of taking bad decisions like we can see in the case. ???Top level executives should not use policy committees to rubber-stamp decisons that have alredy been made.