Portal:Space exploration/Featured/March 2007
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Portal:Space exploration | Featured
The structural failure of the external tank, and the orbiter broke up abruptly due to aerodynamic forces. The shuttle was destroyed and all seven crew members were killed, probably when the crew compartment hit the surface of the ocean. The crew compartment and many other vehicle fragments were eventually recovered from the ocean floor after a lengthy search and rescue operation.
The disaster resulted in a 32-month hiatus in the shuttle program and the formation of the
Rogers Commission, a special commission appointed by President Ronald Reagan to investigate the accident. The Rogers Commission found that NASA's organizational culture and decision-making processes had been a key contributing factor to the accident. NASA managers had failed to deal with the flawed design of the O-rings
, had ignored warnings from engineers about the dangers of launching on such a cold day, and had failed to adequately report these technical concerns to their superiors. The Rogers Commission offered NASA nine recommendations that were to be implemented before shuttle flights resumed.
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