Case 3.5 – The Columbia Shuttle Disaster by Margaret Battin & Gordon Mower

The central ethical issue. What should NASA have done and said about the known possibility that Columbia might not survive re-entry?

Facts about the case. Foam struck Columbia’s wing at launch. Videos of the launch showed this, so NASA knew about it. Past foam strikes had caused minor scratching of wing heat tiles. If the heat tiles had major damage this time (broken or missing), then Columbia would crash. NASA had the means to examine the wing, but chose not to. NASA also chose to not tell the crew anything.

Available options. Don’t find out, and don’t tell (the one taken). Find out, but don’t tell. Don’t find out, but tell (in the form of a warning). Find out, and tell.

Ethical analysis. Don’t find out, don’t tell. –Probably against Utilitarian ethics – what could be the benefits to anybody from running the space program this way? –Against Kantian ethics – puts people carelessly at risk for the glory of NASA.

Ethical analysis, continued. Find out, but don’t tell. –Maybe OK by Utilitarian analysis – depends on benefits that might follow from running the mission to conclusion. –Against Kantian ethics – denies respect to crew.

Ethical analysis, continued. Don’t find out, but tell. –Maybe OK by Utilitarian analysis -- depends on amount of resources needed to find out and on the benefit that would follow from telling. –Probably against Kantian ethics – even though it respects the crew by telling, it writes them off without proper evidence as being unworthy of a rescue effort.

Ethical analysis, continued. Find out, and tell. –Probably OK by Utilitarian analysis – especially when costs to NASA of simply not finding out are taken into account. –OK by Kantian ethics – respects crew in all ways.

Conclusions The option chosen by NASA was the worst one available The option that should have been chosen was to find out and then tell. –This would have enabled serious discussion about the possibility for rescue. –And even if rescue was not attempted for sufficient reasons, the crew would have been treated ethically.