Shuttle Challenger Disaster Design Implications Homework 2 Steven Callahan Design Implications Homework 2 Steven Callahan

January 28, 1986

Immediate Cause  O-Ring failure due to low temperatures at launch (29 F)

Procedural Causes  Administrators  “Awful consequences result when heroic engineers are ignored by villainous administrators.”  Engineers  Could not effectively communicate  Easily swayed by administration  Administrators  “Awful consequences result when heroic engineers are ignored by villainous administrators.”  Engineers  Could not effectively communicate  Easily swayed by administration

The Presentation  13 Charts were prepared by Thiokol Engineers  Thiokol Managers recommended an abort  NASA was unconvinced and asked to reconsider  Thiokol Managers gave the go ahead  13 Charts were prepared by Thiokol Engineers  Thiokol Managers recommended an abort  NASA was unconvinced and asked to reconsider  Thiokol Managers gave the go ahead

The Presentation  Chart 1

The Presentation  Chart 3

The Presentation  Conclusion

Procedural Errors  Should be concise  Should have more convincing opening and closing statements  Data should be presented is a way that can be easily interpreted (eg., correlation is obvious)  Should be concise  Should have more convincing opening and closing statements  Data should be presented is a way that can be easily interpreted (eg., correlation is obvious)

Better Presentation  Include all data in one table Tufte ‘98

Better Presentation  Show correlation better Tufte ‘98

Conclusion  Engineers need to learn to communicate!  Acknowledgments  Visual Explanations, Edwared Tufte ‘98  Wikipedia  Engineers need to learn to communicate!  Acknowledgments  Visual Explanations, Edwared Tufte ‘98  Wikipedia