The Concept of the Space Shuttle Challenger - Research Paper Example

?Space Shuttle Challenger Introduction From the early twentieth century advancements in the technological arena were witnessed in the developed nations. The curiosity of study about space has increased ever since and technological advancements have been made to find out more about space. Space Shuttles have been designed from the 1960s to fulfill this goal and the space shuttle Challenger was build for this purpose only. The mission of Challenger was to explore the space in a different way and included the services of a teacher who was selected after a thorough research. Around 73 seconds after the flight of the space shuttle it was seen that it exploded in the sky. The loss was terrible to a country that was looking for the success of the space shuttle. The space shuttle had seven astronauts who were killed instantly after the explosion. A teacher known as Christi McAuliffe was also in the crew members and she also died in the explosion. The Space Shuttle Challenger explosion occurred because of several reasons and was not associated to a single problem. Even after 25 years of the explosion the people of America have not forgotten the incident and it is still remembered all over. The National Aeronautics Space Association has taken several steps to ensure that such an accident does not occur again. This essay would further revolve around the Space Shuttle Challenger and would provide information regarding it (Travers et al 2011). History The concept of Space shuttle originated in the 1960s when Apollo was being built by the authorities. Ever since the genesis of the shuttle project the authorities tried to build a space shuttle which could be used again for future missions. Initially the space shuttle challenger was known as STA-099 and worked as a test vehicle but soon it was to be converted into a space bound shuttle. In 1979 the National Aeronautics Space Association gave the contract of converting STA-099 into an orbiter OV-099. It was in that very year that the process began and was completed soon enough without going into much hassle. OV-099 was known as the Challenger and reached the grounds of Kennedy Space Center in 1982. The word ‘Challenger’ was given to the shuttle because of the success of a research naval vessel known as HMS Challenger. Similarly the name of the lunar module of Apollo 17 was also Challenger. The Space Shuttle underwent many tests before finally going on the mission in 1986 which changed the course of history. It launched almost 21 missions from the year of 1982 to 1986 and all of these missions were successful except for the last one (Presidential Commission 1986; NASA, Space Shuttle Overview 2011). Mission The Space Shuttle Challenger was go on a mission called STS-51L which had several targets to be achieved. The mission of the space shuttle was to deploy a satellite known as TDRS-B. The mission included a program known as Comet Halley Active Monitoring Program (CHAMP) along with a video program known as the Teacher in space program. The program teacher in space had become very popular amongst the masses as a teacher was also included in the group of astronauts leaving in the challenger. Fluid dynamics experiment was also planned by the astronauts, which had to be broadcasted by the teacher. The teacher was entitled to provide two lectures to the students so that they could know more about life in space. It was believed that the program by the teacher would help to create an interest amongst the students and this would be a revolution in the arena of education (NASA, Mission Archives 2011). Crew Members The mission 51-L consisted of around seven astronauts who unfortunately were not able to complete their task because of mishaps. Francis Scobee was the commander of the space shuttle and had previous experience of flying the shuttle on the 41-C mission. Michael Smith was selected as the captain of the shuttle and this was his first experience on a space shuttle. Colonel Ellison Onizuka played the role of a test engineer and had prior experience in space shuttle discovery. Judith Resnik was an astronaut who also had prior experience through the mission 41-D. Ronald McNair was also an astronaut who went on the 41-B mission (Diane Publishing Company). One of the most unusual things for a space mission of such intensity was the permission given to a private citizen to take part in the mission. As NASA was building upon its role it was seen that it allowed a private citizen to play a role in the space missions. It was then in 1984 that President Ronald Reagan accepted the proposal by including a teacher in the group of astronauts. Dick Scobee was stated as saying that “Teachers teach the lives of every kid in this country through the school system and if you can enthuse the teachers about doing this, then you can enthuse the students and impress on them that’s something to expect in their lifetime”. Later on Christa McAuliffe was selected from a huge list of participants by Vice President George Bush in July 1985. Along with Christa McAuliffe Gregory Jarvis was also selected for the list of astronauts. Both of them were to act as payload specialists and had specific duties when it comes to the shuttle mission (Evans 2007; Presidential Commission 1986). Launch of the Space Shuttle The preparation for the launch of challenger began two years prior to the accident. The launch of the shuttle was scheduled for July 1985 but it was postponed to November due to change in payloads. The launch was further delayed to January 1986 because of some complications. It was due to changes in the payload documents that the process of preparation was affected. Cargo integration was also known to be one issue because of which the launch was delayed many times. The mission 51-L was delayed thrice because of these issues. Finally the space shuttle was launched on 28th January 1986 because of the problems that arose in the course of the launch. At first the launch date was 22nd January which was changed because of the Programs Requirement Change Board. Mission 61-C was also integrated in the mission and this further delayed the project. The launch was delayed from 25th of January due to the weather conditions of the atmosphere. It was then that preparations began on 27th January so that the launch could be made successful on the 28th of January (Diane Publishing Company). Accident The Space Shuttle was launched at 11:38 am on January 28th 1986. The mission failed because of some problems that arose which later led to an explosion of the shuttle. The shuttle was destroyed after 73 seconds of its launch. An explosive burn was reported after 73 seconds which led to the destruction of the external tank filled with oxygen and hydrogen. As the external tank was destructed the shuttle was influenced by objects in the atmosphere and this led to complete structural disfigurement of the shuttle. The accident led to the death of all the crew members inside the shuttle. The temperature at the launch was found to be 36 degrees Farenheit which was the coldest from any other previous launch. At six seconds the engines of the shuttle ignited and the assembly of the shuttle destructured soon after. It was then that smoke puffs were seen all around the shuttle as it ascended further in the sky. The smoke puffs were white in the beginning but started turning into black which shows that the joint insulation and rubber rings were being burnt. At around 37 seconds the wind were felt on the shuttle which were felt till around 64 seconds and this resulted in fluctuations in the function of the shuttle. At sixty seconds it was seen that pressure differences between the boosters was being noted and it was found that the left and right boosters showed a considerable difference in the pressure. Flame plume was also seen around the space shuttle and it increased in size at around 62 seconds. The flame breached the external tank at around 64 seconds which soon turned lethal and at around 72 seconds events precipitated rapidly which led to the destruction of the shuttle (Presidential Commission 1986). Cause of Accident There have been several views regarding the accident which took place on that day. Many believe that it was because of the weather on that day whereas many believe that it occurred due to the failure of the shuttle itself. The presidential commission found out that the joint of the lower segments of the right solid rocket motor was the cause of the accident. The seals that were put on the joints to stop the gas from leaking were burnt down and this led to the spillage of the gases into the rocket motor. This led to the burnout of the engines of the space shuttle and the accident could not be avoided after the engines were burnt down. Some people put forward that the space shuttle was sabotaged and manhandled which has been clearly denied by the Presidential Commission. The Presidential Commission stated that ‘there is no evidence of sabotage, either at the launch pad or during other processes prior to or during launch’ (Presidential Commission 1986). Myth revolving around the accident There have been different myths ever since the accident occurred. It is believed by many that the booster rockets were a subject to improvement for the shuttle. But this myth has been denied by many as these booster rockets were previously tested in different conditions and it clearly showed that they were working properly. Another myth revolves around the ban which led to a weak seal added onto the joint. According to this myth the seal that NASA used first was replaced because regulatory agencies believed that it contained too much of asbestos. This resulted in a weaker seal to be used which resulted in the accident. Moreover another myth was also formed according to which the accident occurred due to hasty launch of the shuttle. The shuttle was launched earlier than it should have been because of political pressures. The myth revolves around the presidential speech which had to be delivered on that very day. But it has been found that no substantial link is there to form a political connection with the launch of the shuttle (Oberg 2011). Aftermath of the Accident The accident which took place on 28th January 1986 came as a shock to the whole nation primarily because of the hype it had received on the media. President Ronald Reagan was stated as saying “We will never forget them, nor the last time we saw them, this morning, as they prepared for their journey and waved goodbye and ``slipped the surly bonds of earth'' to touch the face of God”. The investigation after the accident found out that the accident could have been avoided if certain precautions were taken by the concerned authorities. It was after the accident that the National Aeronautics Space Association stopped its shuttle program for three years after which it was resumed again. The seven crew members are still remembered because of the services that they provided to the state (Travers et al 2011). The National Aeronautics Space Association has learned a great deal from the accident and has carried out several successful plans after the Challenger. The problems which the shuttle had have been looked upon by the organization and it has been ensured that these problems do not arise again. The exact cause of the accident was not associated with a single problem but several problems combined to explode the shuttle. Bibliography Mission Archives. National Aeronautics Space Association 2011. Space Shuttle Overview: Challenger (OV-099).National Aeronautics Space Association 2011. Top of Form Evans, B., & SpringerLink (Online service). (2007). Space shuttle challenger: Ten journeys into the unknown. New York ; Berlin: Springer. Remembering the Challenger: 25 Years Ago, Space Shuttle Exploded After Liftoff. Karen Travers, J. Small & H. Zhang 2011. < http://abcnews.go.com/US/space-shuttle-challenger-explosion-25th-anniversary/story?id=12781669> 7 myths about the Challenger shuttle disaster. J Oberg 2011. MSNBC. Top of Form Presidential Commission on the Space Shuttle Challenger Accident. (1986). Report of the Presidential Commission on the space shuttle Challenger accident. Washington. Bottom of Form Bottom of Form Read More