Question and description
What happened to the Space Shuttle Challenger?

Determine what happened during and what caused the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster in 1986.

Team
Demo Team

Game name
Critical event (failure) analysis and solution

Game status

1982:

June 30: the Challenger was shown publicly -- Challenger displayed

1986:

January 28: the Challenger exploded -- Challenger exploded

1. booster rocket failed
2. explosion in the space shuttle’s fuel tank
3. secondary explosion from the failure of O-ring seals in the shuttle's right solid rocket booster
4. O-rings could only withstand temps down to 50ºF
5. temperature was near freezing that day
6. the challenger flight lasted 73 seconds 

Critical event: the cold weather caused the material in the O-rings to change, and not seal properly, leading to a failure.

Change the o-ring material to be more temperature resistant and change launch protocols in cold and hot weather.