Morton Thiokol

1986 E COMBUSTION HILLS ROAD ∙ OGDEN, UT 84401 ∙ 801.169.4230

Memorandum
URGENT

DATE: DECEMBER 22, 1985

TO: MARSHALL SPACE FLIGHT CENTER

2996 Empanada Lane, Houston TXaa

FROM: NOAH MARTINO, ENGINEER

1226 Saviour Blvd, Houston TX

SUBJECT: CONCERNS W/ O-rings AND POSSIBLE SOLUTION

Overview:
My team and I have found some issues concerning the O-rings on the Challenger Shuttle
that is set to launch in about a month. It is in the best interest of everyone involved that
you delay the launch to a point in time where it is a safe temperature to launch.

Details:
Our team has concluded that there is an issue pertaining to the O-rings and the
temperatures at which the launch is set to happen. One of the tests we ran came back
with some information about the cold temperatures projected to be had on the launch
date. According to Winsor, at lower temperatures the secondary O-rings take longer to
seal. To be exact we have found that while at temperatures of above 75 degrees, the time
it takes the secondary O-rings to seal is relatively safe for all involved. But when we
brought the tested the rings at temperatures lower than that, the results are disastrous.
For example, when we tested them at a temperature of 50 degrees the secondary O-rings
did not engage in the entirety of the test, which was about 10 minutes (Winsor 1988).

The estimated temperature for the day of the launch is between 26-29 degrees
Fahrenheit. Figure A conveys that once the temperatures dip below 66 degrees, the
damage to the O-rings only increases. If you continue to follow this pattern you can only
imagine the immense damage that could happen at 26-29 degrees. These temperatures
would cause a catastrophic malfunction that could lead to a possible loss of life.

What I Recommend:
With this information, we conclude that the best possible option is to reschedule the
launch for further in the future. The launch needs to be rescheduled to a point in time far
enough away that we have been able to develop a way to either keep the rings at an
elevated temperature without damaging structural integrity or to a point where the
temperature is above 75 - 76 degrees to ensure a safe trip.
Figure A

(Tufte 1997)

Info:
“The damage index is the severity-weighted total number of incidents of O-ring erosion,
heating, and blow-by” (Tufte 22) and the higher the number the higher the damage to the O-
rings and the higher risk of malfunction.
 CITATIONS

Winsor, D.A. September 1988. Communication Failures Contributing

to the Challenger Accident: An Example for Technical Communications.
United States of America. IEEE Transactions.

Tufte, E.R. August 2016. Visual and Statistical Thinking:

Displays of Evidence for Making Decisions. United States of America:
Graphics Press LLC.