MEMO

To: Management
Marshall Space Flight Center
Martin Rd SW
Huntsville, AL 35808
December 25, 1985
From: Jimmy Neutron
Morton Thiokol Inc.
314 Pi Way
Wenatchee, WA 98801
Subject: DELAY CHALLENGER SHUTTLE LAUNCH UNTIL WARMER WEATHER

Background:
My team and I recommend delaying the launch of the Challenger
Shuttle until a temperature of at least 66 degrees Fahrenheit.
There have been problems discovered with the o-rings in the SRM
joints that could result in a major disaster for the Challenger
Shuttle if it is launched in any lower temperature.
Details:
As you can see in the graph (attached), the previous launches
indicate that in colder temperatures there is more damage done
to the o-rings. The resiliency of the o-rings is greatly reduced
at colder temperatures and thus they cannot seal. Initially we
believed that the secondary o-ring provided redundancy, however
in the tests performed, the secondary o-ring maintained contact
at 100°F and was able to re-establish contact at 75°F, but “at
50°F the o-ring did not re-establish contact in ten minutes at
which time the test was terminated” (Winsor, 1988, p. 105). This
leads us to believe that in the event of primary o-ring failure,
the secondary o-ring would never seal at a temperature 50°F or
lower, and primary o-ring failure is probable at such a low
temperature.
Recommendation:
Ultimately, we understand the importance of the Challenger
Shuttle launch, but for the safety of all involved, we have to
recommend delaying the launch until at least a temperature of
66°F. This is the lowest launch temperature on record where the
o-rings remained undamaged. The graph (attached) clearly shows
the risk in launching at the predicted temperature of 29°F. I
sincerely hope you understand the seriousness of this matter.
 Temperature VS Damage to Challenger
Shuttle O-rings
45

40

35
Damage index*

30

25

20

15

10

0
29 33 37 41 45 49 53 57 61 65 69 73 77 81
Temperature in degrees Fahrenheit

*The number on the damage index represents “the severity-

weighted total number of incidents of O-ring erosion, heating,
and blow-by” (Tufte, 2016, p. 22)
 Works Cited

Tufte, E. R. (2016). Visual and statistical thinking: Displays

of evidence for making decisions. Cheshire, CT: Graphics
Press.

Winsor, D. A. (1988). Communication failures contributing to the

Challenger accident: An example for technical
communicators. IEEE Transactions on Professional
Communication, 31(3), 101-107. doi:10.1109/47.7814