ENCORE: Challenger Disaster | Acceptable Risk | 2
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What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
American Scandal uses dramatizations that are based on true events. Some elements including dialogue might be invented, but everything is based on historical research. A listener note, this episode originally aired in 2024.
It's November 1982 inside the Utah headquarters of Thiokol, the company responsible for manufacturing the rocket boosters for NASA's space shuttle program. NASA project manager Larry Malloy squeezes his bulky frame past the glass door of a large conference room that's already full of Thiokol managers and engineers. Malloy is 48 years old and built like an NFL linebacker. He can be charming, but also intimidating. And in his 20-plus years at NASA, he's developed a reputation for getting things done. Now he's been tasked with managing the shuttle's solid rocket booster program, so he's trying to get up to speed quickly. Molloy is especially interested in the O-rings that sit on the joints between the various sections of the boosters.
While preparing for this visit, he came across a report indicating that one of the O-rings recovered from the last shuttle launch showed significant signs of burn damage. While the O-rings are a relatively simple component, they are critically important. If they were to fail during launch, burning fuel could leak from the booster and set off an explosion that could destroy the entire shuttle. So Malloy is eager to learn exactly how and why the burn damage occurred and whether this is the kind of problem that could delay the next launch of the space shuttle Columbia, which is only just days away. Malloy takes a seat at the table and pulls a yellow legal pad from his briefcase. He begins scribbling down notes as Thiokol's manager in charge of the boosters kicks off the meeting.
The manager begins with a history of the boosters' development over the past decade. But as he's wrapping up, Malloy realizes he hasn't said anything about the O-rings. So Malloy speaks up. Well, thank you. I appreciate the background, but there's something you didn't mention. What can you tell me about the O-rings? On my flight over, I read a report about some singeing found in the post-launch inspection. Oh, my apologies.
What early warning about O-ring damage did NASA and Thiokol first encounter?
I wasn't trying to be evasive. I just assumed you didn't want to get too in the weeds here on our first meeting. Yes, we did find some heat damage on one of the O-rings, but we consider it an anomaly. How sure can you be of that? Well, we've had four shuttle launches so far. Each launch has two boosters, and each booster has multiple O-rings. So at this point, there's probably been about 100 O-rings used in the launches, and only one has shown that level of damage. All right, so 1%. But let's say, hypothetically, on the next launch, we have another one of these anomalous O-rings. But this time it burns through completely. What would happen then? Well, each joint is fitted with two O-rings as a redundancy.
So in your hypothetical scenario, the second O-ring would be there to do the job. And what if that second O-ring also experiences one of these anomalous burns? Well, in theory, there could be an explosion. But let's say in the worst case scenario, one in every hundred O-rings fails completely. Then the odds of two of them being on the same joint during the same launch are astronomical. Maybe one in 10,000. Yeah, but one in 10,000 isn't zero. We need some reassurances that you're working on a solution here. Well, of course, absolutely. We're studying the issue and we're looking for ways to improve the design and we're confident we'll get this O-ring thing resolved. The way I see it, with all the complex, novel technology on the shuttle, the last thing you need to worry about are these simple rubber gaskets.
Okay, good. Well, I couldn't agree more. Let's move on. As the Thiokol manager turns to the next item on the meeting agenda, Molloy feels satisfied with what he's heard about the O-rings, and he feels no need to raise the issue with his superiors at NASA. If Thiokol is willing to sign off on the launch, then that's good enough for him.
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Chapters
4 chapters
1
What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
0:00–2:16
2
What early warning about O-ring damage did NASA and Thiokol first encounter?
2:16–13:31
3
How did Thiokol and NASA officials justify O-ring performance as an acceptable risk?
13:31–38:42
4
What happened after the explosion at Thiokol’s Utah plant and how did it affect booster production?
38:42–41:12