The failure of the o rings was attributed to a faulty design whose performance could be too easily compromised by factors including the low ambient temperature on the day of launch.
The o ring challenger.
It found that the challenger accident was caused by a failure in the o rings sealing a joint on the right solid rocket booster which allowed pressurized hot gases and eventually flame to blow by the o ring and make contact with the adjacent external tank causing structural failure.
This raised a more pressing question.
The final crew of the space shuttle challenger via wikipedia.
Nasa s space shuttle challenger accident was a devastating tragedy that killed seven astronauts and shocked the world on jan.
Morton thiokol discovered that both o rings booster sealers had malfunctioned which led to the fuel tank blowing up.
The cause of the disaster was traced to an o ring a circular gasket that sealed the right rocket booster.
An investigation found some workers had warned nasa about the danger of launching challenger because the o rings grew brittle in cold weather.
The challenger itself didn t technically explode but rather disintegrated from the result of the o ring malfunction.
The o ring was known to be sensitive to cold and could only work.
In challenger s case the o ring got so cold it hadn t expanded properly and allowed the leak.
The crew members cabin remained in tact but fell to the atlantic ocean at approximately 200 miles per hour.