Thesis
Image courtesy of Bruce Weaver/AP
The 1986 Challenger disaster exposed a critical failure of responsibility within NASA, as agency leaders ignored engineering warnings and prioritized political pressure over astronaut safety. This violation of the crew’s fundamental right to a safe mission not only cost seven lives but also shattered public trust and forced lasting reforms in aerospace safety and accountability.
"We try, and we triumph. We try again and triumph again. And we try again and again and again, and our exultations know no bounds, for we triumph again and again, and then—we are human, we are not perfect, we are fallible—tragedy pays the price for triumph. It has been ever thus."
- Senator John Glenn