Challenger at 40: The disaster that changed NASA
https://www.theregister.com/2026/01/28/challenger_40/
Forty years ago, the Space Shuttle Challenger broke apart 73 seconds into flight, killing seven people. The accident didn’t just shatter a dream; it exposed a decision-making culture at NASA that tied risk to a calendar, not to data. The morning was freezing, the team was under pressure, and warnings from engineers were weighed against a launch timetable. The result was a tragedy that forced NASA to confront how management choices, not hardware alone, determine whether a mission flies or fails. This piece breaks down the decisions, the warning signs, and the consequences—and why the lessons still matter. The Challenger case isn’t just about O-rings; it’s about how risk is communicated, who has final say, and what happens when evidence is sidelined for mission schedules. Reading this, you’ll see how a cold morning, flawed calls, and leadership blind spots collided into a tragedy—and why the lessons still matter for any high-stakes decision.