The Space Shuttle Challenger Disaster - 1986

2 June 2026

31 mins 32 secs

Season 1

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disaster risk engineer safety culture safety programme risk management groupthink the normalisation of deviance aerospace astronaut space mission space disaster solid rocket booster seal osma  office of safety and mission assurance ronald raegan solid rocket booster o-ring space nasa space shuttle 1986 aerospace disaster aerospace disaster space shuttle challenger disaster iosh nebosh safety health and safety rrc

About this Episode

The Space Shuttle Challenger Disaster of 1986 was an unforgettable symbol of loss worldwide as seven astronauts and the shuttle were lost just 73 seconds after lift-off, as the nation watched on television. Caused by the failure of the critically cold-sensitive "O-ring" seals within the shuttle’s right solid rocket booster, along with serious errors of judgment, the disaster exposed profound weaknesses in NASA's safety programme and revealed a culture of accepting risks as the norm.
Join us as we uncover the series of events, the causes, and the profound impact this disaster had on safety, communication, and risk management in the aerospace industry.