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Seventy Two Seconds

[The primary cause of the 1986 space shuttle disaster was an O-ring of a design that hadn’t been tested below fifty degrees. But hey... it’s Florida, right? 
That fateful night before the launch, the temperature went through the floor. That O-ring became brittle, leading to its subsequent failure. Perversely, when the O-ring first failed the solid fuel blocked the now open Joint. Alas a strong side wind caused the fuel to shift allowing the leak which led to the disaster that followed. 
NASA managers had been advised in 1977 about the possibility of calamitous flaws developing in the O-rings at low temperature, but little was done. 

On the morning of the launch NASA managers were advised of extremely low temperatures in the night preceding the launch. Launch was delayed by two hours to allow ice to melt but, even at launch, temperatures were below the 
O-ring’s tested range. The launch was allowed to progress in spite of these warnings.]

[This poem borrows some content from my poem ‘No God Of Mine’.]
           _______________


Set for its tenth foray up into space
Challenger writ upon stark carapace 

For every contingency, no expense thrifty
And sometimes the mercury drops below fifty

Brittle components barely discussed
But what dragged the mercury into the dust

Seven the number of highly trained crew
Count seventy two, then the whole thing blew 

A Florida chill and an Atlantic gust
Precipitation; ash, fire and dust

Devilish snowflakes that flutter and dance
Through somebody’s devil-may-care negligence

Seek it and tag it and bag it all up
The stuff that came down from what had gone up

Forensic inspections shall raise questions that
Forensic Inspectors call smelling a rat

Too cold the night for an untested o-ring
Not really news when people are knowing 

A spacecraft that’s barely defrosted of ice
Just send her up, Lads, that’ll be nice 

           _______________

Copyright © Terry Flood | Year Posted 2021

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Kim Merryman Date: 8/7/2021 9:26:00 AM I'll never forget that day. Was watching the launch on tv and watched it explode! It was devastating! Then to find out it could have been avoided - horrible! Excellent poem depicting this event, Terry! Blessings, Kim M Login to Reply Terry Flood Date: 8/7/2021 5:08:00 PM Thank you, Kim. I’ve seen conflicting time frames... 69 seconds, 72 seconds and 73 seconds. Strangely I haven’t seen anything conflicting with the idea of negligence... aside,, that is, from no-one being in jail. Terry

Kim Rodrigues Date: 8/6/2021 2:51:00 PM I don’t know what they were thinking! Login to Reply Terry Flood Date: 8/6/2021 4:15:00 PM We'll only ever know what they want to tell us. Seems like only yesterday. Terry

David Kavanagh Date: 8/6/2021 1:44:00 PM A totally preventable tragedy Terry, I remember it well, another not so well known fact, the crew where probably still alive inside the intact cabin when it hit the Atlantic at 200mph, it’s doesn’t take rocket science to overlook an O-ring or does it, great poem, cheers David Login to Reply David Kavanagh Date: 8/7/2021 5:19:00 AM I hope so too Terry Flood Date: 8/6/2021 4:18:00 PM The idea that the crew were alive all the way down used to freak me out. There is now a school of thought that they would have at least passed out due to depressurisation. I sure hope so. Thanks for stopping by, David. Terry

Tom Cunningham Date: 8/6/2021 12:55:00 PM I'd read about that Terry, scandalous that the launch went ahead dispite being told the rings could fail at low temps. As is the norm no one was held to account. Tom Login to Reply Terry Flood Date: 8/6/2021 4:22:00 PM I had googled whether anyone was prosecuted but could find nothing concrete. Dreadfully bad management... surely criminal negligence... but what do I know? Terry

Jan Allison Date: 8/6/2021 12:43:00 PM wow I never knew the reason for the disaster until now Terry, I remember watching it on tv and still get chills when I see the pic you posted, may they rest in peace, hugs jan xx Login to Reply Terry Flood Date: 8/6/2021 4:24:00 PM If you googled it, Jan, some of the ‘oversights’ are mind boggling. Frankly, that poor crew might as well have been lined up and shot. Terry