| Case Analysis #1 |
| Read "Case Study 4: The Last Flight of Space
Shuttle Challenger." It is on
reserve in the library. You should also read the following handouts: |
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| Read "Case Study 4: The Last Flight of Space Shuttle Challenger" which is on
reserve in the library.
You should also read the article by Romzek and Dubnick
entitled "Accountability in the Public Sector" that is also on reserve. You may want to look at NASA's
web site and the site devoted to the Space Shuttle and its current launch
status. You could also look at sites devoted to the history
of the space shuttle and the Challenger Disaster.
Finally, you may want to read through the Report
of the Presidential Commission on the Space Shuttle Challenger Accident, which is
referred to in the case. Time permitting, we will supplement the class discussion
with a video that explores how a phenomena called groupthink might have contributed to the
ill-fated launch decision.
If you are curious about the similarities between the Challenger and
Columbia Disasters, read this
article from The Atlantic and Chapter
8 from the report prepared by the Columbia
Accident Investigation Board (CAIB)
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Assignment
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| Once you have read the case, prepare a memorandum that answers the following questions: |
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 | Imagine you were a staff person working for the Presidential
Commission. Write a memo to the commission with your
recommendation as to whether the decision to launch was justified.
In formulating your findings be sure to identify any administrative
problems that contributed to the launch decision and provide
recommendations for changes that could be taken to improve the safety
of future space shuttle operations. |
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| Your memo should follow the guidelines
for analyzing cases and preparing memos provided on this web site. |
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Class Discussion
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| After reading the case and these other materials carefully, you should come to class
prepared to discuss questions such as: |
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- Who are the principal actors or players?
- How was the case affected by the sequence of events?
- What were some of the political pressures that led to the decision to launch? What were
the sources of these pressures?
- What were some of the bureaucratic pressures that led to the decision to launch? What
were the sources of these pressures?
- Do you feel that the political and bureaucratic pressures are justified?
- If you were placed in the position that the Thiokol engineers were, what would you have
done? Do you think that you would have succumbed to the "group think" phenomena?
- In your view, who was the most responsible or irresponsible for the decision to launch
the space shuttle? What are some of the problems with assigning responsibility for the
decision?
- One of the handouts notes that many within NASA are worried that the agency may be
undergoing a shift back to the management system that was nearly identical to the one that
lead to the Challenger Disaster. Why do you think that may be happening?
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| Students are reminded that failure to actively participate in case discussions will
adversely affect your class participation grade. |
