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Ethics

Obvious Ethical Problems

Why Bother ?

Case Study

Space Shuttle Parts

Booster Rockets

Booster Rocket Design

Field Joint

Early Problems - Before 1/28/86

Political Climate

Days Before Launch

Discussions with Morton Thiokol

Roger Boisjoly / Arnie Thompson Engineers Morton Thiokol

Bob Lund - Vice President for Engineering - Morton Thiokol

Larry Mulloy - manager NASA

Slide 16

Jerald Mason - General Manager Morton Thiokol

Day of Launch (8 Degrees F)

Problem at Launch

Oxide Seal Broke

The Accident

| | |

Ethics

|

Ethical Ideas in the Practice of

Engineering

End of slide show, click to exit.

Ethics

|
| Ethical Ideas in the Practice of Engineering

Obvious Ethical Problems

|
| Bribery
| Fraud
| Environmental destruction
| Lack of honesty
| Conflicts of interest
| Violations of the law

Why Bother ?

|
| Most of us are ethical in our daily behavior
| Business imposes additional pressures
| No rote solutions
| Minimally following the law is insufficient
| Moral Autonomy (ability to think critically and independently about moral issues and apply this to situations)
| Learn to analyze complex problems and resolve these problems in an ethical manner.

Case Study

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| Challenger Explosion - Jan 28, 1986

Space Shuttle Parts

Booster Rockets

|
| Designed by Morton Thiokol in Utah
| Scaled-up version of Titan Missile
| Shipped to Kennedy Space Center in parts
| Sections joined at Kennedy Space Center

Booster Rocket Design

Field Joint

Early Problems - Before 1/28/86

|
| Internal pressure causes joint rotation
| Worse than Titan
| 1977 redesigned with thicker o-rings
| November 1981 o-rings eroded by hot gas
| Looked at different types of putty
| Many shuttle missions before Challenger experienced o-ring erosion
| Redesign in July 1985 - too late to install on Challenger

Political Climate

| |
| Congress unhappy about shuttle delays
| NASA promises a much heavier schedule
| Wanted January launch
| Launch Halley’s Comet probe before Russians
| First teacher in space for Reagan’s state-of-the-union address

Days Before Launch

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| Delayed because of cold front
| Cold front stalled and could have launched
| Did not launch so that Vice President Bush could attend
| Front moved in with predicted temperatures in the low 20s
|

Discussions with Morton Thiokol

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| Larry Mulloy - Solid rocket booster project manager for NASA
| Roger Boisjoly /Arnie Thompson - engineers solid booster program
| Joe Kilminster - manager solid booster program
| Alan McDonald - director solid booster program
| Jerald Mason - general manager

Roger Boisjoly / Arnie Thompson Engineers Morton Thiokol

|
| Hour long presentation
| Previous cold launch (53 F) - January 24, 1985 - blow-by of o-rings
| Expected temperature 29 F far below anything experienced before
| Recommended postponing the launch

Bob Lund - Vice President for Engineering - Morton Thiokol

|
| There had been severe o-ring erosion at 53 degrees should wait until the temperature is at least that high

Larry Mulloy - manager NASA

|
| No data below 53 degrees
| No experience below 53 degrees
| No real correlation between temperature and o-ring erosion
| Other engineers at NASA agreed

Slide 16

Jerald Mason - General Manager Morton Thiokol

|
| Prompted Lund to change his mind
| “Take off your engineering hat and put on your management hat”
| Lund reversed his decision
| Launch proceeded

Day of Launch (8 Degrees F)

Problem at Launch

Oxide Seal Broke

The Accident

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Obvious Ethical Problems

| | | | | |

•

Bribery

•

Fraud

•

Environmental destruction

•

Lack of honesty

•

Conflicts of interest

•

Violations of the law

| | |

Why Bother ?

| | | | | | | |

•

Most of us are ethical in our daily behavior

•

Business imposes additional pressures

•

No rote solutions

•

Minimally following the law is insufficient

•

Moral Autonomy (ability to think critically

and independently about moral issues and

apply this to situations)

•

Learn to analyze complex problems and

resolve these problems in an ethical manner.