Feb 24 1986
From The Space Library
A NASA study found that the part of the booster rocket that was suspect in the Challenger accident had reached a temperature of only about 29 degrees Fahrenheit at the time of liftoff, 9 degrees cooler than the surrounding air. Both NASA and Morton Thiokol engineers, the study noted, had knowledge of the ring's susceptibility to damage in 50-degree temperatures. A member of the President's Commission pointed out that NASA officials should have been aware of this as earlier temperatures were in the 20s and the o-rings would not heat up quickly. (W Post, Feb 24/86)
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