On Jan. 27, 1986, Bob Ebeling, the former engineer for shuttle contractor Morton Thiokol had
joined four colleagues in trying to keep space shuttle Challenger grounded. They argued for
hours that the launch the next morning would be the coldest ever and that the rubber O-rings
could stiffen and cause a potentially destructive fuel leak. But NASA officials and Thiokol
executives overruled Ebeling and the other engineers. The Challenger would go on to blow up
the next day.
Read as much as you can about this and write an essay (2-4 pages, Times New Roman, size 12,
1.5 spacing, 1-inch margins) discussing how the events leading up to this 1986 accident of the
space shuttle Challenger relates to the ethical priorities of engineers. Specifically, discuss the
hierarchy associated with the incident and offer suggestions about the correct sequence of
ethical priorities that should have occurred in accordance with what you learned in class.