Case Report: The Challenger Explosion

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“We have witnessed Chernobyl, Bhopal, Challenger, Seveso, Amoco, Cadiz, Three Mile Island and have still not wakened from our fantasy that large organizations can carry out complex technologies on a huge scale with total perfection.” Donella Meadows, an American environmental scientist, teacher, and writer, tells of the dangers pertaining towards large-scale disasters performed by the government. This quote describes the dangers that large organizations take to achieve gratitude and honor. The Challenger Explosion represents a large-scale disaster caused by the people. None of the crew members, scientists, safety officials, or spectators expected the craft to burst into flames 73 seconds into the expedition. At the young age of 18, Shannon …show more content…

She and her friends enjoyed their lunch when they witnessed the explosion on live television. Ms. Cousino explained during the interview that she and her peers felt very speechless and shocked at the sight of the explosion. She also recalls many networks playing the explosion multiple times over. The launch and explosion of the Challenger seemed fake, like a scene from a movie. A few minutes after the tragedy, her teachers came into the lunchroom to tell the students what they had witnessed. Throughout the day, Ms. Cousino watched the ongoing news coverage of the event plastered upon every screen in the school. Shocked and speechless at the broadcasted explosion, Ms. Cousino’s reaction to the explosion would not change if she witnessed the explosion live. The people who watched the event live did not know that the shuttle would explode into tons of pieces. She also mentioned that she would feel very terrified, scared, and would have cried if she watched the event live. On the day of the explosion, many chattered about the need for a civilian on the shuttle that day, and if the advantages had outweighed the risks. Christa McAuliffe, a normal citizen chosen for the mission, died while most of the world watched. Her death caused sadness to many average citizens. Any person could have received her spot on the mission, Ms. Cousino’s English teacher, her best friend, her boyfriend, or even her. These events caused despair on the day, but the long terms effects of the Challenger explosion carry on through