5. The O-Ring Oversight: Challenger Disaster
On January 28, 1986, the Space Shuttle Challenger disintegrated 73 seconds after liftoff, resulting in the loss of all seven crew members. The disaster was caused by the failure of an O-ring seal in the right solid rocket booster, which was compromised by unusually cold temperatures on the day of the launch. This oversight led to the catastrophic explosion. Detailed findings are available in NASA’s report on the Challenger accident. (nasa.gov)
