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They knew that cold overnight temperatures forecast before launch would stiffen the rubber o-rings.
NPR: Challenger: Reporting a Disaster's Cold, Hard Facts
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The cold and stiff o-rings at one joint didn't flex and seal as designed.
NPR: Challenger: Reporting a Disaster's Cold, Hard Facts
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The O-rings ultimately failed in unusually chilly weather on the day of the launch.
FORBES: Jim Collins's ''How the Mighty Fall.''
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The discussion touched on data which suggested that the O-rings might be more brittle at lower temperatures.
FORBES: Jim Collins's ''How the Mighty Fall.''
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Rubber o-rings lined those joints and kept burning propellant from leaking out.
NPR: Challenger: Reporting a Disaster's Cold, Hard Facts
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The engineers had resisted the launch, had recommended against it, citing the "blowby" in an earlier low-temperature launch and studies of the elasticity of the o-rings.
NPR: Challenger: Reporting a Disaster's Cold, Hard Facts
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They knew that stiff o-rings didn't provide a secure seal.
NPR: Challenger: Reporting a Disaster's Cold, Hard Facts
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Way back in November of 1985, on just its second mission, Atlantis experienced a blow-back of hot gases past the primary O-rings in one of its solid rocket boosters, resulting in serious erosion of said O-ring.
ENGADGET: Space Shuttle Atlantis ends its run of predicting disaster for other NASA shuttles