In 1986, NASA launched the 25th space shuttle mission with the space shuttle Challenger. Seventy-three seconds into the flight, disaster struck. The space shuttle exploded with millions of people – mostly school aged children – watching. Follow-up investigation showed that the decision making process resulted in not listening to concerns about the flaw that caused the explosion. This video shows a recreation to the decision process and how groupthink may have played a role.
1. What was the main factor that was the cause of the malfunctioning rocket?
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2. What was the problem with the O-rings in launch?
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3. Boisjoly sent a memo to his superiors explaining the danger of the O rings. Why didn’t it help?
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4. Why did NASA disagree with the concerns that Thiokol brought up in the conference call?
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5. The teleconference between NASA and Thiokol lasted many hours. According to groupthink theory, how might this have resulted in a poor decision?
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6. What event in the video is a classic example of suppression of dissent in groupthink situations?
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7. The teleconference in the video is a classic example of groupthink because?
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