The Challenger Disaster Page #5

the night before the launch that Mr Mulloy talked about.

Our Thiokol engineers... warned NASA.

They recommended NASA not to launch below 53 degrees

and I agreed with them.

That was the coldest that we knew was safe.

So you said not to launch below 53 degrees?

And what was the actual temperature that morning?

We believed that, at launch, it was going to be much colder.

Below 32 degrees, below freezing.

NASA wasn't happy with that.

Larry Mulloy said, "My God, Thiokol!

"When do we launch? April?!"

Let me understand this... now...

are you saying that NASA applied pressure

to change the launch recommendation?

Yes, sir, there was pressure. They said, "Go review the data. "

Our people in Utah came back, and recommended to NASA to launch.

I refused to sign.

It is important that NASA be given

the-the opportunity to respond to what's just been alleged.

We must allow...

What the hell is going on here?

Some people say McDonald's doing a CYA.

"CYA". What is that? That stands for "cover your ass".

But if they were warned... The astronauts sure weren't.

I want to know what's happening right here between NASA

and the contractors. We need to talk more to HIM.

Richard. Richard, the data you wanted

on the resistance timings of the O-rings...

OK, thanks. We need to hear more from him. Can you stop Mr McDonald from...?

Damn.

Hi. I need to contact Allan McDonald with NASA's Challenger Failure Analysis team.

I phoned, but I was told he's no longer in Washington.

That information is restricted.

He was on the team but he's been removed?

I can't answer that, sir.

Look, all I want to do is speak to Allan McDonald. What?!

So there's no-one I can talk to in the whole entirety of Morton Thiokol?

There's no-one who can answer my question?

Well, have a nice day!

General...

I tried to find McDonald.

No luck, and it's clear why his bosses wanted to please NASA -

very big money at stake.

I'll catch you later.

Hey, Graham.

That spring-back on the O-ring was measured over two hours.

It's useless information.

I'm really sorry. That's what I got from Marshall.

Remember what it was to be a scientist before government got to you?

You don't think I gave you...? On purpose...?

No.

Look, I have this grand title.

The NASA old guard, they handed me a list of who should be on the commission.

It was tough to persuade them to take you.

I'm sorry to have gotten you into this.

Well, when you read my notes that I sent,

you'll see the crap that goes down at Marshall.

Notes? My write-ups.

Those analyses and my examination of the crazy engineering.

Richard. Richard...

Sally, did you get a set of notes, my observations?

No, I haven't had anything.

What the hell happened to my notes?

Sally Ride says she didn't get them. Did the others?

OK. I had sent over from my hotel

a stack of typed-up notes, wrapped in brown paper,

proper analyses of all my observations of the engineering so far, with a request

for you to have copies made for each commissioner. I have no knowledge of this.

No such notes ever arrived on this desk. Perhaps you can have them redone?

I don't have time for this!

You trusted your hotel to deliver something so important?

Yeah.

Dr Feynman, please, as you can see,

NASA is now co-operating fully with all of our requests for information.

Well, then, have copies made of everything

and have it sent over to my hotel.

I don't know what's going on, honey.

I landed myself right back in a load of political crap.

People seem to know a lot more than what they're saying. 'Yeah?'

And I finally got a ton of stuff from NASA.

It's full of anomalies. How can that be critical one moment

and safe to operate the next?

Honey, I'm sorry. It's best for me to call you later.

- Are you all right? - I'm fine.

Honestly?

No, I feel very well.

Oh, all right. Speak tomorrow.

Yeah.

"Ivory soap. "

"Ivory soap. "

General.

OK, look, this is driving me crazy. I got a room full of NASA bullshit

that just makes me more sure certain what caused the explosion.

The cold, OK? We've got a guy who agrees with us.

He gets shoved off the enquiry.

We both know why, but none of it answers.

There's a logic thing here that I'm just not getting.

It's about what is at the heart of this thing.

Why did NASA need to launch so bad?

OK, stop, Prof, I can't answer this here.

Erm... I'll pick you up in the morning. 8:15.

And bring full ID. OK?

Goodnight. Goodnight.

Where are we going?

We're going to the Pentagon?

ID, please.

Sir.

Thank you, sergeant. Stand by outside.

Prof, why don't you grab a seat down here?

Right there.

NASA. The agency of the United States Government

responsible for the nation's civilian space programme

and for aeronautics and aerospace research.

Note the word "civilian" in there.

The project cost in US dollars of running the space programme...

The actual cost, I get it.

And knowing this is unsustainable, NASA needs to prove itself,

needs to bolster its purpose,

over and above civilian scientific research and discovery, OK.

So park that for a moment.

The Air Force, meanwhile, wants to upgrade Titan.

An efficient fleet of unmanned rockets to deploy spy satellites into space.

Paranoia. OK.

Whatever you civilians are told, we are still deep in the Cold War.

What's it got to do with NASA?

NASA approaches Congress with a deal.

That seems to make great economic sense,

the government can stop funding Titan and instead divert

the money to NASA, and the Shuttle becomes sole access into space.

NASA knocks out the Air Force and gets a funding boost.

Exactly. Yeah.

And the Shuttle secures its raison d'etre.

Carrying spy satellites?

And NASA convinced Congress

that by 1986 they'd be able to launch twice a month, every month,

and on each of these flights,

payload will be made available to the Department of Defense.

Titan was my project.

But NASA reneges on its obligation

and instead of giving DoD priority, they started taking Senators

up there, in... just PR stunt after PR stunt.

And then, launches start getting cancelled.

The press is beginning to notice...

Congress is getting jumpy.

Yeah, yeah, and the administration is asking questions.

And then last December, the launch is delayed six times,

and remember NASA had promised Congress launch at any time,

under any conditions, and then January 28th...

January 28th launch, it's cold...

It's very cold...

...and NASA feels under extreme pressure.

And took the risk.

They took the risk.

Why did you tell me all this?

Do you wish you didn't know?

Downstairs, you made me sign the classified information thing.

That's right.

So what's going on, Kutyna?

I mean, you got me trapped,

I can't spill any of this crap.

It would jeopardise national security, the Soviets would know.

You guys can't launch a damned thing in cold weather.

You've been playing me the whole time. From the beginning.

That weird thing in the garage.

With the carburettor, the carburettor and the cold,

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