Comment by Mikhail_K

6 days ago

> If the sealant and O-Rings were adequate, the joint would not have failed.

That assertion requires some reasoning and evidence to back it.

The sealant and O-rings were meant to keep the hot gasses inside. Simply making a joint slightly wiggly will not keep hot gasses inside. The hot gasses did not stay inside. The sealant and O-rings did not succeed in keeping the hot gasses inside (evidence: Challenger). They were not adequate

  • > The sealant and O-rings did not succeed in keeping the hot gasses inside (evidence: Challenger). They were not adequate

    No. The whole assembly --joint, sealant and O-rings, -- failed.

    "They were not adequate" - yet, after the redesign, they kept those same O-rings and declared that boosters are safe to fly, in manifest contradiction to your assertion. So your reasoning is clearly flawed.

    • >"They were not adequate" - yet, after the redesign, they kept those same O-rings

      presumably "redesign" means some stuff changed. why is it not possible that the O-rings were inadequate for the old design, but adequate for the new design?

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