Brown, Alexander F. G. (Author)
The manned spaceflight program of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has suffered three fatal accidents: one in the Apollo program and two in the Space Transportation System (the Shuttle). These were the fatal fire in Apollo 204 (Apollo 1) in 1967, the explosion of the Solid Rocket Booster in STS-51L (Challenger) in 1986, and the destruction of the orbiter in STS-107 (Columbia). Three astronauts lost their lives in 1967, and in each Shuttle accident seven astronauts were killed. Following each of these fatal accidents, a significant investigation was conducted and a comprehensive investigation report produced. These investigation reports each served to create public narratives of the reasons for the accidents. The reports shaped the accidents' legacies for the space program and for large-scale complex engineering projects more generally. This thesis re-examines the evidence produced to investigate and explain each accident. By analyzing the investigation reports critically, as well as reviewing the accidents themselves, this work considers how engineering cultures and practices at NASA shifted to meet the changing demands of the space program. It argues that the public narratives of the accidents are not completely congruent with the engineering evidence, and that these very selective narratives are influential in shaping future strengths (and weaknesses) at NASA. By re-examining the accident evidence, the reports, and the role of each accident in shaping NASA engineering cultures, the thesis provides a view of engineering very different from what is apparent in previous historical work on the space program. (Copies available exclusively from MIT Libraries, Rm. 14-0551, Cambridge, MA 02139-4307. Ph. 617-253-5668; Fax 617-253-1690.)
...MoreDescription Cited in Diss. Abstr. Int. A 71/04 (2010). Pub. no. AAT 0822459.
Book
Roger D. Launius;
(2019)
Reaching for the Moon: A Short History of the Space Race
(/isis/citation/CBB525707885/)
Chapter
Sage, Daniel;
(2009)
Giant Leaps and Forgotten Steps: NASA and the Performance of Gender
(/isis/citation/CBB001032637/)
Book
Collins, Martin J.;
(2007)
After Sputnik: 50 Years of the Space Age
(/isis/citation/CBB001032663/)
Book
Heiken, Grant;
Jones, Eric;
(2007)
On the Moon: The Apollo Journals
(/isis/citation/CBB001032670/)
Book
Makemson, Harlen;
(2009)
Media, NASA, and America's Quest for the Moon
(/isis/citation/CBB001032644/)
Book
Tsiao, Sunny;
(2008)
“Read You Loud and Clear!”: The Story of NASA's Spaceflight Tracking and Data Network
(/isis/citation/CBB001032649/)
Book
Harland, David;
(2010)
Apollo 12: On the Ocean of Storms
(/isis/citation/CBB001032668/)
Book
Blair, Don;
(2010)
Splashdown! NASA, the Navy, and Spaceflight Recovery
(/isis/citation/CBB001033130/)
Book
Parker, Martin;
Bell, David;
(2009)
Space Travel and Culture: From Apollo to Space Tourism
(/isis/citation/CBB001032627/)
Book
Farquhar, Robert W.;
(2011)
Fifty Years on the Space Frontier: Halo Orbits, Comets, Asteroids, and More
(/isis/citation/CBB001252441/)
Book
Gallentine, Jay;
(2009)
Ambassadors from Earth: Pioneering Explorations with Unmanned Spacecraft
(/isis/citation/CBB001032660/)
Book
Sparrow, Giles;
(2007)
Spaceflight: The Complete Story from Sputnik to Shuttle---and Beyond
(/isis/citation/CBB001032658/)
Book
De Monchaux, Nicholas;
(2011)
Spacesuit: Fashioning Apollo
(/isis/citation/CBB001032665/)
Book
Young, Anthony H.;
(2009)
The Saturn V F-1 Engine: Powering Apollo Into History
(/isis/citation/CBB001032646/)
Chapter
Hersch, Matthew H.;
(2009)
Checklist: The Secret Life of Apollo's “Fourth Crewmember”
(/isis/citation/CBB001032629/)
Book
Compton, William David;
(2010)
Where No Man Has Gone Before: A History of NASA's Apollo Lunar Expeditions
(/isis/citation/CBB001032667/)
Book
Green, Constance McLaughlin;
Lomask, Milton;
(2009)
Project Vanguard: The NASA History
(/isis/citation/CBB001032648/)
Book
Steven-Boniecki, Dwight;
(2010)
Live TV from the Moon
(/isis/citation/CBB001032605/)
Book
Hitt, David;
Garriott, Owen K.;
Kerwin, Joe;
(2008)
Homesteading Space: The Skylab Story
(/isis/citation/CBB000951866/)
Thesis
Psenka, Carolyn Elyse;
(2008)
A Monumental Task: Translating Complex Knowledge in NASA's Human Space Flight Network
(/isis/citation/CBB001561250/)
Be the first to comment!