What Was The Main Cause Of The Challenger Explosion

1. Explanation of the Problem
The Challenger explosion which took place on January 28th, 1986 included several elements that contributed to the failure of the O-ring and subsequent explosion of the shuttle. The result was the death of 7 astronauts, the loss of the shuttle, and a 32-month halt of the space program while an investigation was conducted. The main cause of the problem seems to be that O-rings on the solid rocket boosters were not designed to work in the cold temperatures that was apparent on the day of the launch. This lead to the failure of the O-ring in the right solid rocket booster which then lead to the explosion 73 seconds after launch. Furthermore, this design malfunction was known to the engineers at Morton Thiokol, the company that was contracted to build the solid rocket boosters. These engineers had reported their concerns to their superiors and tried to postpone the launch. However, due to communication issues with the management at Morton Thiokol, NASA, and other influences, the decision was made to proceed with the launch on January 28th against the concerns of the
I acknowledge that space shuttles and rocket science are very complicated things. However, the top priority should have the safety of the astronauts. At the very least the seven astronauts involved in the launch should have been apprised of the risks of launching with both environmental and O-ring concerns and then given the option to decide for themselves if they were willing to launch. These individuals are the ones that would be meaningfully and permanently effected by the success of failure of the launch. What that in mind, it should have been the highest priority a both NASA and Morton Thiokol to ensure the safest conditions possible for the launch. They owed it to those seven astronauts to launch when both the shuttle was fixed, and the environmental conditions were