Mission Monday Tuesday public event

Truth, Lies and O-Rings: Inside the Space Shuttle Challenger Disaster

A FREE public program on Tuesday, November 3 at 7:30 PM

Where were you when the Challenger disaster happened?

Many of us will never forget that day, but for Allan J. McDonald, Former Director of the Space Shuttle Solid Rocket Motor Project for Morton Thiokol, Inc., Challenger became a defining moment in his life. Surprisingly, until he came forward with his remarkable first-person story; no one directly involved in the decision to launch Challenger had published a memoir about the experience. No account—firsthand or otherwise—had penetrated all of the factors leading to the accident. Come and hear his story, and get an amazing behind the scenes look at an event that impacted the nation. Sponsored by the Kentucky NASA Space Grant Consortium.

ALLAN MCDONALD'S LECTURE FOCUSES ON THE UNIQUE ASPECTS OF HIS BOOK:

Truth, Lies, and O-rings: Inside the Space Shuttle Challenger Disaster
Allan J. McDonald with James R. Hansen

• Only book written by someone who was actually involved in the launch decision, tried to prevent the launch, and later revealed this information to the Presidential Commission when NASA management failed to do so.
• Only book to address all the factors that led to the accident, some of which were never addressed in NASA's Failure Team Report to the Presidential Commission.
• Only book containing personal experiences of a whistle-blower, retribution against that individual by his company, and his reinstatement to lead the redesign as a result of pressure from the Presidential Commission and the U.S. Congress.
• Only book to critically evaluate all testimony given to the Presidential Commission and the U.S. Congress and to point out conflicts and evidence of a cover-up by some NASA officials concerning the launch decision.
• Only book to address the controversy, conflicts, and difficulties encountered in the redesign program to restore the Shuttle to safe flight as soon as possible.
• Only book to address early warnings of very severe debris issues from the first two flights after Challenger in 1988, which resulted in the loss of Columbia nearly 15 years later.
• Only book to address what happened to all the people at NASA and Morton Thiokol who were involved in the ill-fated decision to launch Challenger on that cold chilly morning of 28 January 1986.

The red lot by the School of Music is open at 7 pm for first-come, first-served public parking for this event (no permit required). Overflow parking is available for a nominal fee in the Speed Museum Parking Garage. Click here for directions and a campus map.