Space Shuttle Challenger Disaster Caused by Bad Statistical Reasoning

Bad statistics can be deadly. On January 28th, 1986, 73 seconds after it launched, the space shuttle Challenger suffered a catastrophic failure and exploded, killing all 7 crew members aboard. This was one of the worst events to befall the space program and the loss of life was absolutely tragic. Unsurprisingly, a massive investigation was undertaken to understand what went wrong. This Rogers Commission concluded that the disaster was a result of unusually cold weather on the day of the launch that resulted in a set of O-rings failing to seal in the solid rocket boosters, which resulted in significant aerodynamic destabilization and ultimate explosion. But the report went further to conclude that one of the most telling failures wasn’t one of engineering, but rather the poor use and understanding of statistics.

Welcome to Data Demystified. I’m Jeff Galak and in this episode I’m going to show you how a failure in statistical reasoning by some of the smartest scientists and engineers in the world led to the tragic Challenger Disaster. In particular, we’re going to focus on how selective use of data can dramatically influence the conclusions we might draw.


Learn more about who I am and why I'm doing this here:    • Data Demystified - Who Am I and Why A...  


Follow me at:
LinkedIn:   / jeff-galak-768a193a  
Patreon:   / datademystified  


Equipment Used for Filming:
Nikon D7100: https://amzn.to/320N1FZ
Softlight: https://amzn.to/2ZaXz3o
Yeti Microphone: https://amzn.to/2ZTXznB
iPad for Teleprompter: https://amzn.to/2ZSUkNh
Camtasia for Video Editing: https://amzn.to/2ZRPeAV