Question$-$:

You read about the space shuttle Challenger accident in $1986.($You can find information on this in magazines, newspapers, or on the internet.$)$ Apply an engineering code of ethics to this case. What guidance might one of the engineering society codes of ethics have given the Thiokol engineers when faced with a decision to launch? Which specific parts of the code are applicable to this situation? Does a manager who is trained as an engineer still have to adhere to an engineering code of ethics?

Answer$-$:

The Space Shuttle Challenger accident of $1986$ was a catastrophic incident in which all seven crew members perished when the space shuttle broke apart just $73$ seconds into its journey. The Oring seal in a single of the solid$-$ Rocket boosters proved to be the root cause of the incident later on$,$ and the engineers at Thiokol, a company that manufactured the booster rockets for the shuttle, were partly to blame for this failure.

$1.$ Guidance from Engineering Society Codes of Ethics:

The public's safety should always come first in these kinds of situations, and engineers are mandated to follow this important rule. The majority of engineering codes of ethics place a strong emphasis on engineers' obligations to safeguard the public's health and welfare. Concerns over the O$-$rings, that were believed to be prone to malfunction in freezing temperatures, forced the Thiokol engineers to make a critical decision when it came to the Challenger.

$2.$ Applicable Parts of the Code:

a$.$ Prioritize Safety; The public's safety and well$-$being should come first, according to the majority of engineering codes. This idea ought to have served as guidance for the Thiokol engineers working on the Challenger, who suggested exercising caution and maybe delaying launch until the O$-$ring issues could be properly resolved.

b$.$ Whistleblowing; Engineers are encouraged to report ethical infractions under certain standards of ethics. Should the engineers have been deeply concerned about the launch's safety, they may have thought about bringing these concerns up with NASA or higher$-$ranking Thiokol officials.

c$.$ Professional Competence; It is expected of engineers to only take on tasks that they are qualified to do$.$ It would have been ethically required of the engineers to inform management and other pertinent parties of any concerns they had regarding the safety of the O$-$rings.

$3.$ Code of Ethics for Managers Trained as Engineers:

Yes, adherence to an engineering code of ethics is still demanded of a manager with engineering training. Indeed, the fact that they are a manager may make their ethical obligations much more serious because they may be able to make choices that have a big influence on public safety and wellbeing. Whatever the function or responsibility level within a company, the code of ethics acts as a guide for moral decision$-$making in any professional endeavors.

In the instance of Challenger, a disastrous result was partly caused by a disregard for ethical values. To improve engineering methods and make sure that ethical issues are given top priority in decision$-$making processes, it is imperative to reflect on and learn from such instances.