> The shuttle o-rings were working exactly as designed. This isn't true actually. From the very start the o-rings were not functioning as designed even in wa

> The shuttle o-rings were working exactly as designed. This isn't true actually. From the very start the o-rings were not functioning as designed even in warm weather. They realized even before the first shuttle launch that the o-rings weren't compressed properly and were being partially extruded through the SRB joints when fired, and allowed some gas to escape out the joint around the o-ring, causing partial o-ring erosion. NASA decided not to worry about it and continue with the design. Turns out this problem was even worse during cold weather... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_Shuttle_Challenger_disaster#O-ring_concerns https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_Shuttle_Challenger_disas...