O-Rings, for speaking vibraphonist, is inspired by NASA’s space shuttle Challenger, launch STS-51-L. At this time in space exploration, and on the verge of commercial space flight, I believe it is important to remember how we got here. On January 28, 1986, NASA’s space shuttle, Challenger, was to bring a diverse group of astronauts and one public school teacher into space. Tragically, the shuttle exploded soon after takeoff. Because there was a teacher on board, many school children viewed the event live, while in school. Even though I was young, I was one of those children, and it left a lasting impression. It was determined that the explosion was caused by a failure of the o-rings due to exposure to freezing temperatures the night before the launch. The o-rings are a rubber ring that is small in diameter and that ran around the circumference of the rockets. (The o-rings are not completely different than the band used on many vibraphone motors.) There were two o-rings at each joint of the rockets, one primary and the other backup. NASA knew the O-Rings had problems, but felt that because there was a backup, even if the first one failed the backup would work. Morton Thiokol was the contracting organization that produced the o-rings. It’s engineers tried to warn NASA, but Thiokol’s management approved the use of the questionable o-rings, because of a lack of available information. With the approval from Thiokol, NASA had a false sense of security. The Challenger disintegrated at roughly 73 seconds, and crew cabin hit the ocean surface at approximately 3 minutes and 58 seconds.
