{"id":9192,"date":"2022-09-26T01:35:04","date_gmt":"2022-09-26T05:35:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pages.charlotte.edu\/aaron-toscano\/?page_id=9192"},"modified":"2022-09-26T01:35:24","modified_gmt":"2022-09-26T05:35:24","slug":"lbst2213september26","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"http:\/\/pages.charlotte.edu\/aaron-toscano\/lbst2213fall2022\/lbst2213september26\/","title":{"rendered":"September 26th:\u00a0Collins & Pinch\u2019s\u00a0The Golem at Large (Technology), Ch. 2"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Chapter 2: \u201cThe Naked Launch: Assigning Blame for the Challenger Explosion\u201d<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

As Collins & Pinch mention, everyone alive remembers where they were when the Space Shuttle Challenger<\/em> exploded. Of course, their first edition of this book was published in 1998 before 9\/11 and the 2003 Space Shuttle Columbia<\/em> disaster<\/strong><\/a>. Many of you might not remember those events, but, obviously, 9\/11 was a very tumultuous time when the public searched for answers, so, if you were old enough, you probably remember where you were. I remember the 2003 Space Shuttle Columbia<\/em> disaster, but, as the nation was gearing up for an invasion of Iraq, and we already had troops in Afghanistan, there wasn’t the same attention paid to it as to the Challenger<\/em> disaster, which we discussed for months. As an aside, I was living outside Washington, DC, on 9\/11 (teaching at George Mason University), so I was very much searching for answers and continued to anticipate the anniversary every year…until 2020. Yes, the 20th anniversary had more significance, but, I hate to say it, COVID pushed 9\/11 out of my mind. It wasn’t until I heard a report on the radio about that day’s memorial for 9\/11 victims that I remembered the significance of the day. Perhaps COVID-19 has replaced 9\/11 for our main collective cultural event of trauma.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Similar to the \u201cfog of war,\u201d there\u2019s a fog surrounding catastrophic events\u2014lots of doubt, confusion, and misinformation. Sometimes it\u2019s easy to figure out the immediate cause of a technological catastrophe, but it\u2019s not as easy to have a bigger picture view in the moment or shortly after.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Three Things to Take Away From Ch. 2<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

  1. Judging past decisions can be skewed by hindsight. The Challenger<\/em> disaster has many stories; there\u2019s no single narrative.<\/li>
  2. The details of the explosion that reached the public were incomplete and made into sound bites or easily consumed visuals.<\/li>
  3. NASA and Thiokol engineers arrived at their decisions based on assumptions about the shuttle that were in dispute. The key players had to make arguments for or against launching.<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    Richard Feynman and the rubber in ice water demonstration.<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Why still study the Challenger disaster?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Important Lessons\/Questions to Consider<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Continuing on the theme of more questions than answers, I hope the Challenger<\/em> disaster reading allows you to think more about the rhetoric of technology. The discourse surrounding the Challenger<\/em> disaster influences how people\u2014lay person and expert\u2014(re)construct the meaning of the event. In other words, the audience\u2019s assumptions and the information filtered 2nd, 3rd, 4th hand…lead to conclusions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    It\u2019s important to know your audience. Sometimes that\u2019s easy, but often times it\u2019s not. Although speakers can\u2019t completely control their messages, understanding how an audience might interpret one\u2019s message is important.<\/span><\/strong> Consider the following types of people below. How might a person of that disposition conclude regarding the Challenger<\/em> disaster? Consider generic assumptions that a person may have and how that influences their conclusions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    1. Conspiracy theorist\u2014the government always lies and covers up facts<\/li>
    2. World-renowned physicists\u2014they know their words will influence the public<\/li>
    3. Politician against funding NASA<\/li>
    4. A voter very much in favor of funding for NASA<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n

      Key Quotations<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n