> Am I reading this wrong or did they launch the thing at a temperature way outside the range where they normally launch shuttles?
No, that's correct, the launch was the coldest yet and reached temperatures at which the O-rings had lost their flexibility and couldn't spring back fast enough to seal. In fact an iconic scene from the Challenger hearings was Feynman showing (on TV!) the loss of ductility after having dunked an O-ring in ice-water.
No, that's correct, the launch was the coldest yet and reached temperatures at which the O-rings had lost their flexibility and couldn't spring back fast enough to seal. In fact an iconic scene from the Challenger hearings was Feynman showing (on TV!) the loss of ductility after having dunked an O-ring in ice-water.