On Jan. 28th, 1986, the space shuttle Challenger exploded 73 seconds after liftoff as thousands watched around the world

Normalization of deviance is a sociological concept, coined by Diane Vaughan, describing how unsafe practices slowly become accepted norms within an organization because they don’t immediately cause disaster, leading to eventual failure, famously seen in the Challenger space shuttle disaster. It’s a gradual drift where deviations from standards are rationalized as acceptable due to pressure, efficiency, or lack of immediate consequences, making serious risks invisible until it’s too late. | Step

Lessons From the Space Shuttle Challenger Tragedy | Retro Report on PBS

I was only a baby when the Challenger disaster happened, but I grew up hearing about the brave astronauts who were lost on that terrible day. It was the worst event NASA experienced since Apollo 13 to date and would foreshadow the loss of the Columbia crew in 2003. This being the 40-year anniversary, I thought I'd make a tribute to the Challenger crew an honor their memory. | Kyle Cherryholmes