Plot Summary

The Challenger Launch Decision

Diane Vaughan
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The Challenger Launch Decision

Nonfiction | Book | Adult | Published in 1996

Book Brief

Diane Vaughan

The Challenger Launch Decision

Nonfiction | Book | Adult | Published in 1996
Book Details
Pages

620

Format

Book • Nonfiction

Setting

United States • 1980s

Theme
Publication Year

1996

Audience

Adult

Recommended Reading Age

18+ years

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Super Short Summary

In her sociological work The Challenger Launch Decision: Risky Technology, Culture, and Deviance at NASA, Diane Vaughan explains the Challenger disaster by analyzing NASA's corporate culture. Using extensive interviews and NASA records, she details how the process of "normalization of deviance" led managers and engineers to accept known risks, culminating in the tragic launch decision.

Informative

Challenging

Unnerving

Mysterious

Reviews & Readership

4.2

551 ratings

77%

Loved it

18%

Mixed feelings

5%

Not a fan

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Review Roundup

Diane Vaughan’s The Challenger Launch Decision is widely praised for its meticulous sociological analysis and detailed narrative of the events leading up to the Challenger disaster. Reviewers commend its depth and rigorous research, though some criticize its dense, academic prose, making it less accessible to general readers. Overall, a thorough and insightful study.

Who should read this

Who Should Read The Challenger Launch Decision?

A reader with an interest in sociology, organizational behavior, and the intricacies of decision-making in high-stakes environments will appreciate Diane Vaughan's The Challenger Launch Decision. Fans of Charles Perrow's Normal Accidents and James Reason's Human Error will find this book particularly compelling.

4.2

551 ratings

77%

Loved it

18%

Mixed feelings

5%

Not a fan

Book Details
Pages

620

Format

Book • Nonfiction

Setting

United States • 1980s

Theme
Publication Year

1996

Audience

Adult

Recommended Reading Age

18+ years

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