It would be difficult to argue the fact that the events of the brief flight of the Challenger that took place on January 28, 1986 was not an "accident". By definition, an accident is "an unexpected, undesirable event". The violent loss of one human life was in this case, an "accident". Not only were the lives of the astronauts on board the Challenger lost, but members of their families were permanently altered as a result of the Challenger. Not only were the individuals on board the Challenger astronauts, but they were also spouses and parents to some and children and siblings to others. Although the consequences were anticipated, the emotional affects of that day will never escape the lives of those involved.
Beyond the personal affects of the Challenger, the National Aeronautic and Space Administration (NASA), the George C, Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC), and Morton Thiokol (the prime contractor for the two solid-fuel boosters used to blast the shuttle into space) cannot refuse to admit that the results of the January 28, 1986 launch of the Challenger was an "accident". But to admit that the results of the January 28, 1986 launch of the Challenger were an "accident" is not an explanation. It is safe to assume that, perhaps, thousands of people were involved in the research and development of the space station to bring it to the point in the history of the Challenger. The goal of the space program was set by former President John F. Kennedy when he proposed to put a man on the moon before the end of the decade. The goal was not to spend billions of dollars and to sacrifice the lives of human beings in order to win the space race. The question regarding the possibility of the Challenger explosion being an "accident" does not require as much consideration as does the question regarding how did this lack of proper communication result in such a tremendous loss? Communication, or lack of proper communication, can be a partial explanation for the event.