Question

Who bears the burden of proof has consequences for which side may prevail in a court of law--and in other contexts as well.

The burden of proof at NASA, in the 1970s, was on those who claimed a spacecraft was safe to launch. Just prior to the 1986 Challenger disaster, the burden was shifted: the vehicle was presumed safe, and engineers raising doubts about its safety bore the burden of proving 'genuine risk' in order to stop the launch.

Morton Thiokol's engineers could show reasonable grounds for concern (O-rings had not been tested in freezing cold), but they had not set up tests to demonstrate that the O-rings actually would malfunction in the cold, and cause an explosion. Testing takes time and resources--and cost benefit analysis often suggests benefits of proceeding with less, rather than more, testing.

Identify criteria used in deciding who bears the burden of proof from the list of criteria below:

A. Taking precaution to ensure safety costs money and time.

True/False?

B. There were other factors that might explain the failure of the launch besides the O-ring failure.

True/False?

C. There are always addition factors that might explain a system failure and so the suggestion that the failure was due to shifting the burden of proof is bogus.

True/False?

D. The model suggests that the cause of the shuttle disaster is conclusively known.

True/False?

Answer 1

A. Taking precaution to ensure safety costs money and time.

True. As per the cost benefit analysis, to do a trial test, would cause a lot of money and time. But however, it is important to always ensure safety. I think money should not be the main criteria against life.

B. There were other factors that might explain the failure of the launch besides the O-ring failure.

False, the engineers were pretty sure that the failure was due to the O-ring which malfunctioned in the cold temperature. This could have been prevented if the O-rings were checked.

C. There are always addition factors that might explain a system failure and so the suggestion that the failure was due to shifting the burden of proof is bogus.

False, it is true that there would be an additional factor that could have been a source of failure. But in this case, the engineers makes it very clear that there was no other malfunction except that o-ring could have been the source of failure.

D. The model suggests that the cause of the shuttle disaster is conclusively known.

True, it is very clear that O-ring could have been the major source of disaster. Therefore, this model suggests that the cause of the shuttle disaster is conclusively known.

A. Taking precaution to ensure safety costs money and time.

True. As per the cost benefit analysis, to do a trial test, would cause a lot of money and time. But however, it is important to always ensure safety. I think money should not be the main criteria against life.

B. There were other factors that might explain the failure of the launch besides the O-ring failure.

False, the engineers were pretty sure that the failure was due to the O-ring which malfunctioned in the cold temperature. This could have been prevented if the O-rings were checked.

C. There are always addition factors that might explain a system failure and so the suggestion that the failure was due to shifting the burden of proof is bogus.

False, it is true that there would be an additional factor that could have been a source of failure. But in this case, the engineers makes it very clear that there was no other malfunction except that o-ring could have been the source of failure.

D. The model suggests that the cause of the shuttle disaster is conclusively known.

True, it is very clear that O-ring could have been the major source of disaster. Therefore, this model suggests that the cause of the shuttle disaster is conclusively known.