Page "Rogers Commission Report" Paragraph 21

One of the commission's best-known members was theoretical physicist Richard Feynman.

His style of investigating with his own direct methods rather than following the commission schedule put him at odds with Rogers, who once commented, " Feynman is becoming a real pain.

" During a televised hearing, Feynman famously demonstrated how the O-rings became less resilient and subject to seal failures at ice-cold temperatures by immersing a sample of the material in a glass of ice water.

Feynman's own investigation reveals a disconnect between NASA's engineers and executives that was far more striking than he expected.

His interviews of NASA's high-ranking managers revealed startling misunderstandings of elementary concepts.

One such concept was the determination of a safety factor.