The book "The Challenger Launch Decision: Risky Technology, Culture and Deviance at NASA" by Diane Vaughan provides a detailed analysis of the events leading up to and following the Challenger disaster on January 28, 1986. Unlike the findings of the Presidential Commission, which attributed the decision to financial and political pressures, Vaughan's study reveals that NASA managers and engineers were following a "culture of production" that normalized deviance. She traces the history of O-ring seal problems, showing how engineers and managers treated irregularities as normal rather than signals of danger. This normalization of deviance is expected in complex organizations dealing with new and unpredictable technology. The book argues that even rigorous internal and external monitoring cannot prevent disasters, and wrong decisions are often made due to the very rules and procedures in place. Vaughan's approach is scholarly yet accessible, using clear writing and a structured narrative that highlights the interaction of the culture of production, the production of culture, and structural secrecy. The book has broader implications for understanding the intersection of human decision-making and potentially dangerous technology.The book "The Challenger Launch Decision: Risky Technology, Culture and Deviance at NASA" by Diane Vaughan provides a detailed analysis of the events leading up to and following the Challenger disaster on January 28, 1986. Unlike the findings of the Presidential Commission, which attributed the decision to financial and political pressures, Vaughan's study reveals that NASA managers and engineers were following a "culture of production" that normalized deviance. She traces the history of O-ring seal problems, showing how engineers and managers treated irregularities as normal rather than signals of danger. This normalization of deviance is expected in complex organizations dealing with new and unpredictable technology. The book argues that even rigorous internal and external monitoring cannot prevent disasters, and wrong decisions are often made due to the very rules and procedures in place. Vaughan's approach is scholarly yet accessible, using clear writing and a structured narrative that highlights the interaction of the culture of production, the production of culture, and structural secrecy. The book has broader implications for understanding the intersection of human decision-making and potentially dangerous technology.