Question

Critics of PowerPoint claim that flashy graphics, sound effects, and animation often conceal thin content. Consider, for example, the findings regarding the space shuttle Challenger accident that killed seven astronauts. Report authors charged that NASA scientists had used PowerPoint presentations to make it look as though they had done analyses that they hadn't. An over-reliance on presentations instead of focusing on analysis may have contributed to the shuttle disaster. What lessons about ethical responsibilities when using PowerPoint can be learned from this catastrophe in communication

Answer 1

¨An accident rooted in history¨ that showed that, when lifes are at stake, the ethical responsability is to take technical flaws seriously and not rely on presentations that present a perfect world.

Step-by-step explanation:

The Challenger accident of 1986 was caused by a failure in the O-rings sealing, and this was attributed to a design flaw. More alarming was the fact that, as early as 1977, NASA managers had not only known about the flawed O-ring but that it had the potential for catastrophe.

The Rogers Commission Report concluded that:

¨... failures in communication... resulted in a decision to launch 51-L based on incomplete and sometimes misleading information.

These are examples of not taking your ethical responsibilities seriously when technical engineers (from NASA´s contractor, Morton Thiokol) urged a delay but their concerns were not taken seriously and didn´t reach the Flight Readiness Review.

So PowerPoint presentations (by NASA scientists) might have been misleading and relying too much on presenting something on paper that should have been technically analysed.