# Official Source: NASA Thiokol Solid Rocket Boosters

**Type:** source
**Status:** Useful
**Confidence:** Medium
**Source Type:** Official Report
**URL:** https://www.nasa.gov/history/rogersrep/genindex.htm
**Publisher:** NASA History / Presidential Commission on the Space Shuttle Challenger Accident
**Accessed:** 2026-06-18
**Updated:** 2026-06-18

## Summary

NASA's hosted Rogers Commission report is the official investigation record for the Space Shuttle Challenger accident. For the Utah work page, its main value is not a full Thiokol company history but a primary official record of the solid rocket booster field-joint failure, Morton Thiokol's role, and the launch-decision failure that followed.

## Useful Claims

- The Challenger accident was traced to failure of O-ring seals in the aft field joint of the right solid rocket booster.
- The report treats the failure as both a technical flaw and an organizational failure involving NASA and Morton Thiokol.
- The commission reviewed the prelaunch decision process in which Thiokol engineers raised concerns about low-temperature launch conditions.
- The report is central evidence for why any account of Utah-built shuttle boosters must include Challenger, engineering ethics, and management communication.
- It supports the narrower claim that Morton Thiokol was the relevant shuttle solid rocket motor contractor in the Challenger-era booster system.

## Reliability Notes

This is an official investigation report and strong evidence for Challenger-specific findings. It is not the best single source for Promontory plant history, Shuttle booster manufacturing logistics, or the full Thiokol/ATK/Northrop corporate lineage; those still need a separate official company or NASA program source.

## Related Pages

- [Thiokol Solid Rocket Motors](thiokol-solid-rocket-motors.md)