Engineering Ethics: Balancing Cost, Schedule, and Risk - Lessons Learned from the Space Shuttle

How do engineers respond to ethical dilemmas that occur in practice? How do they view their individual and collective responsibilities? How do they make decisions before all the facts are in? Using the space shuttle program as its framework, this book examines the role of ethical decision making in the practice of engineering. In particular, the authors consider the design and development of the main engines of the space shuttle as a paradigm for how individual engineers perceive, articulate, and resolve ethical dilemmas in a large, complex organization. A series of in-depth case studies show engineers at work on various stages of the project as they balance budgets, deadlines, and risks. By documenting the historical development of a single system, the volume provides a unique opportunity to explore the complex interactions between political, organizational, and technical pressures and engineering and management decisions. The resulting book will appeal to everyone with an interest in engineering and the history of technology.

This text examines the role of ethical decision making in engineering. In particular, it considers the design and development of the main engines of the space shuttle as a paradigm for how engineers perceive, articulate, and resolve ethical dilemmas within a large, complex organization.