Human Resource Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words - 10

Human Resource Management - Essay Example In this respect, the company has contracted Valmax consultancy to conduct training needs assessment and subsequent training for the employees of Coca-Cola Company. In addition, the Coca-Cola Company offers training and development courses for its associates through the Coca-Cola University (CCU) that engages the associates in e-learning and classroom learning. Although the Coca-Cola Company has done well in training its employees, it needs to focus on the personal component of the training program and offer equal training opportunities for its staff across the globe. The Coca-Cola Company is the global leader in beverage production, distribution, and sale, with presence in virtually all countries in the world. Presently, the company produces over 500 brands of soft drinks and other beverages with the main ones being Diet Coke, Fanta, Coca-Cola Zero, Sprite, and Dasani. The company boasts as the leader in the production and distribution of sparkling beverages, juice drinks, and ready-to-drink coffees. Owing to the popularity and huge market share of the Coca-Cola Company, it has a distribution system that covers more than 200 countries. In addition, The Company employs hundreds of thousands of employees at various levels. Since the Coca-Cola Company does close to 2 billion servings of beverages on a daily basis, it requires well-trained and motivated employees who will deliver good results even when the market experiences a slump. With over 700,000 employees worldwide, the Coca-Cola Company commands a huge workforce that requires prudent human re source management through constant training and development of employees (Kurtz & Boone 2011, pp. 281). In order to enhance the performance of the company and make it retain the competitive edge that it has, the Human Resource Department at the Coca-Cola Company extends education to all its associates at various levels. The development and educational programs that the company offers ensures the realization of full

Malcom X and Martin Luther King Jr. Essay Example for Free

Malcom X and Martin Luther King Jr. Essay Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X are very prominent African American individuals throughout history. They fought for what they stood for but in many different ways. As we all know in history there are no two great men that are alike. Their many beliefs may have blossomed from the households they came from and how they grew up. King grew up in a middle class family and was well educated. While, Malcolm X grew up in an underprivileged environment that was very hostile with barely any schooling. Martin Luther King Jr. was always against violence, throughout his entire ministry. He always stood his ground, and he stood out because eventhough he may have been physically attacked, he never reacted with violence. Martin Luther King Jr. followed the Christian faith. Malcolm X was a Muslim, and believed in Muslim principles. His most famous line was â€Å"By any Means Necessary†. He believed in fighting back physically. Whatever had to be done to get freedom he was all for it whether it be violence or nonviolence. Although later in life he visited Jerusalem, and met other Muslims. He changed his views, and became nonviolent. Both Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr. had uncompromising love for their people. They both wanted see Black people in the best possible position. They were both religious figures that used religious to provide structure, morality, courage, determination and unity in Black people. They were both killed before they reached their 40th birthday.They both stood 4 freedom,they were both assassinated and they both liked Afro-American women.Different religions but both were men of god. Malcolm X was a Muslim and Martin Luther King jr was a Christian. Malcolm X was a Black nationalists and Garveyite. Malcolm X did not believe in an integrated society between Blacks and Whites. Malcolm X believed that Black people should build a world for themselves controlled by themselves that specifically addressed the needs and desires unique to Black people. MLK wanted his movement to be peaceful, while X was a radical extremist who wanted A.A. rights to be violent..Martin Luther King wanted to get things accomplished without aggression or violence, and Malcolm X did not. Martin Luther King wanted everyone to coexist peacefully and wanted to be counted as an equal, and Malcolm X wanted there to be a clear segregation of the White people and Black people in America, with different areas for each to live, because he felt that they would never get along. Martin Luther King Jr was an integrationist. He believe in one American society based upon the promises of the founding fathers of America that all men were created equal and had the right to life liberty and the pursuit of happiness. He believed that it was Black peoples right to be first class citizens of America and all that it entailed. After Malcolm X left the Nation of Islam he went to Mecca to complete one of the five pillars of Islam which is El Hajj The holy pilgrimage. After that experience he begin to take on a world view against injustice and tyranny everywhere. Martin Luther King jr take on a similar stance sparked by the Vietnam war. He too saw the importance of fighting injustice worldwide.

The Man Named Arnold :: essays research papers fc

Joyce Carol Oates’ â€Å"Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?† tells us about the life of Connie who has no guidance in life, because her family has not provided any moral support to help through her teenage life. She only knows about popular culture and not the consequences that comes with it. Without proper direction to face problems, Connie is confronted by Arnold Friend who has a plan to do some grotesque things to her. This encounter between them causes a power struggle between them that provides Connie downfall toward potential death. Arnold’s proclaimed supernatural ability controls and manipulates Connie’s mind and spirituality to strip her of any dignity that exists within.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Arnold had â€Å"a special interest in Connie† to carry his deed in taking her soul or something from her (619). He has knowledge about everything Connie is involved, because he has devil like qualities to take control of her destiny. A lack of experience to face problems or people like Arnold can affect the thought process into making a logical decision therefore doing things without knowing what will happen at the end. Arnold’s presence provides a dominant feeling to Connie who does not know Arnold’s intentions. He takes advantage of pop culture to find out how to get to her though music, clothes, and boys. Arnold was somewhat outdated to the time, but he was still close enough to trick Connie into thinking he was a teenage.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Bennett 2   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Connie can not possibly be prepared for what Arnold has in store for her, since she was not properly taught about having morals. The family did not have any strong ties with each other to protect Connie from any harm. She decided to â€Å"stay home alone† to avoid any conflicts with her family (617). When Arnold comes, she is drawn to him physically causing him to know that she is under his control. There is no hope for Connie since she does not know what to do about Arnold. How can this situation be avoided without a strong knowledge of the opposition? This was a question that never came into the mind of Connie. The only thing she was really worrying about was what was Arnold going to do if she did not go with him. Connie is scared to the fact that she can not believe this is happening to her. This does not happen in popular culture and music, but it happens in reality.

Innovation and Change Management

| Companies that successfully innovate also successfully manage change | INNOVATION & CHANGE MANAGEMENT MHN221935-12-A| Malgorzata Glowacka S0915718 International Tourism & Hospitality Enterprise | Innovation and change management have been and continues to be an important study on a number of levels. It plays significant part in economic growth as well as it is vital for firms’ survival and development. New ideas, new approaches and new products become critical guidelines in organisational strategy, especially for managers and business leaders.According to The Boston Consulting Group (2010) employers’ ranked innovation as a strategic priority with 26% citing it as a top priority and a further 45% ranking it as a top-three priority. Organisations such as Apple or Google adapted this tactic and thanks to their right management of change, now are recognized as one of the most revolutionizing and prosperous companies in the world (Business Week, 2010). It proves that succe ssfully innovating companies are the winners and they play major role in industry market.Therefore, this essay aims to critically evaluate the connection between innovation and change management. The term of innovation is hard to define as it can mean different things for different people. According to Druker (1985) innovation is the specific tool of entrepreneurs, the means by which they exploit changes as an opportunity. West and Farr (1990) pointed out that organizational innovation can be characterized as a tangible product, process or procedure within company and something what is new to the social setting within which it is introduced although not necessarily new to the individual introducing it.They also exanimated innovation being more intentional rather than accidental, mainly aimed at producing benefit to the organization. Traditional categorizations of innovations divide them into four types (Tidd and Bessant, 2010, Fig1): -product innovation can be a change in the functi on or feature of a product such as Window Vista replacing XP. This kind of innovation is intended to improve the function of the offering to make sales more likely -process innovation is based on transformations in the ways products/ services are created and delivered like for e. g. nline banking system which allows customers to manage their finance. This kind of invention introduces new, or significantly improved, method for production or delivery of output that adds value and better performance -position innovation target changes in market or customer base for a product or service. This kind of strategy change meaning of a product in customer’s eyes like for e. g. four-wheel cars which originally were used for off road work became fashionable family car -paradigm innovations are based on changes in how companies frame what they do; for e. . Air Canada (the largest airline of Canada with scheduled and charter air transport) launched a discount, new low-cost international car rier in Vancouver (The Globe & Mail,2012) Fig 1. Types of innovation. Adapted from Tidd and Bessant, 2010 Innovations are often classified as either radical or incremental (Gallouj and Weinstein, 1997). Radical innovations are generally based on a big change in development that modifies the competitive market and it may results in new markets and product opportunities.Good example of radical innovation is Apple with their first PC Lisa which had graphical interface. The innovation, despite its limited success, was universally recognised as being far ahead of the competition and it took years for some of the advanced features of its operating system to be incorporated in competitors’ operating system (Rayna and Striukova, 2009). An incremental innovation is a term used when there was a minor change to an existing technology like for e. g. in case of Apple and their iPod.MP3 players had been present in the market before Apple introduced iPod but the company still succeed becaus e they made better product, which was easier to use, looked more solid and more appealing compared to other MP3 players (Rayna and Striukova, 2009). Organizational change, like innovation, is hard to specify. It can be described as any alternation or modification, which occurs in the overall work environment of an organization. Moran and Brightman (2000) defined it as the process of continually renewing an organization’s direction, structure, and capabilities to serve the ever-changing needs of external and internal customers.It tend to focus on the management of formally planned changes and it is indicating a macro- level approach, which is concerned with organisation as a whole (King and Anderson, 2002). Due its complexity, many researchers categorised organizational change in different ways, for e. g. Pettigrew (1987) separated it into strategic and non-strategic change while Goodstein and Warner (1995) divided it into incremental and radical change. However the starting p oint for discussing variations of change is Grundy’s (1993) three variations of change. The first, smooth incremental change changes slowly in a systematic and predicable way.The second variety of change Grundy terms ‘bumpy incremental change’. This is characterized by periods of relative calmness disrupted by rushing in the pace of change. Grundy’s third variety of change is ‘discontinuous change’, which he defines as ‘change which is marked by rapid shifts in strategy, structure or culture, or in all three’. There are several drivers and models which clarify the need for change. Most of them are grouped into external drivers or internal drivers (Proehl, 2001). External are those forces that are outside the organization, usually it is an economic, political, socio-cultural or technological driver.The internal drivers are those forces within the organization, which may include finance, limited skill level of employees, changes in leadership etc. Another example, presented by Anderson and Ackerman Anderson (2001) describes seven main drivers of change, which move from what is external (environment, marketplace, organization) to what is internal (culture and people). This model mainly focuses on leaders and management role as they are clearly more aware of external domains and thy play the most important part in internal domains.This is their job to implement any changes in culture, behaviour and mind-set within their company and if they will fail in that, the change will also fail. It can be assumed then, that change is about innovation and innovation is about change. Williams (2006) stated that to successfully manage innovation, company need to be good at managing source of innovation and managing innovation during discontinuous and incremental change. Once again Apple is the perfect example of company effectively handling innovation and change at the same time. They do it for e. g. y managing leadership wit hin organization. Tidd and Bessant (2005) noted that leadership strongly influences the success of change and innovation. For Apple the key role in the company played Steve Jobs and his visionary leadership: My passion has been to build an enduring company where people were motivated to make great products. Everything else was secondary. Sure, it was great to make a profit, because that was what allowed you to make great products. But the products, not the profits, were the motivation. Sculley flipped these priorities to where the goal was to make money.It’s a subtle difference, but it ends up meaning everything—the people you hire, who gets promoted, what you discuss in meetings. Isaacson, 2012 According to Hughes (2006) leading change is fundamentally about influencing groups and individuals, therefore leaders of change need to understand people. And that is what Jobs could do. He understood that customers don’t know what they want until it is shown to them. H e implemented among his employees the desire of perfect design as to him ‘’†¦nothing could be further from the meaning of design. Design is a fundamental soul’’ (Isaacson, 2012).To conclude, the concept of innovation and change is fundamental to business success. It is viewed as being extremely important for company survival and future development. Organisations such as Apple can prove the point that companies which successfully innovate also successfully manage change. References Anderson, D. , Ackerman Anderson, L. , 2001. Beyond Change Management: Advanced Strategies for Today's Transformational Leaders. USA: Jossey-Bass/Pfeiffer Drucker, P. F. , 1985. Innovation and entrepreneurship: practice and principles. New York: Harper ; Row Gallouj, F. , Weinstein, O. , 1997. Innovation in services.Research Policy 26, 537–556 Goodstein, L. D. and Warner, W. , 1995. Creating Successful Organization Change. In: Managing Organizational Change. Warner (e d. ). pp. 7-9. New York: American Management Association Grundy, T. , 1993. Implementing Strategic Change. London: Kogan Page Harsh, P. , 2011. Organizational Change. India: Dorling Kindersley Hughes, M. , 2006. Change Management: A critical perspective. CIPD. King, N. , Anderson, N. , 2002. Managing Innovation and Change: A Critical Guide for Organizations. Singapore: Seng Lee Press Isaacson, W. , 2012. The Real Leadership Lessons of Steve Jobs. [online] Available from: http://www. atheeqa. com/App_Themes/watheeqa/pdf/The%20Real%20Leadership%20Lessons%20of%20Steve%20Jobs%20-%20HBR%20l%20Apr-2012. pdf [Accessed 15th October] Moran, J, W. , Brighman, B. K. , 2000. Leading organizational change. In: Journal of Workplace Learning: Employee Counselling Today Vol. 12 (2), pp. 66-74 Pettigrew, A. M. , 1987. Context and action in the transformation of the firm. In: Journal of Management Studies, Vol. 24 (6), pp. 649–70 Proehl, R. A. , 2001. Organizational Change in the Human Service s. USA: Sage Publications Ltd. Rainey, D. LA. , 2005. Product Innovation: Leading Change through Integrated Product Development.UK: Cambridge Rayna, T. , Striukova, L. , 2009. The curse of the first-mover: when incremental innovation leads to radical change. In: Int. J. Collaborative Enterprise, Vol. 1(1) The Globe and Mail. Air Canada shuffles small-plane fleet, adds wide body jets. [online] Available from: http://www. theglobeandmail. com/globe-investor/air-canada-shuffles-small-plane-fleet-adds-widebody-jets/article4580211 [Accessed 15th October 2012] Tidd, J. , Bessant, J. , 2011. Managing Innovation: Integrating Technological, Market and Organizational Change. England: John Wiley ; Sons Ltd. The Boston Consulting Group, 2010.Innovation 2010. A Return to Prominence – and the Emergence of a New World Order. [online] Available from: http://tobiaslist. files. wordpress. com/2010/06/innovation-2010-bcg. pdf [Accessed 15th October 2012] The Business Week, 2010. The 50 Most Inn ovative Companies 2010. [online] Available from: http://www. businessweek. com/interactive_reports/innovative_companies_2010. html [Accesses 15th October 2012] West, M. A. and Farr, J. L. , 1990. Innovation at work. In: Innovation and Creativity at Work: Psychological and Organizational Strategies. UK: Chichster Williams, Ch. , 2006. Management. Canada: Thomson South-Western

Argumentative Paragraph

My favorite scene is when, Farhan is about to leave the country then he receives a call telling that the caller know where Rancho is. Farhan immediately run out of the airport and he calls Raju who is on his bed. They went in there College Campus where the caller was there. In the top of the building they met their college friend and remember their commitment. And they find nothing in there. Friends, Family or Future: which should come first? Family should come first. Real Story Viruddh†¦ Family Comes First Viruddh is one among relatively few Hindi films that is not a musical, instead thesoundtrack is primarily used as background.The movie begins with Amar telling the story of his family and himself. Amar is the son of Vidyadhar and Sumitra Patwardhan, a middle class couple in India. Amar lives and works in London and he sends some of his salary to them. One day Amar returns home with Jenny Mayer, his girlfriend, and announces his intention to get married to her. Initially reluc tant, his parents are pleased and happy for the two. One day, Amar goes out celebrating with his friends, whilst his parents and Jenny organise a surprise party for him.Outside a pub, Amar witnesses a murder and, while trying to apprehend the killer, he gets mortally wounded in the fight. Amar succumbs in the hospital. The assailant is identified as Harshwardhan Kadam, son of a minister Kadam. Soon, the police start covering the case up. Amar is implicated in false charges of drug peddling. Witnesses and close friends of Amar too give false statements. The torture doesn't end there, as police try to implicate Jenny as his accompolice. Vidyadhar decides that it is not good for Jenny to live there, especially since she is expecting Amar's child.Vidyadhar bails her out and implores her to return before she is locked up for good. Harshwardhan goes scot free meanwhile and Vidyadhar decides to seek justice on his own. Ali Asgar, a mechanic and an acquaintance of Patwardhan's, decides to h elp them. Soon, Ali succeeds in procuring a gun for Vidyadhar. Vidyadhar decides to confront Harshwardhan in his own office. Harshwardhan cockily lets him enter in and starts taunting him. Vidyadhar accuses him and Harshwardhan arrongantly confesses his crimes, telling Vidyadhar that he cannot prove a thing.Vidyadhar points the gun at him, upon which Harshwardhan calls his guards. Vidyadhar guns down Harshwardhan and the guards enter in moments later Harshwardhan's dead body collapses down. Harshwardhan's head guard lets Vidyadhar go, claiming that he won't be able to look at his family in the eye if he arrests Vidyadhar. A case stands up against Vidyadhar, where he reveals a pocket tape recorder on which the whole confession of Harshwardhan is recorded. Based on the proof, Amar is exonerated of all false charges levelled up against him. Vidyadhar is also set free.In an interview, Vidyadhar makes it clear that he doesn't intend to sue Kadam since his son has been killed and Vidyadha r knows the pain. In the end, it is shown that Vidyadhar is living a happy life with Sumitra, Jenny, and his grandchild. Amar now explains that his father has always been a hero for him since childhood and he is feeling a little jealous of his daughter who is being treated with same affection with which Vidyadhar treated Amar in his childhood. The movie ends with Amar disappearing in light claiming now he can rest in peace. From: The Hospitalist, June 2009Pediatric HM should embrace development of â€Å"collaborative† care by Mark Shen, MD I recently returned from a seminar where I sang â€Å"Kumbaya† (OK, maybe I hummed) and performed a skit in front of the 250 other participants. Having once been edited out of my own end-of-residency movie, you might think this was Acting 101 for the next Shen’s Anatomy. Rather, this was â€Å"Hospitals and Communities Moving Forward with Patient and Family-Centered Care. † Replete with experiential lessons in positive change, it transformed my vision of the future for patients, families, and our field.Patient- and family-centered care (PFCC) is a movement rooted in the values at the core of our profession. As soon as the hunter-gatherers formed communities, a village healer emerged. Parents could turn to the healer for help when a child developed bronchiolitis. With similar amounts of hand-waving, these healers produced outcomes similar to current bronchiolitis care. But what once was a simple relationship has become fractured through relentless de-evolutionary forces. Progressive specialization has exponentially ncreased the number of healers.The rapid, paternalistic injection of science and technology overwhelms even the most capable of Homo sapiens. The final product can be as cold and sterile as a modern-day operating room. Amidst the labyrinthine tangle of providers, information, and facilities, there is a warm underglow of hope. Unless you’ve been hiding under the concrete foundation of the old part of your hospital, you’ve heard about family-centered rounds (FCR). It’s the new black, or the new steroids, of pediatric HM.And it carries with it the potential to be the bellwether of change. A simplistic view entails moving teaching rounds from the conference room to the bedside. Throw in a multidisciplinary component and you have a theoretical therapeutic milieu from which all manner of positive education and patient outcomes might be measured. But one must ask the question: Can create patient- and family-centeredness The Importance of Family. Families are much more than groups of individuals. They have their own goals and aspirations.They also are places where every child and adult should feel that he or she is special and be encouraged to pursue his or her own dreams; a place where everyone's individuality is permitted to flourish. Although every family has conflicts, all the family members should feel as though they can express themselves openly, share their feelings, and have their opinions listened to with understanding. In fact, conflicts and disagreements are a normal part of family life and are important insofar as they permit people to communicate their differences and ventilate their feelings.The family instructs children and gives guidance about personal values and social behavior. It instills discipline and helps them learn and internalize codes of conduct that will serve them for the rest of their lives. It helps them develop positive interpersonal relationships, and it provides an environment that encourages learning both in the home and at school. It gives children a sense of history and a secure base from which to grow and develop. Yet, as important as these functions are, they do not happen automatically.Every parent knows it takes hard work to keep the family going as an effective, adaptive, and functional unit. Divine law is any law that, according to religious belief, comes directly from the will of God, in contrast to man-made law. Like natural law (which may be seen as a manifestation of divine law) it is independent of the will of man, who cannot change it. However it may be revealed or not, so it may change in human perception in time through new revelation. Divine law is eternal law, meaning that since God is infinite, then his law must also be infinite and eternal.In Thomas Aquinas's Treatise on Law, divine law, as opposed to natural law, comes only from revelation or scripture, hence biblical law, and is necessary for human salvation. According to Aquinas, divine law must not be confused with natural law. Divine law is mainly and mostly natural law, but it can also be positive law. Conclusion Family should value first. It is a precious thing that a man can have. All the things you have are no match for a family, because with family all your tears, heartaches, problems, burdens will disappear with so much in love with your family.You know what, I dreamed once that my family will be happy at the time were nothing. I always say to myself that my family is the one will love me for a million years. What is the essence of having a beautiful house, a million money, a beautiful life without your family?. Think of it. As I grow older, I can imagine my world without my family. They are the one will fade your tears, they are the one will understand you, and they are the only one will love you. Yes, time come you will having your own family, and with that you can say that your already complete with the love of your family.I always observe in television and also in real life that they have the things they wanted. But aren’t happy enough because they know that they are not complete without a child. Their some people with a peaceful life, a not so beautiful house, nothing to eat but see they are happy because they loving each other. That’s what family is, a perfect family. Friends and Future are always their waiting for us. These two can gone, can steal, c an be nothing, but with family it can never be replace, steal and can be yours because its mine.

Intercultural Awareness essays

Intercultural Awareness essays This report provides an overview of different cultural challenges people encounter when their company sends them abroad to conduct business. It also conveys the importance of cultural training, which is necessary for a businessperson to be successful in another country. The report begins with cultural values in the areas of semantic differences, the importance of relationship building, and the different attitudes toward women. It continues with information on different types of nonverbal communication patterns and why it is important to recognize them and how they can impact business dealings abroad. The report also includes information on cultural etiquette, from exchanging a business card to giving gifts, and how the lack of proper etiquette abroad can make or break a business deal. The last topic reviews the stages of cultural shock and how it affects employees sent abroad without any prior intercultural training. The report concludes that there really is a different world out there and that adequate cultural training is needed for people traveling abroad to conduct business. Businesses today are conducting more business in other countries than ever before and their employees may be paying the price. To compete in today's global marketplace, companies and their employees must recognize that cultural differences do exist and understand what they are. Employers must ensure that adequate cultural training is provided to its employees before sending them abroad. This report outlines a sampling of cultural values and how they differ from ours. It also identifies the importance of providing cultural training for an organization that does business with diverse cultures. Businesses today are becoming more involved in global markets and their employees are traveling to countries outside of the U.S. more than ever before. Because of the lack of understanding of the culture, values, and customs to be encountered, a new enviro...

The History of Space Shuttle Challenger

The History of Space Shuttle Challenger Each year in January, NASA honors its lost astronauts in ceremonies marking the loss of space shuttles Challenger and Columbia, and the Apollo 1 spacecraft. The space shuttle  Challenger, which was first called STA-099, was built to serve as a test vehicle for NASAs shuttle program. It was named after the British Naval research vessel HMS Challenger, which  sailed the Atlantic and Pacific oceans during the 1870s. The Apollo 17 lunar module also carried the name of Challenger. Space Shuttle Challenger Liftoff. This spacecraft was lost on January 28, 1986, when it exploded 73 seconds after takeoff. Seven crew members lost their lives. Public Domain, NASA In early 1979, NASA awarded space shuttle orbiter manufacturer Rockwell a contract to convert STA-099 to a space-rated orbiter, OV-099. It was completed and delivered in 1982, after construction and a year of intensive vibration and thermal testing, just as all its sister ships were when they were built. It was the second operational orbiter to become operational in the space program and had a promising future as a historic workhorse delivering crews and objects to space.   Challengers Flight History On April 4, 1983, Challenger launched on her maiden voyage for the STS-6 mission. During that time, the first spacewalk of the space shuttle program took place. The Extra-Vehicular Activity (EVA), performed by astronauts Donald Peterson and Story Musgrave, lasted just over four hours. The mission also saw the deployment of the first satellite in the Tracking and Data Relay System constellation (TDRS). These satellites were designed for communications between Earth and space. The next numerical space shuttle mission for Challenger (though not in chronological order), STS-7, launched the first American woman, Sally Ride, into space. For the STS-8 launch, which actually occurred before STS-7, Challenger was the first orbiter to take off and land at night. Later, it was the first to carry two U.S. female astronauts on mission STS 41-G. It also made the first space shuttle landing at Kennedy Space Center, concluding mission STS 41-B. Spacelabs 2 and 3 flew aboard the ship on missions STS 51-F and STS 51-B, as did the first German-dedicated Spacelab on STS 61-A. Challenger once carried a spacelab to orbit for astronauts to use for scientific missions. NASA Marshall Space Flight Center (NASA-MSFC) Challengers Untimely End After nine successful missions, the Challenger launched on its final mission, STS-51L on January 28, 1986, with seven astronauts aboard. They were: Gregory Jarvis,  Christa McAuliffe,  Ronald McNair, Ellison Onizuka,  Judith Resnik,  Dick Scobee,  and Michael J. Smith. McAuliffe was to be the first teacher in space and had been selected from a field of educators from around the United States. She had planned a series of lessons to be conducted from space, broadcast to students throughout the U.S.   Space Shuttle Challenger Disaster STS-51L Pictures - LOX Tank Rupture. NASA Seventy-three seconds into the mission, the Challenger exploded, killing the entire crew. It was the first tragedy of the space shuttle program, followed in 2002 by the loss of the shuttle Columbia.  After a lengthy investigation, NASA concluded that the shuttle was destroyed when an O-ring on a solid rocket booster failed. The seal design was faulty, and the problem was made worse by unusually cold weather in Florida just prior to launch.  Booster rocket flames passed through the failed seal, and burned through the external fuel tank. That detached one of the supports that held the booster to the side of the tank. The booster broke loose and collided with the tank, piercing its side. Liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen fuels from the tank and booster mixed and ignited, tearing  Challenger  apart.   A piece of the space shuttle Challenger that was recovered, being placed into its final resting place at Kennedy Space Center. NASA Headquarters - GReatest Images of NASA (NASA-HQ-GRIN) Pieces of the shuttle fell into the ocean immediately following the breakup, including the crew cabin. It was one of the most graphic and publicly viewed disasters of the space program and was filmed from many different angles by NASA and observers. The space agency began recovery efforts almost immediately, using a fleet of submersibles and Coast Guard cutters. It took months to recover all the orbiter pieces and the remains of the crew.   In the wake of the disaster, NASA immediately halted all launches. The restrictions on flight lasted for two years, while the so-called Rogers Commission investigated all aspects of the disaster. Such intense inquiries are part of an accident involving spacecraft and it was important for the agency to understand exactly what happened and take steps to make sure such an accident didnt occur again.   Space Shuttle Challenger final crew. NASA Headquarters - GReatest Images of NASA (NASA-HQ-GRIN) NASAs Return to Flight Once the problems that led to the Challengers destruction were understood and fixed, NASA resumed shuttle launches on September 29th, 1988. It was the seventh flight of the Discovery orbiter The two-year moratorium on launches put a number of missions back, including the launch and deployment of the Hubble Space Telescope. In addition, a fleet of classified satellites was also delayed. It also forced NASA and its contractors to redesign the solid rocket boosters so that they could be safely launched again.   The Challenger Legacy To memorialize the crew of the lost shuttle, the victims families established a series of science education facilities called the Challenger Centers. These are located  around the world and were designed as space education centers, in memory of the crew members, particularly Christa McAuliffe.   The crew has been remembered in movie dedications, their names have been used for craters on the Moon, mountains on Mars, a mountain range on Pluto, and schools, planetarium facilities  and even a stadium in Texas. Musicians, songwriters, and artists have dedicated works in their memories. The legacy of the shuttle and its lost crew will live on in peoples memory as a tribute to their sacrifice to advance space exploration. Fast Facts Space shuttle Challenger was destroyed 73 seconds into launch on January 28, 1986.Seven crew members were killed when the shuttle broke apart in an explosion.After a two-year delay, NASA resumed launches after an investigation found underlying problems for the agency to solve. Resources NASA, NASA, er.jsc.nasa.gov/seh/explode.html.NASA, NASA, history.nasa.gov/sts51l.html.â€Å"The Space Shuttle Challenger Disaster.†Ã‚  Space Safety Magazine, www.spacesafetymagazine.com/space-disasters/challenger-disaster/. Edited by Carolyn Collins Petersen.