The great physicist Richard Feynman is best known—at least among laypeople—as the person who solved the mystery of the Challenger space shuttle explosion more than two decades ago.

Many of us remember the image of an O-ring suspended in a glass of ice water sitting on a conference table surrounded by a blue panel of science experts representing multiple disciplines. The conclusion that ultimately ensued was that the horrific accident that took the life of several astronauts and the first teacher/astronaut was a frozen O-ring resulting in a broken seal that allowed fuel to leak and ignite.

Authorities would have been happy to close out the investigation with that conclusion. What most people don’t realize was that for Feynman and some of his colleagues, the conclusion was not the end of the investigation. Actually, for Feynman, it was the launching pad for further scrutiny. He continued the investigation, trying to understand how the accident could have happened. What had failed?

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