This paper uses the events leading up to the explosion of the Challenger to begin a discussion about the important role professional codes of ethics play in shaping how professionals should respond... Show moreThis paper uses the events leading up to the explosion of the Challenger to begin a discussion about the important role professional codes of ethics play in shaping how professionals should respond to ethical questions and issues that come up in daily practice. The paper explores the history of codes of ethics, why different engineering professions, such as computer engineering, and mechanical engineering, have developed their own codes of ethics, and tries to answer the question, why obey your profession's code? The paper also analyzes a case study using the codes of ethics and offers a series of case studies for further discussion. Show less