>> IIRC, it was bloody cold that day, and several engineers advised 
>> against the launch due to the temperatures. But the actual spec sheet? 
>> IDK.
> 
> Well I'd jolly well hope that every single part of the shuttle would be 
> designed to work in the temperature range specified on the spec sheet!
> 
> Doesn't sound very NASA-like to have some Engineer going "oh it's a bit 
> chilly today old chaps, that o-ring might not be so good".  Where's the 
> temperature spec of the O-ring?  Where's the simulation/test results of 
> expected temperatures at each point on the shuttle?  Why wasn't this 
> brought up during the design stage?

The information I heard was that it was an unusually cold day, and the 
entire craft was covered in sheets of solid ice, and several people 
suggested that they hadn't really tested for this and it would be better 
to wait for the weather to change. But that didn't suit the launch 
schedule, so they launched anyway.

Weather the temperatures were actually outside the spec sheet I have no 
idea. (I'm also not actually sure how accurate the above tale is, for 
that matter.) I'm sure temperature ranges were tested, but ice? Maybe 
they hadn't thought about that. IDK.

-- 
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