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I'm not sure that people are mentally prepared for the risks that human space flight will incur under private industry. People will die in the name of making m
by DannoHung 17y ago
I'm not sure that people are mentally prepared for the risks that human space flight will incur under private industry.
People will die in the name of making manned space flight affordable. Is there going to be a public backlash from this? After both Space Shuttle disasters there were year long backoffs from Shuttle launches.
A commercial entity will not have the luxury of just halting its mission for multiple fiscal quarters because of fatal engineering issues.
- philk 17y agoI'd actually say that commercial entities would be better off than the government, as the government is made up of people who: a) have to pretend to care [1] b) don't have any personal upside from space missions succeeding. [1] I'm not saying that they don't care, necessarily, it's more that pragmatism is not popular in political leaders.
- waterlesscloud 17y agoHow many commercial fisherman died on the job last year? How many coal miners? Truck drivers? Electricians? The fact that you don't know (neither do I) says a lot about the risks some businesses take in stride. There's a business world outside of offices full of computers, and some of those jobs involve literally deadly risk. And yet those industries still thrive.
- w1ntermute 17y agoHow many commercial fisherman died on the job last year? How many coal miners? Truck drivers? Electricians? How many electricians don't know the basics of not electrocuting themselves? His point is that space is a new frontier, and we don't yet have standard safety protocols in place. The only way to develop them will be through trial and error, which will inevitably involve the loss of human life.