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The occasional American disaster made it crystal clear. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apollo_1 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apollo_1

• vkou 10y ago
  That doesn't entirely count as a space disaster as it was in training. More importantly, everyone of them expected 'You're going to burn-up and die in launch/re-entry/all your air vents in space/your engines will misfire, and you won't return home' as big, serious risks of their work. Nobody expected 'You're going to burn-up and die as a result of getting into a closed room, and pushing a few buttons', to be in their top-ten expected causes of death. Planning around unknown unknowns, and all that.
  • andars 10y ago
    Important to note that the "closed room" was the Command Module on top of a Saturn launch vehicle.
    • vkou 10y ago
      Yes, but AFAIK, the Saturn V was not full of fuel. Given that, the fact that the module was on top of the rocket didn't change the risk profile much. The fire could have happened, even if the command module was in a garage.
      • andars 10y ago
        Sure, but it wasn't just any room. As a sidenote, it wasn't a Saturn V.
      • astrodust 10y ago
        They died in a space craft. You think the other Apollo crews were like "Whew, at least it was in training!" and brushed it off? Going to space involves strapping yourself into a tiny capsule on top of something that's filled with explosives. There's nothing safe about it.