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I think "civilian" in this context just means none of the crew are professional astronauts. It's still very much a test flight, though, so basically they're fac
by vannevar 6y ago
I think "civilian" in this context just means none of the crew are professional astronauts. It's still very much a test flight, though, so basically they're facing all of the danger as any previous astronaut or cosmonaut crew, with less of the training.
- sandworm101 6y agoSo "civilian" now means "amature", or at least "non-professional"?
- tolbish 6y agoDefinition 2b https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/civilian https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/civilian
- vannevar 6y agoNot quite, just that it's not strictly a military reference. Local police are not military organizations either, but they often refer to ordinary citizens as civilians. A lot of people (some even in these comments) think of NASA as a quasi-military organization, and I think SpaceX is just playing into that popular perception to project the idea that they are ready to accept paying passengers on a regular basis. Which may be true, as long as the paying passengers have a high tolerance for mortal risk.
- sandworm101 6y agoLocal police are still civilians. Anyone who is allowed to quit whenever they want is a civilian. Soldiers don't have that choice.
- vannevar 6y agoThe dictionary begs to differ, see tolbish's link.