RE: [MLUG - DISCUSSION] space shuttle explodes?

[Jonathan King <EMAIL:PROTECTED>]

On Mon, 3 Feb 2003, Heivilin, Jim wrote:

> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: Mike Miller [mailto:EMAIL:PROTECTED]
> > Subject: Re: [MLUG - DISCUSSION] space shuttle explodes?

> >I think maybe 114 total.  2/114 = 1.75%
> >
> >That's more risk than I'd like to take.  So if I'm ever invited to fly 
> >on a space shuttle, I'll decline!
> >
> More room for me.  
> 
> I don't usually comment on any threads here but I suspect if we could
> assemble some numbers there a greater chance of dying in a car accident
> on your way to work than this, statistically speaking.  Or a plane crash
> (terrorists not withstanding).  

Not even close.  A 2% catastrophic failure rate is just hideous.  
Passenger airliner crashes were recently quoted as being one per FOUR
MILLION departures, or one per 2 million for a round trip.  Cars are
pretty dangerous, but even those about THREE ORDERS OF MAGNITUDE less
dangerous on a per trip basis (you're looking at numbers in the 1 per 
100,000 trips range here).  Recent terrorism can actually make the 
airline numbers look notably worse, but do not change the fact that air 
travel is extremely safe, while space shuttle travel is absurdly unsafe.
 
> To address the "what have we gotten out of it?" question in later posts,
> you're typing on one of the advances, HELLO???? Sorry, don't really mean
> to be rude but anti-space advocates get under my skin in a big way.

I'm not an anti-space advocate.  There is in fact far too much good space 
science to be done to waste time, money, and lives at this point trying to
put people in orbit.  

> It would take some research to document (here) all the advances of the
> moon landing program

I await details on this research.  Spending on technology has the (not 
very surprising) result that technology improves.  I have never seen 
convincing evidence that money spent on manned space exploration yields 
any greater amount of technological advance than a dollar spent on any 
other ambitious research and development project.

> And since we've *mostly* explored this planet the Spirit of Exploration
> which seems to reside in quite a few of us can only be satisfied by
> leaving the planet. 

Excellent.  I see some impressive fund-raising opportunities for a private 
manned space program, myself.  As a government spending program, I am 
rather uninterested.

jking

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