[FPSPACE] Shuttle ready to fly

[DSFPortree at aol.com]

Of course, it's not a safe vehicle to fly. No spacecraft is. 

Spaceflight isn't about being safe. You can ground yourself for years and fix 
everything imaginable, and something will eventually go wrong that you didn't 
think of. The same thing will happen with any Shuttle replacement. It's just 
part of the game.

So, this statement that the Shuttle is "safe" is merely the replacement of 
the safety figleaf knocked off in February 2003. I wish we'd acknowledge that 
spaceflight is inherently dangerous yet worth doing.

This isn't saying anything new, of course. 

David

David S. F. Portree
Science writer & historian
dsfportree at aol.com
Flagstaff Arizona USA

Romance to Reality: moon & Mars plans
http://rtr.marsinstitute.info