Re: Lifeboats in Space

From: Jeff Findley (jeff.findley_at_ugs.nojunk.com)
Date: 12/16/04 

Date: Thu, 16 Dec 2004 14:28:04 -0500

"Christopher" <auem28REMOVE@REMOVEdsl.pipex.com> wrote in message
news:9ih3s095k2c46a35lkjbit2t9qaom8ku39@4ax.com...
> I have the attitude of a realist. And you have a lack of manners, but
> then I have noticed that posters who have to resort to personal
> insults generally have no valid reply.

I find that Rand is an exception to that rule.

A realist would acknowledge that accountants, engineers, lawyers, and law
makers place a value on human life every day.

There are limits to what NASA can do to improve safety. It would likely be
best (safety wise) to eliminate the large, segmented, solid rocket boosters
and the side mounted external tank from the space shuttle design. However,
there isn't enough money to do so. The changes are so big and so expensive
that we might as well terminate the program and work on something new.

Even with something new, there are practical limits on what you can spend on
safety. It's up to the engineers to determine how to best spend that money
to get the best possible increase in safety. That may include escape
vehicles (separate from the normal return vehicle) that return to earth in
case of an emergency. However, it's more likely that any new design will
use the normal crew return vehicle as the escape vehicle (like Vostok,
Mercury, Voskhood, Gemini, Soyuz, Apollo, the US Space Shuttle, and etc.).

Jeff 

-- 
Remove icky phrase from email address to get a valid address.

Relevant Pages

  • Re: Who does NOT agree that Honda should fire their designers
    ... More structural strength around the passenger compartment is more ... > "Safety" is right between your ears. ... where my car was legally positioned and stopped in traffic, ... when a vehicle coming the other way swerved into their lane ...
    (rec.autos.makers.honda)
  • Re: Speeding cop jailed
    ... how can you ensure the safety of your own life without ... driver training is dangerous? ... the driver of one vehicle was safe doing a manouvre that made the ... That would be the case if they stuck to the legal speed limits but ...
    (uk.legal)
  • Re: OT: Hybrid cars make no economical sense
    ... The point is my 32 year old car gets better fuel economy than most of the ... technology to break), easy to fix when something does go wrong, and is ... Safety is certainly a big factor to consider in a car, ... majority of the time in a vehicle is spent driving, ...
    (alt.home.repair)
  • Re: Surfing the Apocalypse was Re: how to build a net during the apcopalypse
    ... HAPSITE Viper Chemical Identification System is seamlessly integrated into your military reconnaissnce vehicle. ... In an environment where the enemy is constantly increasing his knowledge base, HAPSITE Viper helps you respond more effectively with immediate and accurate on-site results to help guide your decisions regarding troop movements, vehicle deployment, and civilian safety. ...
    (sci.physics)
  • Re: Consumer Reports: Saturn
    ... >> anecdotes for a vehicle. ... >> to produce a risk rating comparable among all vehicles. ... > that obviously are not factored into the crash testing, ... handling and braking into an overall safety rating ...
    (rec.autos.makers.saturn)