Re: SPACE: Beyond Apollo

From: Robert Bradbury (bradbury@genebee.msu.su)
Date: Mon Apr 17 2000 - 09:28:12 MDT


On Mon, 17 Apr 2000, Technotranscendence wrote:

>
> I've nothing against using proven Soviet and Russian designs, but the Ariane
> 5 has a habit of blowing up.:@ Plus, it's a very high end launch system.
>

Hmmmm, the first blew up due to a silly software bug. But that was
reviewed and fixed. Are they still having problems with it?

I'd view this as just the normal course of working the bugs out of
a complex design. Its just so much more dramatic when its a rocket
than a program (unless the program is *in* the rocket...). Even
when humans are doing a terrible job we still come out way ahead
of nature. The figures that get tossed around in biology are something
like 2/3 of conceptions failing to implant or ending up in miscarriages.

Robert



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