From: Doug Jones (djonesxcor@qnet.com)
Date: Wed Mar 21 2001 - 13:22:12 MST
Spike Jones wrote:
>
>
> Ja, but what Im looking for here is to free Kistler et al from
> having to make their products human-rated. Thats part of the
> reason why the shuttle is so spendy: it needs three nines
> reliability. Let NASA do what NASA does, lift primates
> to orbit safely if expensively. Let the other launcher builders
> trim the weight margins closer, and assume a higher level
> of risk that we accept for our fellow humans. spike
Two problems- historically, they've killed almost 1% of the humans
they've tried to launch. That ain't "safely" in my book. Second, the
big market, the real enabler for routine cheap access to space, is space
tourism. Leaving manned space flight in NASA's hands is like building a
luxury island hotel, then using an F-18 to deliver guests via ejection
seat.
-- Doug Jones, Rocket Engineer (My views, not necessarily those of my employer)
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