Path: utzoo!attcan!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!uwm.edu!uakari.primate.wisc.edu!ginosko!uunet!yale!mfci!colwell From: colwell@mfci.UUCP (Robert Colwell) Newsgroups: sci.space.shuttle Subject: Re: Why 3 SSME's? Message-ID: <1076@m3.mfci.UUCP> Date: 12 Oct 89 13:28:49 GMT References: <538.252A3A3B@mamab.FIDONET.ORG> Sender: colwell@mfci.UUCP Reply-To: colwell@mfci.UUCP (Robert Colwell) Organization: Multiflow Computer Inc., Branford Ct. 06405 Lines: 47 In article shafer@elxsi.dfrf.nasa.gov (Mary Shafer) writes: >It's very interesting to me that the public is _so_ much more >concerned about things like crew escape systems than are the >astronauts. The astronauts know how dangerous the Shuttle is. They >know that they'll probably die if there is an accident. Yet they >still fight and politick and maneuver for crew assignments and >flights, and don't want to wait around for the Shuttle to be perfectly >safe. And I'm sure they understand, as do the engineers, that it never will be perfectly safe, nor will airplane travel, elevators, eating, and walking down the sidewalk. I wonder if the apparent public attitude that you mentioned is somehow related to the idea that if something bad happens to me, then it necessarily follows that somebody, somewhere, needs to be sued for it? >The same is true for test pilots, BTW, and military pilots. And >others, as well. On the rare occasions that I've been allowed to fly >in a fighter, I do think about what can go wrong, whether I'll be able >to eject or not, how reliable ejection seats really are, etc, but I >still go fly, because I'm willing to accept the risk. It's worth it >to me. No, it's not, Mary. You're taking foolish risks here. Next time, call me, and I'll go up for you. I know, I know, why would a stranger do such a nice thing for you, but hey, that's just me. >But there's risk in everything that we do. How do you deal with risk? >What do you think about being an astronaut, knowing the safety record? >I'd be at the Cape tomorrow, if they'd let me. Am I the only one? Heck no. You and I are the only two. :-) I've had my application on file for about 6 years now, and they even check my references every so often. (But I guess that either my reviews aren't raving enough or they don't need computer designers in the shuttle, because that's as far as it has ever gone so far.) I think a lot of us see it the same way. There are rational risks, like flying airplanes and driving cars, and there are stupid unnecessary ones, like smoking and having the bureaucratic chain screw up on you (a la Challenger). The goal is to take the rational ones where appropriate, and minimize or eliminate the rest. Bob Colwell ..!uunet!mfci!colwell Multiflow Computer or colwell@multiflow.com 31 Business Park Dr. Branford, CT 06405 203-488-6090