Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!swrinde!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!gem.mps.ohio-state.edu!lavaca.uh.edu!jane!st9 From: ST9@jane.uh.edu (Rich Bainter AKA Pug) Newsgroups: sci.space.shuttle Subject: What happened? Could risk be higher? Message-ID: <5082@jane.uh.edu> Date: 29 Nov 89 04:12:11 GMT References: Organization: University of Houston Lines: 18 I know this is a sensitive subject and so E-Mail replies are fine... I was told recently by a person who *might* know that the reason they pushed so hard for a shuttle capsule escape system was that the crew of the challenger had not only survived the explosion but that they were alive for the two minutes until the shuttle hit the ocean. Supposedly the cockpit had been blown intact apart from the rest of the shuttle and was intact until it hit the ocean. On a related note: It is my opinion that if the pilgrims had been as safety concious about the US as we are about space it seems that the new world would have never been settled. If we could accept a higher mortality rate could we get a substantially higher amount of people into space? Personally, if I had a choice of exchanging a 10% chance of death for a shot at colonizing the moon for example I am not so sure I wouldn't go for it. As it is now it doesn't seem anything major will happen in my lifetime. --- Stephen McLeod (aka Bandolar)