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From: rupp@noscvax.UUCP (William L. Rupp)
Newsgroups: net.columbia
Subject: Re: What price safety? (was: Escape tower for shuttle orbiter?)
Message-ID: <277@noscvax.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 21-Mar-86 15:38:50 EST
Article-I.D.: noscvax.277
Posted: Fri Mar 21 15:38:50 1986
Date-Received: Wed, 26-Mar-86 03:03:33 EST
References: <418@watcgl.UUCP> <627@bentley.UUCP> <2024@peora.UUCP> <2035@peora.UUCP>
Organization: Naval Ocean Systems Center, San Diego
Lines: 23
Summary: Tradeoffs and reality

In article <2035@peora.UUCP>, jer@peora.UUCP (J. Eric Roskos) writes:
> 
> However, I in fact don't have airbags in my car, despite the fact that
> I believe in them.  The sole reason I don't is that they are so expensive.
> Now, I realize that having them would be safer; however, I don't feel that
> it would be safer in proportion to the cost.  (On the other hand, air
> bags that protected one's head from colliding into the left door window
> I would consider worth the cost.)

That's it exactly.  A decision to buy this or that safety device (for  the
home, car, shuttle, whatever) has nothing to do with the value of life.  The
value of life is assumed, or one would not be pondering the purchase of safety
devices in the first place.  The question always must be, "What is the most
prudent expenditure of the limited resources at my disposal?"  

In the case of shuttle, it appears that there may be no way of providing the
crew with an exacpe during the first few minutes of the flight.  All the more
reason to take extra care to see that the launch goes off safely.  All the
more reason NOT to take chances!!!!!!  Yes, it's hindsight, but more and more
it is looking to me as if there was a terrible failure of vision on the part
of those who made the decision to launch under untried conditions.  They are
trying to rationalize now, but why couldn't someone have said, "Do we
really HAVE to launch now?"