Captain Kirk: Bezos' Blue Origin to Send William Shatner into Space

Re:Captain Kirk: Bezos' Blue Origin to Send William Shatner ... by sokoloff on Tuesday October 05, 2021 @12:07PM (#28761342)

I doubt the other 6 astronauts were specifically made aware of the O-ring issue, either. That’s not an indictment of carrying civilian payload specialists, but rather an indictment against withholding it from the military crew as well or is a reflection on reasonable compartmentalizing of information and making expert (albeit flawed in this case) recommendations.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Captain Kirk: Bezos' Blue Origin to Send William Shatner ... by Maursault on Tuesday October 05, 2021 @12:28PM (#28761651)

The paper merely demonstrates that McAuliffe's concent was not informed, but rather misinformed.

> I doubt the other 6 astronauts... were made aware...

Yet included the chosen profession of astronauts is taking the risks involved with space travel, the same as the chosen profession of soldiers includes the risk of injury or death in going to war, and the chosen profession of LEO includes the risk of being injured or killed in the line of duty, and the chosen profession of fire fighters includes the risk of suffocation and immolation. Risks like that are not included in the teaching profession. Visiting Rome does not make one a Rome specialist; McAuliffe was only nominally a mission specialist and astronaut.

One of the major purposes of sending a teacher to space in the first place was to demonstrate just how safe space travel is, and in this single initiative, at least, no doubt should remain.

[ Parent | on HN ]