I guess the positive takeaway is that every death makes aviation safer for the future because we almost always learn from the data.

FWIW commercial aviation is already far safer than driving and the telemetry allows us to call out incidents like this and get to the bottom of what happened.

> Even in the event of a catastrophic aircraft failure, rest assured that millisecond-granularity data of your last moments will be recorded, as you plunge into the sea.

If you're close enough to shore that an ADS-B receiver can record your planes' transmissions.

Post MH370, ADS-B data is relayed by Iridium satellites:

> Aireon has deployed a space-based air traffic surveillance system for Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) equipped aircraft throughout the entire globe. Aireon is harnessing next-generation aviation surveillance technologies that were formerly ground-based and, for the first time ever, is extending their reach globally to significantly improve efficiency, enhance safety, reduce emissions, and provide cost savings benefits to all stakeholders. Space-based ADS-B surveillance covers oceanic, polar, and remote regions

Very true, although latency is much greater, so you may not get the last (hundreds of) milliseconds, as you would with ground-based receivers.

Why not? That data would still be transmitted, it would just take a little longer to receive..

Yes, excellent point. For some reason, I had in my head that an ack was necessary.