From: foo@bar.baz.invalid.retro.com   
      
   Peter Fairbrother  wrote:   
   > Henry Spencer wrote:   
   >> You are confusing what is approved for aviation (and even that   
   >> includes a somewhat broader range of approaches than you claim)   
   >> with what is acceptable for spaceflight.  Spaceflight, even tourist   
   >> spaceflight, will not soon reach the level of safety achieved in   
   >> aviation,   
      
   > I disagree, and more, I think that's the wrong attitude. Why should   
   > spaceflight be significantly less safe than air travel? It doesn't   
   > have to be.   
      
   While I suppose some of the lessons learned in the 100 year history of   
   powered aviation might be applied to spaceflight, given that   
   spaceflight is only 40 years old or so - one might consider it even   
   younger I suppose if you want to say "commercial spaceflight" would it   
   perhaps be better to hold it to a standard closer to that of aviation   
   at age 40 or so?   
      
   > Tourists want a safe holiday. "As safe as commercial aviation" is   
   > not really enough, it should be _safer_, as you are charging a whole   
   > lot, and thus should be attracting the rich who will have enough   
   > money to choose the safest airlines, or even have ther own bizjets   
   > when they want to fly.   
      
   (I wonder if the safety of a bizjet is actually better than that of   
   commercial aviation?)   
      
   To get from point A to point B on the globe, for most practical   
   purposes one _must_ use an aircraft.  If you need to get somewhere,   
   you have to get on an airplane.  Yes, a bit of handwaving but still...   
      
   "Commercial" spaceflight at this stage is probably more like   
   barnstorming. It is for lack of a better term, a lark.  One isn't   
   really going to get on a spacecraft right now to get from point A to   
   point B.  You can chose to go, or not chose to go.   
      
   That being the case, I would think that at present an informed   
   decision, where the prospective space traveller decides if it is worth   
   the risk for the experience is sufficient.   
      
   Speaking of tourists and safe holidays, does anyone have numbers on   
   the risks in such holiday outings as:   
      
   *) snorkling   
   *) scuba   
   *) bungee jumping   
   *) parasailing   
   *) skydiving   
   *) etc   
      
   rick jones   
   --   
   The glass is neither half-empty nor half-full. The glass has a leak.   
   The real question is "Can it be patched?"   
   these opinions are mine, all mine; HP might not want them anyway... :)   
   feel free to post, OR email to raj in cup.hp.com  but NOT BOTH...   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)