# Who's nervous about Wednesday's shuttle launch? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [July 13, 2005, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-nervous-about-wednesdays-shuttle-launch/312291 "2005-07-13T03:20:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2005, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-nervous-about-wednesdays-shuttle-launch/312291/1 "2005-07-13T03:20:28Z")
[This is not encouraging](http://www.cnn.com/2005/TECH/space/07/12/space.shuttle/index.html) Probably nothing, but still… ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2005, 3:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-nervous-about-wednesdays-shuttle-launch/312291/2 "2005-07-13T03:24:13Z")
Nervous? No. Excited? Yes! I’m a bit of a Space Cadet, so I’m looking forward to our return to space. ---
**Author:** ![malkavia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/malkavia/32/5621_2.png) [@malkavia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/malkavia)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2005, 3:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-nervous-about-wednesdays-shuttle-launch/312291/3 "2005-07-13T03:57:34Z")
Im glad you posted this. Maybe I’m just a scaredy cat, but I have a REAL bad feeling about this launch. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![bouv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bc8723/32.png) [@bouv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bouv)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2005, 4:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-nervous-about-wednesdays-shuttle-launch/312291/4 "2005-07-13T04:04:29Z")
> [@malkavia](#): > > Im glad you posted this. Maybe I’m just a scaredy cat, but I have a REAL bad feeling about this launch. ☹ Why? How many hundreds (thousands?) of launches have their been? And out of all of those, how many were bad? One. Just one launch ended in disaster. And one re-entry as well. Now, I’m no mathematician, but two out of many hundreds if not thousands is pretty good odds. ---
**Author:** ![Frank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Frank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frank)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2005, 4:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-nervous-about-wednesdays-shuttle-launch/312291/5 "2005-07-13T04:20:21Z")
No more nervous than for any space launch I can remember. It’s inherently risky. It’s a problem in our culture that we have difficulty accepting risk as part of life in general, let alone in something that pushes the envelope as much as space travel does. ---
**Author:** ![Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e36b37/32.png) [@Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Airman_Doors_USAF)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2005, 5:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-nervous-about-wednesdays-shuttle-launch/312291/6 "2005-07-13T05:02:38Z")
> [@This Year's Model](#): > > No more nervous than for any space launch I can remember. It’s inherently risky. It’s a problem in our culture that we have difficulty accepting risk as part of life in general, let alone in something that pushes the envelope as much as space travel does. I think the real difficulty accepting risk as far as the space program is concerned comes from the fact that the only three deaths directly related to space travel happened on the ground in 1967. Up until the _Challenger_ space travel was the safest thing we’d ever done and people just couldn’t believe we’d gotten it so wrong. The _Columbia_ simply reinforced the belief that we’re not as infallible as everybody thought we were because of the previous 25 years. The Space Shuttle, while a neat piece of technology, represents a step backwards. We sent people to the moon and all came back. We send them up in reusable, orbiting aircraft that was supposed to be durable and cheap and it turned out to be neither. Whatever we do next, we have to do better or the space program will come to a grinding halt. ---
**Author:** ![Frank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Frank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frank)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2005, 5:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-nervous-about-wednesdays-shuttle-launch/312291/7 "2005-07-13T05:06:29Z")
> [@Airman Doors](#): > > I think the real difficulty accepting risk as far as the space program is concerned comes from the fact that the only three deaths directly related to space travel happened on the ground in 1967. For us. The Russians had someone die in space, though they’ve never admitted it. > [@](#): > > The Space Shuttle, while a neat piece of technology, represents a step backwards. We sent people to the moon and all came back. We send them up in reusable, orbiting aircraft that was supposed to be durable and cheap and it turned out to be neither. Whatever we do next, we have to do better or the space program will come to a grinding halt. Absolutely agreed. ---
**Author:** ![Imasquare](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Imasquare](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Imasquare)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2005, 6:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-nervous-about-wednesdays-shuttle-launch/312291/8 "2005-07-13T06:55:15Z")
> [@bouv](#): > > Why? How many hundreds (thousands?) of launches have their been? And out of all of those, how many were bad? One. Just one launch ended in disaster. And one re-entry as well. Now, I’m no mathematician, but two out of many hundreds if not thousands is pretty good odds. There have been 2 disasters from 113 launches: [http://www.techcentralstation.com/111804C.html](http://www.techcentralstation.com/111804C.html) So its not impossible that the next launch will end in disaster but it isn’t very likely either. ---
**Author:** ![Tuckerfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2005, 7:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-nervous-about-wednesdays-shuttle-launch/312291/9 "2005-07-13T07:38:34Z")
The tile business doesn’t worry me. The fact that there’s a whole shitload of wiring which hasn’t been inspected and is covered in insulation that the FAA’s **banned** from use in aircraft because it’s prone to fraying and shorting out, bothers me. ---
**Author:** ![HPL](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/3da27b/32.png) [@HPL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HPL)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2005, 9:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-nervous-about-wednesdays-shuttle-launch/312291/10 "2005-07-13T09:35:02Z")
I’m a little worried, mostly because the night before last, I had a nightmare about watching the Shuttle explode when booster seperation came(or didn’t. Something went very wrong when it was supposed to seperate). It was supposed to be the first launch after the Columbia disaster. Though the really bizarre thing was that when they tried again, a year later, the only surviving part, the the shell of the nose, was hanging from a cable near the pad(though this one made orbit safely). And that’s one of my more rational dreams. ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2005, 10:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-nervous-about-wednesdays-shuttle-launch/312291/11 "2005-07-13T10:14:36Z")
I’m nervous. The dangers are reduced but can never be eliminated. I think one of the astronauts used to say that if you weren’t scared, you didn’t understand what was going on. Another disaster would be crippling to the space program, possibly killing manned flight for years. Sure, we need a new vehicle. Let’s get that developed before another shuttle crash sets us back a generation. ---
**Author:** ![cornflakes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9d8465/32.png) [@cornflakes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cornflakes)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2005, 10:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-nervous-about-wednesdays-shuttle-launch/312291/12 "2005-07-13T10:58:50Z")
What worries me is that the NASA spokesman in that article looks like he hasn’t slept and is due for a shower. If the talking head is burning the candle at both ends, then what does that say about the rest of the organization? ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2005, 11:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-nervous-about-wednesdays-shuttle-launch/312291/13 "2005-07-13T11:11:32Z")
> [@Imasquare](#): > > There have been 2 disasters from 113 launches: > > [Tech Central Station](http://www.techcentralstation.com/111804C.html) > > So its not impossible that the next launch will end in disaster but it isn’t very likely either. Odds being 1 in 57 that a shuttle will be a complete loss don’t strike me as “isn’t very likely.” ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2005, 11:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-nervous-about-wednesdays-shuttle-launch/312291/14 "2005-07-13T11:59:29Z")
> [@elfkin477](#): > > Odds being 1 in 57 that a shuttle will be a complete loss don’t strike me as “isn’t very likely.” No kidding. How many of us would play Russian Roulette even with one bullet in 57 chambers? ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2005, 1:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-nervous-about-wednesdays-shuttle-launch/312291/15 "2005-07-13T13:39:01Z")
> [@Imasquare](#): > > There have been 2 disasters from 113 launches: Incidentally, the mission details for the flights can be found in the [NASA Space Shuttle Launch Archive](http://science.ksc.nasa.gov/shuttle/missions/). ---
**Author:** ![Elenfair](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/cc9497/32.png) [@Elenfair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elenfair)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2005, 2:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-nervous-about-wednesdays-shuttle-launch/312291/16 "2005-07-13T14:03:40Z")
Ever since I had to write a report based on the findings after the Challenger accident (accident? Ha. More like really REALLY bad management, if you ask me), I have been nervous before every launch. … and every re-entry. _shudder_ After reading the interviews from the inquiry, let me tell ya, I wouldn’t want to play _this_ lotto game… ---
**Author:** ![Cliffy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/59ef9b/32.png) [@Cliffy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cliffy)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2005, 2:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-nervous-about-wednesdays-shuttle-launch/312291/17 "2005-07-13T14:15:19Z")
> [@bouv](#): > > Why? How many hundreds (thousands?) of launches have their been? And out of all of those, how many were bad? You seem to think that there’s an independent variable here. But there isn’t. There’s only the monkeys at NASA, and they largely remain monkeys. I think it’s unlikely that there’ll be any problem with this launch, and within another couple years NASA will only care if events are “in family” again, not if they’re _safe_. And that’s going to lead to yet another disaster. Yes, space travel is risky, but that’s a reason to do everything to minimize risk, not the NASA strategy of throwing the dice, closing your eyes and hoping for the best. –Cliffy ---
**Author:** ![Can\_Handle\_the\_Truth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Can\_Handle\_the\_Truth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Can_Handle_the_Truth)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2005, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-nervous-about-wednesdays-shuttle-launch/312291/18 "2005-07-13T16:53:06Z")
> [@Cliffy](#): > > You seem to think that there’s an independent variable here. But there isn’t. There’s only the monkeys at NASA, and they largely remain monkeys. I think it’s unlikely that there’ll be any problem with this launch, and within another couple years NASA will only care if events are “in family” again, not if they’re _safe_. And that’s going to lead to yet another disaster. > > Yes, space travel is risky, but that’s a reason to do everything to minimize risk, not the NASA strategy of throwing the dice, closing your eyes and hoping for the best. Agreed. As a former mechanical engineer, I’ve seen enough idiotic NASA “engineering” to wonder who the hell they have working there. My dad felt the same way. After the _Challenger_ disaster he walked around for days shaking his head and muttering, “I can’t believe they used a rubber O-ring as a seal for burning gasses…” ---
**Author:** ![Diceman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Diceman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diceman)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2005, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-nervous-about-wednesdays-shuttle-launch/312291/19 "2005-07-13T16:58:31Z")
As an engineer, I’d like to believe that the techies at NASA have gotten all the problems fixed. But then, when I hear that a panel fell off a window and damaged some tiles, I have to think “Hmm, that’s not a good omen.” ---
**Author:** ![Terminus\_Est](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terminus_est/32/3087_2.png) [@Terminus\_Est](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terminus_Est)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2005, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-nervous-about-wednesdays-shuttle-launch/312291/20 "2005-07-13T17:09:27Z")
The latest report on CNN says that the shuttle may not launch due to bad weather: [http://www.cnn.com/2005/TECH/space/07/13/space.shuttle/index.html](http://www.cnn.com/2005/TECH/space/07/13/space.shuttle/index.html) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-nervous-about-wednesdays-shuttle-launch/312291.md?page=2)