Remarkable Safety Record

As of this writing, it seems the Russians have overcome the computer problems on ISS. That's good news, but, as we begin to plan manned flights beyond low Earth orbit again, the incident should remind us that spaceflight is an inherently risky enterprise, and we need to think very clearly and work very hard if we intend to do it.

Which is not to say that humans shouldn't fly in space. One of the more remarkable facts of the first 46 years of human spaceflight is that not one human has yet died in space. Some have died in training, and others during the launch or reentry phases of missions, but no one has died in space. (It's possible, I suppose, that the Soviets could have lost someone in space and kept it secret, but that's extremely unlikely.) That safety record is remarkable. It shows what educated, dedicated humans can accomplish with the right leadership and adequate resources-- even, in the Soviet/Russian case, with barely adequate resources.

Of course, if we continue flying into space, that record will eventually end. Six month stays at a lunar base and possible missions to Mars lasting three years will see fatalities at some point. There is no way around it. Hopefully, we can delay that awful day for decades, but it could happen tomorrow. We need to accept that possibility, just as the people who fly do, and continue on our way out.