Comments on: Mojave Spaceport Troubles? http://www.livescience.com/blogs/2007/12/05/mojave-spaceport-troubles/ LiveScience Blogs | Science, Technology, Health & Environmental News Fri, 05 Sep 2008 08:41:07 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.1 By: TyMoore http://www.livescience.com/blogs/2007/12/05/mojave-spaceport-troubles/#comment-39982 TyMoore Thu, 06 Dec 2007 14:11:56 +0000 http://www.livescience.com/blogs/2007/12/05/mojave-spaceport-troubles/#comment-39982 Space exploration is an intrinsically dangerous affair. Whenever you mix energetic chemicals with equipment tasked with operating at conditions that are close to their material limits, this is a recipe of risk. Minimizing this risk to be reasonable and acceptable is one of the primary tasks of the space engineer--often, however, this knowledge is usually gained through experience. And experience is gained from making mistakes. Mistakes, sadly, are often paid for in blood. That is just the way it is. We learn nothing by not trying--so we must move forward anyway. Life is not without risk--so we must learn from our mistakes; plan better; take only reasonable risks; and pray... The awful loss of life at the Mojave Spaceport illustrates this all too well--but the losses will have been in vain if they give it up. Scaled Composites shouldn't do that! Space exploration is an intrinsically dangerous affair. Whenever you mix energetic chemicals with equipment tasked with operating at conditions that are close to their material limits, this is a recipe of risk. Minimizing this risk to be reasonable and acceptable is one of the primary tasks of the space engineer–often, however, this knowledge is usually gained through experience. And experience is gained from making mistakes. Mistakes, sadly, are often paid for in blood.

That is just the way it is.

We learn nothing by not trying–so we must move forward anyway. Life is not without risk–so we must learn from our mistakes; plan better; take only reasonable risks; and pray…

The awful loss of life at the Mojave Spaceport illustrates this all too well–but the losses will have been in vain if they give it up. Scaled Composites shouldn’t do that!

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