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Comment Re:Good (Score 1) 167

The point I was making is that in order for commercial space flight to be successful, it has to be as safe as reasonably possible.
BTW, I spent a year in Iraq and had didn't leave my job after my COB was rocketed and mortared (other contractors did), so I think I've adequately proven my bravery.

Comment Re:Good (Score 3, Informative) 167

Isn't that the best kind of maniac? Seriously, it takes someone of Herculean audacity to break into an entrenched market. SpaceX doesn't have hundreds of retired, formerly high-ranking military officers and former civilian employees of NASA to provide contacts, business intelligence, and influence. They may have lobbyists and "influence" over politicians, but definitely not to the same degree as the names you mentioned.

Comment Re:Good (Score 2) 167

Even if their was a 25% failure rate (which is obscene and not within the realm of feasibility) I guarantee that you'd have volunteers lined up to man the missions.

Would you be willing to take a commercial air flight if the failure rate was 25%? 15%? 5%? How many pilots would fly with those failure rates? How many companies would send expensive cargoes with those failure rates?

Hell - if things go right they'll be lining colonists up at the gate in the next few decades - and I'll be in line even if I only had a 75% chance of surviving.

Yes, they'll have a lot of volunteers, but how many of those volunteers will have the necessary physical capabilities and specialized skills? Those that do will be too valuable to risk unnecessarily. Besides, where can we put a colony? There simply isn't anyplace that compelling.

Comment Re:Maybe a local job isn't the best? (Score 1) 402

I lived in Aomori prefecture for a while last year. There are very few Westerners in the western half of that prefecture. One gentleman nearly drove off the road when he saw me. Apparently very few Americans venture west of Misawa Air Base.
7 Eleven? I don't recall seeing any of those in Aomori-ken, but Lawson Station is awesome!

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