On 14 Jan 2006 21:14:28 -0800, "
wrote:


Pat Flannery wrote:

Here's the figures till the end of 2003:
http://www.hoerstemeier.com/nation.htm
So, Russia had 16,189 d 08:32:37 / 4 fatalities or about one fatality
per 4,047.3 man-days flown.
and the U.S. had 9,110 d 20:15:06 / 14 fatalities (I'm leaving Mike
Adams out, as the X-15 was mainly an aeronautical, not spacecraft
program.) or around one fatality per 650.8 man-days flown.
So that's about a six-to-one safety ratio in favor of the Russians,
based on total flight man-hours.

Pat

Clearly, in terms of casualties per space hour, it is much saver to
have six month station tours, like the Russians, than 10 day shuttle
trips. It is also more efficient in terms of training and launch costs.

No, it just means that the duration of the trip has much less impact
on the odds of survival than the actions of getting there and getting
back again.

Consider when you go on vacation. You are for more likely to die while
travelling... in a car accident on the interstate or in a plane
crash... than you are to die sitting around in the hotel or lounging
on the beach.

Brian