wrote in message
...

With the shuttle, loss of the mission also almost always means loss of the
crew. At least Ares has a launch escape system worthy of the name.

Is it?

There's at least one scenario as I recall where if the SRB detonates, the
escape system ain't worth it's weight in gold.

And note, the next most flown manned system has used its launch escape
system, but its two fatal flights (which match the Shuttle's record)
occurred well after it would have been useful. And the most recent
ballistic landings are not a good sign for Soyuz either.

The fact is, all manned launch vehicles are very low down on the learning
due to low launch rates. That means we're only making guesses (granted,
some of them more educated than others), but they are still guesses.


And Ares I seems to have taken the worst components from STS and used those.


--
Greg Moore
Ask me about lily, an RPI based CMC.