"Brian Thorn" wrote in message
...
On Tue, 16 Sep 2008 23:02:46 -0400, "Greg D. Moore \(Strider\)"
wrote:

Then either that has to change, or the assumption that it's a requirement
has to change.

It won't. Get over it. You may as well say that Carnival Cruises can
stop putting lifeboats on their ships. Never gonna happen.

Last I knew Carnival Cruises weren't offering high-risk jobs on the cutting
edge of science. (to be a bit melodramatic).


As I pointed out, there are already scenarios where lifeboats won't do you
much good.

But you provide a lifeboat to handle as much as you practically can.
Practical being the key word.

And that's the key word; practical. Is it practical to provide lifeboats at
$20million+/pop.

No offense, but you're going to find few actuarial tables that say that's a
good return.


There are always going to be events
that happen too quickly for lifeboats to help, at sea and in space.
The Andrea Doria was listing too far over for half her lifeboats to be
launched in 1956 (the passengers were fortunately rescued by the
nearby Ile de France). We didn't say "See! Lifeboats aren't a 100%
guarantee! Get rid of them!".

Nor did we say, "double up lifeboats on both sides of the boat just in case
this happens." Or "make lifeboats accessible while under water.


The government already sends hundreds of employees out on craft which have
rescue capabilities that are far more feel good than actually useful. One
of our own here served on one such craft.

You're wrong about submarines, Greg. They do have lifeboats, the same
as all Navy ships (you don't see lifeboats hanging all along the sides
of the Nimitz, either). For example, take a look at "Hunt for Red
October" to see inflatable lifeboats in action (the scene was filmed
on a Brit sub, I think). They have been used in real life, too.

You're right, I'll admit to overlooking inflatables. But my point stands,
they're usable in a very limited set of circumstances. Note the Thresher
incident. Again, no one is demanding a lifeboat that covers all the
possible accidnets.


Being able to "deliver all the way back to Southampton" is a lot
cheaper for NASA than having a Carpathia on standby for launch 24/7.

Or is it? Seriously. I do wonder if anyone has looked at the cost of
either developing a rescue craft for the next 4-5 years,

We don't need to develop a rescue craft. We just need to accellerate
Orion.

paying the Russians

That's still a lifeboat that gets you back to Southampton. It's just
not one the US builds.

Brian




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