Space Risk Quotes

After the loss of Columbia a couple of years ago, I think we were reminded of the risk. All of us, though, have always known that the Space Shuttle is a very risky vehicle, much more risky than even flying airplanes in combat.

I just felt that space was the next thing coming in aviation. It was higher, faster. It had the risk.

I watched 'Apollo 13,' and it, like, absolutely freaked me out. I was terrified. I didn't want to go to space because I thought it was imminent death.

The conquest of space is worth the risk of life.

No, I think most astronauts recognize that the space shuttle program is very high-risk, and are prepared for accidents.

I am not going to pretend that flying a spaceship will be as safe as getting in a 747 with four engines for a flight across the Atlantic.

Flying in space is risky. It will never be safe, and the best thing we can do is manage those risks. It's important for people, for human beings, to be in space because they're adaptable and because they're not pre-programmed software that can go off and do tasks that are appropriate for machines.

We have learned now that we cannot regard this planet as being fenced in and a secure abiding place for Man we can never anticipate the unseen good or evil that may come upon us suddenly out of space.

In other words, crew deaths are a feature, not a bug," Cassaway said, dryly.

All of a sudden, space isn't friendly. All of a sudden, it's a place where people can die. . . . Many more people are going to die. But we can't explore space if the requirement is that there be no casualties; we can't do anything if the requirement is that there be no casualties.

The truth is, every single rocket launch off of planet Earth is risky.

I think the people that want to fly in space, who want to work in space, who want to go to station, these people realize that there is a risk inherent to what they do. They understand that there are possible off-nominal situations, dangerous situations in space, and there's no insurance against that.

If we die, we want people to accept it. We're in a risky business, and we hope that if anything happens to us, it will not delay the program. The conquest of space is worth the risk of life.

On Earth, men and women are taking the same risks. Why shouldn't we be taking the same risks in space?

All space exploration is risky. As an astronaut, I had to decide each and every time I went to space whether or not to risk my life for the mission.

You know what they say about bold spacemen never becoming old spacemen.

That to me is a bunch of crap trying to shoot guys up into damned space. What they're going to do is they're going to wipe out half a dozen people one of these days, and that will be the end of it.

As an astronaut, especially during launch, half of the risk of a six-month flight is in the first nine minutes.

If they could offer up a way to go to the moon that wouldn't kill you, I'd sign up.