So maybe the Russians decided that fewer people per spacecraft is a safer method.
More stats:
Russians (two fatal accidents):
1 vehicle destroyed - crew of one dead
1 vehicle returned intact - crew of three deadAmericans (two fatal accidents):
2 vehicles destroyed - two crews of 14 dead
The first American was launched into space since the Columbia shuttle disaster on Saturday, aboard a Russian Soyuz rocket.
U.S. astronaut Dr Edward Lu and Russian cosmonaut Yury Malenchenko blasted off from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazkahstan to the International Space Station (ISS), with Russian space craft now the only link with the ISS after the shuttle program was grounded.
NASA is conducting a lengthy investigation into the February 1 accident that killed seven crew as their shuttle disintegrated on re-entry and does not expect to resume flights for a year. NASA concedes that Soyuz is uniquely safe.
"It's the most reliable spacecraft in the world in terms of its safety record. They've been flying Soyuz vehicles for 36 years but they've only had two accidents," NASA spokesman Mr Rob Navias told AFP.
"They've used the same technology for decades, and it works," he added.
On April 24, 1967, the first manned Soyuz to be launched on a test flight exploded on its return to Earth, killing the cosmonaut on board. Then on June 30, 1971, three Russian astronauts died as their Soyuz vessel re-entered the atmosphere. Since then, there have been no accidents involving manned craft.
The disappearance of the U.S. space shuttle Columbia came 17 years after space shuttle Challenger exploded shortly after launch on January 28, 1986, killing six crew and one passenger-observer.
Leonid Mordasov, a top official from the TsNIIMASH space research institute, says current Russian space technology dates back to the 1960s. The Shuttle program began in the 1970s. But the relative lack of money, compared to the United States, forced designers to devote much greater attention to safety mechanisms, he said.
"Our rockets and launchers were made a long time ago, with modest resources but with a triple margin of safety," he told AFP. "We did not count on 'absolute' reliability, but on having the option to save the crew at all times. For every stage of the flight, there is a special safety mechanism.”.
The Americans, in contrast, spent huge funds on developing top-of-the-range technology to make the shuttle as safe as possible, but did not foresee the need to make adjustments in an emergency.
"The U.S. shuttle flight is extremely expensive and they had to give up additional security measures and rely on the quality of their components," said Mordasov.
At the tip of the Soyuz rocket is an engine that can be activated instantaneously to eject the module in which the astronauts are located. This was used twice, in 1975, when two Russian astronauts landed safely after bailing out when their Soyuz hit trouble a few minutes into the flight, and in 1983 when another two-man crew ejected after the rocket burst into flames at the launch-pad.
For US shuttles, in contrast, it takes several minutes to evacuate at launch as the crew have to get out of their seats and climb out of the hatch to escape. Inflight, parachuting out is only possible for a small part of the trajectory.
Valery Ryumin from space construction firm Energiya, believes another factor is the long years of experience in the Russian space industry, which employs 800,000 people. "Despite the break-up of the Soviet Union, we managed to keep the backbone of our experts, that's the most important," he said.
"People work for us for decades, while in the United States they hire a new group for every new project. There are few books, manuals in our sector. People learn from experience, and this human experience is irreplaceable," added Ryumin.