Posted on 07/30/2007 3:57:01 PM PDT by KevinDavis
Jim Van Laak, of the NASA Langley Systems Management Office, spoke at Oshkosh this week about the important of risk management in the privatized spaceflight sector. Laak, who has been a pilot for 37 years and owned 30 airplanes, knows risk well. In his career, he has had eight engine failures and three fires in flight. Laak's experience working with 21 Shuttle missions has given him a unique perspective on the hazards inherent in manned spaceflight.
Laak, who has also worked extensively with the American and Russian space programs, reminds us that in spaceflight, there is "lots of risk and people will ultimately get killed." With suborbital flights possible for many in less than five years, and privatized orbital flights possible in the next fifteen, a successful risk management approach will be a necessity to ensure continuing exploration in this field. "We're on the brink of a new era where spaceflight for the masses is a possibility," says Laak.
(Excerpt) Read more at aero-news.net ...
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