The mortality rate for Air Force and Navy test pilots in the 1950’s was much higher than the the astronauts in the space program have experienced. Consider also the mortality rate for early explores venturing across the Atlantic in the 1500’s from Europe to the Americas or the pioneers moving west in the early 1800’s. There is unfortunately risk in exploring the unknown.
“There is unfortunately risk in exploring the unknown.”
Especially when you do it at 17,500 MPH.
The Shuttle program has been running since 1977. That's thirty one years. The Shuttle risks REMAIN almost the same as the day one first launched, and may, indeed, today, be greater. The Shuttle has never had very much of a scientific or research value, today it is worthless, less than worthless those ways, and its political value today is also much less. Folks no longer get hyped up about Shuttle launches -- in a macabre way they, we, are interested in the Shuttle for one reason -- when will the next spectacular failure be, or on the other side of the coin -- how many launches and landings can be made without a spectacular failure. It's like watching a stock car race for the crashes. Nobody cares about anything but the possibility of spectacular, deadly, failure. There's no science, no worthwhile research, and nothing left of political juice in it. Outside of the socialism aspect, the corruption aspect.
Otherwise it's a just a "Death Race 2000". Only not a B-movie, real lives. Murder.