One of the last comments I received as a response to one of my DIY space blogs was “Please don't attempt to send a person up in this. The resultant fatality will cause policymakers to debate manned spaceflight worldwide and set us all back.” Link
I was happy to receive this comment because it points towards tendencies in our contemporary society or in general towards projects with unforeseen results and is subject to a very interesting debate.
I have always believed that there are two potentially show stoppers in our DIY space project.
1. Internal quarrels
2. External factors (legal stuff, regulations, fear and nay-sayers)
I would not be doing this project if I didn’t believe these two potential show stoppers could be somewhat controlled. Internal issues, we can fix ourselves. Both Peter and I know how important it is keeping the project on track by having a constantly open debate to solve any personal or technical challenge. This part of the project is tough but necessary.
Nay-sayers we handle along the way. The prime minister of Denmark was handed an anonymous letter saying “This crazy project must be stopped now”, and Danish IRS was likewise tipped (wrongly) about economical abuse within our organization. Both issues were dealt with.
External factors like legal issues and regulations are mainly avoided by working outside these realms but only to a certain extent. We do cooperate with authorities for better and worse and so far it has actually only been doing the project A LOT of good.
When people come visit our facility they often ask “But, is this legal?”
I know this question is not meant for petty details like the handling of pyrotechnics or rocket fuel but more towards the major goal of the project. The question is really “But, is it responsible of you to build your own space rocket?”
Without any comparison at all.. was it irresponsible of all the crazy and wonderful people in the beginning of the last century to perform experiments with aviation while breaking legs and even dying? Was it irresponsible of the Russian and US government to launch people into space during the space race with those odds and time frames? Was it irresponsible of Madame Curie to fondle radioactive material which eventually led to her death? Of course, not!
Of course, it is a matter of great concern to us never to harm a third party, but how far are your allowed to go yourself?
Nowadays, we have certainly changed the perspective of the value of a human life and let’s embrace that. But, we buckle up, are being mocked for not using bicycle helmets, for not buying organic food or for simply living a nutty lifestyle. We simply do not allow even the smallest risks in life on a daily basis or in science for that matter.
I will argue that the Apollo program would hardly be possible if it was going on in present time and the Wright Brothers and friends would have been told many times to stop fooling around (imagine a world without airliners). The extremely high risks involved would surely have stopped these projects and the fine line of voluntary euthanasia and experimentation has certainly moved or maybe it was never an issue before. So, why now?
God forbid, but if we ever have a serious injury or even death in this project, I have a hard time seeing this project being allowed to continue. Maybe we will not continue ourselves. But is it for someone else to decide?
Forever experimentation and discovering the unknown is one of the biggest qualities of mankind. Let’s continue this path. Let people perform whatever experiments they dedicate themselves too as long as there is no danger to third person. At least that is my opinion.
When did we all become such wimps?
As Astra
Kristian von Bengtson
