Comment by bertylicious
6 days ago
I'm sure the other astronauts are really looking forward to fly with a person showing signs of suicidal ideation.
6 days ago
I'm sure the other astronauts are really looking forward to fly with a person showing signs of suicidal ideation.
Suicide ideation and someone willing to take massive risks for something awesome are very different things
I'm sure the other astronauts are really looking forward to fly with a person showing signs of tolerating massive risks.
Historically, around 60% of all astronauts were from the military which is a high-risk occupation.
In the 50s, there was something like a handful of test pilots dying every single month. A subset of the ones who survived became the first astronauts. My understanding is that there are still a significant number of astronauts who were test pilots first.
If you don't have massive risk tolerance, you don't sign up for a moon mission.
Each and every one of them is fully aware that it’s a massive risk and has made their peace with that. You’re getting strapped to a giant rocket. It’s inherently dangerous
3 replies →
> The trip is far more awesome than anything I have planned for the rest of my life.
If you would give your live for a single awsome trip (and you would still have multiple years to live), then you are likely suicidal.
Even if it is rational because your live sucks so hard, I would still have to classify you as suicidal.
Is jumping on a grenade to save another person suicidal? Or is it just a matter of you not agreeing with the rational?
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...no? It's the same as when you say you'd 'die for somebody'. I don't want to die, but if I had to die to save my family I would. That's not being suicidal. Similarly, if space is important enough to you to take this risk (which realistically is a pretty low risk!) I wouldn't call that suicidal either. I take the risk of death driving in my car every day; that's the nature of life.
I read this as "accepting a risk of death in exchange for getting to have the incredible experience of flying to the Moon", not that they want to die.
There are different outlooks on risk, but the attitude can certainly be described as cavalier towards life, and may signal something stronger.
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