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triffid_hunter t1_j9vo3b9 wrote

If you can't reach controls while you're strapped into a seat, you could only ever be a passenger - and that industry is still nascent

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gumol t1_j9vrp5l wrote

aren't most astronauts passengers?

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SnakesInYerPants t1_j9w0qd7 wrote

You know how you still need a licence and to be physically capable of driving when in a self driving vehicle because they can still fail and need you to step in? Same thing here. Except on earth if your self driving car loses control and needs you to step in but you’re unresponsive, most are designed to start slowing down and pulling to the side/parking and if they don’t pull over successfully you’ll still most likely live any accident you get into while it’s slowing down. In space, even a minute of you being unresponsive can result in you getting pulled too far into an orbit where you’ll then either crash into the celestial body or get sling-shot off into deep space. The fuel margins are also so tight that you really don’t have any extra to burn correcting coarse even if you’re not pulled into an orbit.

Astronauts have strict requirements for very good reasons. It’s one of the most dangerous jobs you could get into, right next to being in the emergency response crew for nuclear reactors.

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gumol t1_j9w3xnz wrote

> You know how you still need a licence and to be physically capable of driving when in a self driving vehicle because they can still fail and need you to step in?

every single person onboard of a self driving car has to have a driving license? That's not even true for regular, non self driving cars.

Space Shuttle only had 2 seats for pilots. Rest of the crew were passengers.

Dragon will be able to carry up to 7 people to orbit. They can't all be flying the spacecraft.

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bullett2434 t1_j9wc1kz wrote

Probably best practice for all aboard being able to assist in the event of an emergency though

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SnakesInYerPants t1_j9w4lxi wrote

On earth, if the driver of your self driving bus gets too sick to operate the vehicle or gets hurt in an accident or dies, there are 100s if not 1000s of people who can readily replace them.

On Dragon, if something happens to 1 or both of the designated pilots, there are only 5 people who could replace them.

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