this post was submitted on 07 Apr 2026
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[–] meme_historian@lemmy.dbzer0.com 1 points 2 months ago (2 children)

Not to be a dick...but imagine a mother putting her two kids who have already lost their dad at a serious risk of becoming orphans

[–] LadyButterfly@reddthat.com 23 points 2 months ago (3 children)

I don't think it's that likely surely it's less risky than driving?

[–] dehyzer@piefed.social 10 points 2 months ago (2 children)

It is massively dangerous.

As of April 2026, a total of 791 people have flown into space and 19 of them have died in related incidents. This sets the current statistical fatality rate at 2.4 percent.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_spaceflight-related_accidents_and_incidents

[–] dehyzer@piefed.social 10 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago) (2 children)

Or to look at it from a different angle, 5 out of the 413 total manned space flights have ended in fatalities, or 1.21%.

Auto travel in the US has a fatality rate around 1 death per 100 million driven miles. Assuming an average trip of 20 miles, that's 1 death per 5 million car trips, or 0.00002%.

So, roughly 10,000 (EDIT: actually 100,000, missed a zero!) times more dangerous than driving.

[–] its_kim_love@lemmy.blahaj.zone 2 points 2 months ago (1 children)

What do the numbers look like if we assume the average trip is from the earth to the moon and back?

[–] dehyzer@piefed.social 8 points 2 months ago (2 children)

Are you asking to change the definition of a car trip to the ~500,000 miles it takes to get to the moon and back?

In that case, rate of fatality is around 1 in 200 "driving to the moon and back" trips. 0.5% chance. So taking the rocketship is still significantly more dangerous.

More realistically, 500,000 miles is roughly a lifetime of driving. So these astronauts are being exposed in a single trip to a fatality risk equivalent of 2+ lifetimes of driving.

[–] its_kim_love@lemmy.blahaj.zone 2 points 2 months ago

Thanks for satiating my curiosity.

[–] mghackerlady@leminal.space 1 points 1 month ago

this also isn't taking sample size into account (unless my math isn't mathing which it very likely isn't)

[–] ikidd@lemmy.world 1 points 2 months ago (1 children)
[–] dehyzer@piefed.social 1 points 2 months ago

Good catch! Lost track of my zeros

[–] LadyButterfly@reddthat.com 3 points 2 months ago

Ahhhh I see thanks

[–] Ilovethebomb@sh.itjust.works 3 points 2 months ago

No, definitely not. Spaceflight is still very dangerous.

[–] its_kim_love@lemmy.blahaj.zone 5 points 2 months ago (1 children)

Why did you have to switch the genders to make this absurd point?

[–] Loco_Mex@sh.itjust.works 14 points 2 months ago (2 children)

Because mothers get vilified for things but when fathers do it it’s heroic.

[–] nickiwest@lemmy.world 5 points 2 months ago

You're not wrong. Male CEOs do not get asked how they balance work with fatherhood.

[–] its_kim_love@lemmy.blahaj.zone 2 points 2 months ago

I don't think mother astronauts get vilified. The first one did back in the 70s, but mothers are constantly going to space. Granted they weren't single parents.

Like I get what you're talking about, and you're not wrong. It's just a weird topic to inject into this post.