Lots of people (like one of the Wright Brothers) lost their lives at the dawn of flight. Did we stop trying to make airplanes? A lot of people were killed in early Railroad accidents but did we stop making trains? Same true with steamships and steamboats. I bet lots of lives were lost long ago when humans first went to sea in rafts and crude boats. Life that includes human progress, just isn't safe. People need to know the risks and take them. Chuck Yeager said something like that when the first shuttle blew up. We shouldn't stop shooting off shuttles--but they should be manned by volunteers who know the risks they take--not teachers in space and other PC nonsence.
I think you said it best. A lot of people seems to forget about the we as a race has taken chances and died from it. We can't play it safe forever!