[Greybird]

(shrug)--astronauts are just passengers, anyway.

Go and read the accounts of how Neil Armstrong had to steer Apollo 11 past a field of boulders, in order to make a safe landing on the Sea of Tranquility, and just try to say that again with a straight face.

The astronauts insisted on considerable autonomy during missions to respond to changing conditions, and it has often become essential. It was the Soviets who turned their cosmonauts into mere passengers, with every system radio-controlled from the ground. (Until Mir.)

[Defend the Second]

Greybird you are right. The success or failure of virtually every space flight in Mercury, Gemini and Apollo was dependent on the presence of men who took over when things went wrong. I recommend the book "A Man on the Moon" by Andrew Chaikin for details on this. Mamzelle may not be impressed, but I think landing on the Moon is about all the achievement we can demand of these people.

[Mamzelle]

My goodness, such a lot of replies to one snarky comment! Reading through, I started to chuckle at the tone of hurt indignation. Boys need their Gene Autreys.... Maybe it's good for you to keep your illusions.

OK--they were just heroic princes of men. They didn't fall to pieces the moment they eased out of the limelight, or betray the ladies who raised their kids, nor did they go on to embarrass themselves trying to get back in the public eye. Houston didn't save their butts, they saved their own butts through True Grit.

A lot of people seek thrills, but it doesn't make them brave. Sometimes it's what reminds them that they're alive. That's why a ride into orbit costs $20M, and the tourist agencies can get it!