--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Flying in space is risky. It will never…" description: "\"Flying in space is risky. It will never be safe, and the best thing we can do is manage those risks. It's important for people, for human beings, to be..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/002/alan-g-poindexter-42322_adaptable_flying-in-space-is-risky-it-will-never-b_2518634.jpg" --- # Flying in space is risky. It will never be safe, and the… ![“Flying in space is risky. It will never be safe, and the best thing we can do is manage those risks. It's important for people, for human beings, to be in space because they're adaptable and because they're not pre-programmed software that can go off and do tasks that are appropriate for machines.” quote by Alan G. Poindexter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/002/alan-g-poindexter-42322_adaptable_flying-in-space-is-risky-it-will-never-b_2518634.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/002/alan-g-poindexter-42322_adaptable_flying-in-space-is-risky-it-will-never-b_2518634.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/002/alan-g-poindexter-42322_adaptable_flying-in-space-is-risky-it-will-never-b_2518634.jpg) > “Flying in space is risky. It will never be safe, and the best thing we can do is manage those risks. It's important for people, for human beings, to be in space because they're adaptable and because they're not pre-programmed software that can go off and do tasks that are appropriate for machines.” [Alan G. Poindexter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-g-poindexter/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Space travel is inherently risky, but managing those risks is essential for humanity's growth. **In simple terms:** Space is risky; we must manage it. Key Takeaway Prioritize safety while exploring. Themes space exploration risk management human adaptability technology Mood optimistic serious Type motivational strategic When to use this quote - mission planning - training programs - public outreach - policy making Key Concepts systems engineering psychology of risk Questions to Reflect On - What safeguards are most critical for safe space missions? - How does human adaptability influence risk decisions? A Different Perspective Risk aversion can halt progress. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Adaptable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/adaptable/) [Appropriate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/appropriate/) [Because](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/because/) [Beings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beings/) [Beings Space](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beings-space-1228350/) [Best](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/best/) [Computers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/computers/) [Flying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/flying/) [Flying Space](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/flying-space-390029/) [Go](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/go/) [Human](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human/) [Human beings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human-beings/) [Important](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/important/) [Machines](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/machines/) [Manage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/manage/) [Management](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/management/) [Never](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/never/) [Off](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/off/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Risk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/risk/) [Risks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/risks/) [Risks Important](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/risks-important-324183/) [Risky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/risky/) [Safe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/safe/) [Software](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/software/) [Space](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/space/) [Space Risky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/space-risky-1228349/) [Tasks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tasks/) [Thing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thing/) [Those](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/those/) [Will](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/will/) ## Related quotes > [Let's face it, space is a risky business. I always considered every launch a barely controlled explosion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-cohen/let-s-face-it-space-is-a-risky-business-i-always-considered-every/) [Aaron Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-cohen/) > [Should not the role of design be to reconnect human beings with their space on their land?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-kiley/should-not-the-role-of-design-be-to-reconnect-human-beings-with-their/) [Dan Kiley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-kiley/) > [We are always in a state of flux, and taking risks is important.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caroline-polachek/we-are-always-in-a-state-of-flux-and-taking-risks-is-important/) [Caroline Polachek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caroline-polachek/) > [Hidden biases in both the collection and analysis stages present considerable risks and are as important to the big-data equation as the numbers themselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-crawford/hidden-biases-in-both-the-collection-and-analysis-stages-present/) [Kate Crawford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-crawford/) > [Well look, CIA is an agency that has to collect intelligence, do operations. We have to take risks and it's important that we take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leon-panetta/well-look-cia-is-an-agency-that-has-to-collect-intelligence-do/) [Leon Panetta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leon-panetta/) > [Back in 2007, I had the opportunity to meet Professor Stephen Hawking through the X PRIZE Foundation. In my first conversation with him I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-diamandis/back-in-2007-i-had-the-opportunity-to-meet-professor-stephen-hawking/) [Peter Diamandis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-diamandis/) > [I could have gone on flying through space forever.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuri-gagarin/i-could-have-gone-on-flying-through-space-forever/) [Yuri Gagarin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuri-gagarin/) > [I was born imagining myself with an apron on, with pies cooling on the window sill and babies crying upstairs. I thought that all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carrie-fisher/i-was-born-imagining-myself-with-an-apron-on-with-pies-cooling-on-the/) [Carrie Fisher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carrie-fisher/) > [“Sometimes when people find out I’m an astronaut, they ask, “So what do you do when you’re not flying in space?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-hadfield/sometimes-when-people-find-out-i-m-an-astronaut-they-ask-so-what-do/) [Chris Hadfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-hadfield/) > [I wasn't frightened going to outer space. I'd been living this in my head for many, many years, so I sort of had played…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anousheh-ansari/i-wasn-t-frightened-going-to-outer-space-i-d-been-living-this-in-my/) [Anousheh Ansari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anousheh-ansari/) > [Earth travels in the space at the speed of 108,000 kilometres per hour. When you walk calmly in a forest, you must know that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/earth-travels-in-the-space-at-the-speed-of-108-000-kilometres-per/) [Mehmet Murat Ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/) > [One thing that flying in space does for you is it gives you a change in perspective. We all have to live in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peggy-whitson/one-thing-that-flying-in-space-does-for-you-is-it-gives-you-a-change/) [Peggy Whitson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peggy-whitson/) > [Life science research can be done on multiple platforms. Since we have a very small number of people flying into space, the more people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurel-clark/life-science-research-can-be-done-on-multiple-platforms-since-we-have/) [Laurel Clark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurel-clark/) > [One of the things, and the most exciting, actually definitely the most exciting thing is, having children. You know, I didn't have children before.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leroy-chiao/one-of-the-things-and-the-most-exciting-actually-definitely-the-most/) [Leroy Chiao](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leroy-chiao/) > [I always was fascinated by space and always wanted to learn more about it and wanted to experience it first hand by flying into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anousheh-ansari/i-always-was-fascinated-by-space-and-always-wanted-to-learn-more/) [Anousheh Ansari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anousheh-ansari/) ## More by Alan G. Poindexter > [I flew fighters for the Navy in San Diego for three years, went and did my post-graduate education, and then I was a test…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-g-poindexter/i-flew-fighters-for-the-navy-in-san-diego-for-three-years-went-and/) [Alan G. Poindexter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-g-poindexter/) > [I'm really hopeful about the future of space exploration and human spaceflight. Civilization as we know it has been defined by exploration. You know,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-g-poindexter/i-m-really-hopeful-about-the-future-of-space-exploration-and-human/) [Alan G. Poindexter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-g-poindexter/) > [When you see the orbiter headed out the launch pad and then crawling up the hill and being hard down on the pad, it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-g-poindexter/when-you-see-the-orbiter-headed-out-the-launch-pad-and-then-crawling/) [Alan G. Poindexter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-g-poindexter/) > [Moving around a lot allows you to experience many different cultures and learn about the ways that different people in different parts of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-g-poindexter/moving-around-a-lot-allows-you-to-experience-many-different-cultures/) [Alan G. Poindexter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-g-poindexter/) > [I was a typical American boy. I did a lot of outdoor activities, played a lot outside with my friends, loved to go the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-g-poindexter/i-was-a-typical-american-boy-i-did-a-lot-of-outdoor-activities-played/) [Alan G. Poindexter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-g-poindexter/) > [My job during the EVAs, the spacewalks, is to act as the inside coordinator. I remain on the aft flight deck of the shuttle,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-g-poindexter/my-job-during-the-evas-the-spacewalks-is-to-act-as-the-inside/) [Alan G. Poindexter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-g-poindexter/) > [I grew up in a Navy family, and like most service families, we traveled a lot and moved a lot. I grew up on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-g-poindexter/i-grew-up-in-a-navy-family-and-like-most-service-families-we-traveled/) [Alan G. Poindexter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-g-poindexter/) > [I feel privileged and honored to have flown. It's been a tremendous ride, looking back on the legacy and accomplishments, like the Hubble telescope…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-g-poindexter/i-feel-privileged-and-honored-to-have-flown-it-s-been-a-tremendous/) [Alan G. Poindexter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-g-poindexter/) > [I was influenced by many, many different people in my student years, and I was always, I guess, immersed in a Navy environment, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-g-poindexter/i-was-influenced-by-many-many-different-people-in-my-student-years/) [Alan G. Poindexter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-g-poindexter/) [Explore all 10 Alan G. Poindexter quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-g-poindexter/) ## More Adaptable quotes > [There have been low moments before, but Christianity is an incredibly adaptable organism, using different parts of its repertoire to mutate into new ecological…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-spufford/there-have-been-low-moments-before-but-christianity-is-an-incredibly/) [Francis Spufford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-spufford/) > [Individuals, too, who cultivate a variety of skills seem brighter, more energetic and more adaptable than those who know how to do one thing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-shea/individuals-too-who-cultivate-a-variety-of-skills-seem-brighter-more/) [Robert Shea](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-shea/) > [Of course, we can change. We're very adaptable. But it takes a while.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/of-course-we-can-change-we-re-very-adaptable-but-it-takes-a-while/) [Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/) > [We can never be certain about the future and therefore we must continue to be flexible and adaptable so that we can react quickly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/talal-abu-ghazaleh/we-can-never-be-certain-about-the-future-and-therefore-we-must/) [Talal Abu-Ghazaleh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/talal-abu-ghazaleh/) > [“It is not the strongest animal that survives, nor the fastest, but the one most adaptable to change. —Leon C. Megginson, paraphrasing Charles Darwin”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-falk/it-is-not-the-strongest-animal-that-survives-nor-the-fastest-but-the/) [Ben Falk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-falk/) > [An adaptable company is one that captures more than its fair share of new opportunities. It's always redefining its 'core business' in ways that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-hamel/an-adaptable-company-is-one-that-captures-more-than-its-fair-share-of/) [Gary Hamel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-hamel/) > [I'm very adaptable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bradley-beal/i-m-very-adaptable/) [Bradley Beal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bradley-beal/) > [Of course, Minneapolis, we think, 'Oh well, it's cold there, lethally cold.' But the reality is you adapt to weather... Humans are consummately adaptable…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-buettner/of-course-minneapolis-we-think-oh-well-it-s-cold-there-lethally-cold/) [Dan Buettner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-buettner/) > [I'm a third-culture child. It's an interesting concept. Having an American father, a South American mother, born in England, grew up in Hong Kong,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marie-chantal-claire/i-m-a-third-culture-child-it-s-an-interesting-concept-having-an/) [Marie-Chantal Claire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marie-chantal-claire/) > [The making of adaptable, curious, open, questioning people has nothing to do with vocational training and everything to do with humanistic and scientific studies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-postman/the-making-of-adaptable-curious-open-questioning-people-has-nothing/) [Neil Postman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-postman/) > [Do you have a kinder, more adaptable friend in the food world than soup? Who soothes you when you are ill? Who refuses to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-martin/do-you-have-a-kinder-more-adaptable-friend-in-the-food-world-than/) [Judith Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-martin/) > [Flow. Be adaptable. Be sensitive like water, feel the other so you can attune and harmonize with your partner.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-friend/flow-be-adaptable-be-sensitive-like-water-feel-the-other-so-you-can/) [John Friend](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-friend/) > [Do you think that you can clear your mind by sitting constantly in silent meditation? This makes your mind narrow, not clear. Integral awareness…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laozi/do-you-think-that-you-can-clear-your-mind-by-sitting-constantly-in/) [Laozi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laozi/) > [To survive, to avert what we have termed future shock, the individual must become infinitely more adaptable and capable than ever before.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alvin-toffler/to-survive-to-avert-what-we-have-termed-future-shock-the-individual/) [Alvin Toffler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alvin-toffler/) > [The brain is a dynamic system that constantly processes and creates your reality. It works best if you balance all the things that the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/the-brain-is-a-dynamic-system-that-constantly-processes-and-creates/) [Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/) [Browse all 112 Adaptable quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/adaptable/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Flying in space is risky. It will never be safe, and the best thing we can do is manage those risks. It's important for people, for human beings, to be in space because they're adaptable and because they're not pre-programmed software that can go off and do tasks that are appropriate for machines.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Alan G. 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