Astronaut Quote by William E. Burrows
“No matter that astronauts and cosmonauts had perished in precisely designed and carefully tested machines. Solid engineering could always provide a safety margin, because the engineers believed, there was complete safety in numbers.”
About This Quote
Source Book: The Space Review, 1995
Engineers trust redundancy and safety margins, believing numbers guarantee protection despite failures.
In simple terms: Engineers rely on many machines for safety.
Key Takeaway
Design with redundancy.
Themes
engineering
risk management
safety
Mood
cautious
analytical
Type
technical
reflective
When to use this quote
- space missions
- industrial design
- aviation
- nuclear plants
Key Concepts
redundancy
probability
systems theory
Questions to Reflect On
- How do you balance redundancy with cost?
- When does redundancy become wasteful?
A Different Perspective
Assuming safety in numbers can overlook systemic flaws.
