The pursuit of history

SpaceShipOne is all set for its second of two flights into suborbital space in its pursuit of the X Prize.

My gut tells me that at some point, an accident is inevitable. Rather than bemoan the fact that people might perish in the process, we need to accept that this is the deal when humans push the bounds of possibility. Indeed, even the participants in the X Prize readily admit the risks are real. Yet without exception, they all vow to push on even in the event of a disaster. They’re made of pretty amazing stuff, these folks.

Instead of covering our eyes and tagging them with the daredevil label, we really ought to thank all the people who are willing to risk it all so that humankind may advance itself. Without them, we’d still be tooling around in horse-drawn carriages.

A long time ago, a couple of bike mechanics named Wright risked life and limb to get their oft-ridiculed heavier-than-air contraption into the air. They and those who followed made it possible for us to see our grandma after a routine five-hour hop across the continent. Progress has to start somewhere, no matter how crazy it may seem at the time.

To SpaceShipOne and all who fly in its wake, safe flight, happy landing, and Godspeed.