Safety is as safety does

Shuttle launch to go ahead over objection of NASA chief safety officer.

I know it is counter-intuitive, but I think there has been an over-emphasis on caution and navel-gazing by NASA for a long time, of which the safety officer's over-caution is just another symptom. Space travel is inherently dangerous. Everyone involved knows this. It is not, and likely will never be (given the current state of technology) as safe as airline travel, and we shouldn't expect it to be.

Exploring is a risky business, whether being the first to climb a mountain, cross an ocean, or break the sound barrier. Low Earth orbit isn't quite landing on Mars, but building a permanent home in space (the International Space Station) is an important goal, and it has been delayed and crippled for years.

By all means, be as safe as realistically possible, build backups and redundancies, but understand that in exploration, just as in war, people will die. Hopefully for a nobel cause, and fully understanding what they are getting into in advance. That is one of the reasons astronauts are heroes. Be safe...and be bold too. Let's get the ISS finished, and then return to the moon and go to Mars!