Consider NASA's return to the Moon mission underway - Artemis.
Multiple flights are being undertaken as with Apollo.
The Artemis I uncrewed mission completed successfully on Dec 11, 2022
https://www.nasa.gov/specials/artemis/
Private enterprise profiteering on potentially lethal new technology must demonstrate safety at this standard.
Regulation must b understood 2 ensure public safety.
For health technology the lethality has 2b stated in a Surgeon General warning w/ procedures for safe usage.
4/4
There are Nine Technology Readiness Levels (TRL) NASA uses to describe risk 4 human life in use of a new system.
TRL 8 should have been demonstrated b4 this sub was launched
To reach TRL 8, a functional system identical to that used for a crew would need to be operated at the depths desired in a robotic run. TRL 7
If successful, additional runs should be attempted in all possible scenarios that a crew may encounter, including lower depth.
3/4
NASA defines Technology Readiness Levels for high risk tech which will be referenced later in this thread.
For more on profiteering on ocean tech, the best take I read on this event is
twitter.com/Stonekettle/st…
The preparation that @Stonekettle discusses should include testing.
Developmental testing for design seems to have been conducted.
Operational testing addresses all the things that may go wrong in use of new tech and must reflect Real-world conditions to nail down maturity
2/4
Did not have time to post on the titanic sub tragedy as it unfolded.
lesson
- too quickly pushing new technology before it's mature or fully understood.
- not following established approaches for lethal risk.
Human spaceflight has learned lessons.
Preliminary thought b4 comparing to space travel:
While the tech complexity has strong parallel, the sub was 4 personal profit.
Human spaceflight has entered the private profit arena, but at standards set by decades of tech development.
1/4