As someone (perhaps Tom) pointed out months ago, if NASA is afraid to send humans to repair the Hubble, how will they ever find the courage to go beyond LEO to the moon and/or Mars?

"If you can't take a little bloody nose, maybe you oughtta go back home and crawl under your bed. It's not safe out here. It's wondrous, with treasures to satiate desires both subtle and gross; but it's not for the timid." -- Q (Q Who?)

Spaceflight is dangerous - always has been and likely always will be. Those that choose to go into space do so knowing the risks. If we as a society aren't willing to allow anyone to face these risks, then we might as well never get out of bed. It's a dangerous universe out there.

In a related (but more humorous) topic, blogger Tim Blair discusses Safety At All Costs.

We had an abandoned quarry not far from where I grew up. When I was 14 or so, a bunch of us pooled our cash and bought an old dirt bike so that we might enjoy concussions and fractures in this perfect venue. None of our parents seemed to mind; in fact, some wondered if we weren't acting a little girly, what with our wearing advanced safety equipment like "helmets" and "shoes".

As Joanne Jacobs reports, times have changed:

Children learn to cope with the world through outdoor activities, writes a British educator. But adult fears are restricting children's ability to explore the world. And they're not any safer as a result.