Safe Is Not An Option
Overcoming The Futile Obsession With Getting Everyone Back Alive That Is Killing Our Expansion Into Space.
Rand Simberg
Not so sure. I can imagine the USSR having lower standards of concern for human spaceflight than the US did and it didn't get them any further than NASA.
But I haven't read the book, so I'll stop there for now.
I came across this here which leads to Rand's site.