In the event of an Apollo 13 type emergency, are the astronauts going to be able to jury-rig a series of interlocking kludges, patches and work-arounds to get home? Will they have the training, will the ship be comprehensible to human senses, will its systems respond to manual intervention?

I hate to flog a dead horse, but I believe these are very serious design issues and we are going astray here. I've always heard the whole purpose of a manned space program was to handle unanticipated emergencies (and opportunities!) by having humans aboard, whether they were pilots, mechanics, scientists...or warriors.

If the Spacex is just an automated cattle car, a delivery shuttle and life support for inert slabs of human flesh, then we are doing little to build up a true man-machine symbiosis capable of exploring the solar system.

I'll bet there isn't a fire extinguisher, screwdriver or a flashlight in that sleek, modernistic, IKEA-designed cabin. Its nothing but pretty Norwegian Wood interior decoration for the paying passengers and the travel brochure.

Bf 109G cockpit