As of April 2026, a total of 791 people have flown into space and 19 of them have died in related incidents. This sets the current statistical fatality rate at 2.4 percent.
Or to look at it from a different angle, 5 out of the 413 total manned space flights have ended in fatalities, or 1.21%.
Auto travel in the US has a fatality rate around 1 death per 100 million driven miles. Assuming an average trip of 20 miles, that’s 1 death per 5 million car trips, or 0.00002%.
So, roughly 10,000 (EDIT: actually 100,000, missed a zero!) times more dangerous than driving.
Are you asking to change the definition of a car trip to the ~500,000 miles it takes to get to the moon and back?
In that case, rate of fatality is around 1 in 200 “driving to the moon and back” trips. 0.5% chance. So taking the rocketship is still significantly more dangerous.
More realistically, 500,000 miles is roughly a lifetime of driving. So these astronauts are being exposed in a single trip to a fatality risk equivalent of 2+ lifetimes of driving.
I don’t think mother astronauts get vilified. The first one did back in the 70s, but mothers are constantly going to space. Granted they weren’t single parents.
Like I get what you’re talking about, and you’re not wrong. It’s just a weird topic to inject into this post.
Not to be a dick…but imagine a mother putting her two kids who have already lost their dad at a serious risk of becoming orphans
I don’t think it’s that likely surely it’s less risky than driving?
It is massively dangerous.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_spaceflight-related_accidents_and_incidents
Or to look at it from a different angle, 5 out of the 413 total manned space flights have ended in fatalities, or 1.21%.
Auto travel in the US has a fatality rate around 1 death per 100 million driven miles. Assuming an average trip of 20 miles, that’s 1 death per 5 million car trips, or 0.00002%.
So, roughly 10,000 (EDIT: actually 100,000, missed a zero!) times more dangerous than driving.
What do the numbers look like if we assume the average trip is from the earth to the moon and back?
Are you asking to change the definition of a car trip to the ~500,000 miles it takes to get to the moon and back?
In that case, rate of fatality is around 1 in 200 “driving to the moon and back” trips. 0.5% chance. So taking the rocketship is still significantly more dangerous.
More realistically, 500,000 miles is roughly a lifetime of driving. So these astronauts are being exposed in a single trip to a fatality risk equivalent of 2+ lifetimes of driving.
this also isn’t taking sample size into account (unless my math isn’t mathing which it very likely isn’t)
Thanks for satiating my curiosity.
100,000 actually.
Good catch! Lost track of my zeros
Ahhhh I see thanks
No, definitely not. Spaceflight is still very dangerous.
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Why did you have to switch the genders to make this absurd point?
Because mothers get vilified for things but when fathers do it it’s heroic.
You’re not wrong. Male CEOs do not get asked how they balance work with fatherhood.
I don’t think mother astronauts get vilified. The first one did back in the 70s, but mothers are constantly going to space. Granted they weren’t single parents.
Like I get what you’re talking about, and you’re not wrong. It’s just a weird topic to inject into this post.