Would you fly on the space shuttle if your wife had just been shot in the head?

[Anonymous]

Yes he should go!
Hands down. No argument there.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:They do not have children. He has children from a previous marriage. He lives near/with them in Houston and he and Giffords have a commuter marriage.

Also, the mission isn't until April.

I think he should definitely do it, especially if she continues to improve. Recovering from brain injury takes years -- he can't stop working for that entire time.

No one suggested he should quit working; rather, that he doesn't need to take the risk of going into space.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:They do not have children. He has children from a previous marriage. He lives near/with them in Houston and he and Giffords have a commuter marriage.

Also, the mission isn't until April.

I think he should definitely do it, especially if she continues to improve. Recovering from brain injury takes years -- he can't stop working for that entire time.

Some hard choices ahead.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Life must go on

There's more to life than a career. Life must go on. A career can be put on hold for a few months when a family experiences a tragedy.

[Anonymous]

Absolutely! An important part of marriage is supporting the other's dreams. She has parents and friends to support her while he's gone.

[Anonymous]

If things progress with his wife as they are, I think somehow she will be able to give him her blessing. How many of us have said to our spouse, that if anything happens to me, please move on in life and enjoy it.

He is an experienced astronaut and they have back ups, if I were him, I would find out if she wants me to go, if she is in danger of passing, I would stay, with that said, these guys are not like any of us, they operate at a totally different level that few in the world do. As a pp mentioned they really test the hell out of these people and their mental state except the one who drove cross country in a diaper

Either way, this guy is a rare very rare breed and he ha served this country well

[Anonymous]

This question assumes that astronatus are male or that they are lesbians. Look at how it's written.And, it assumes the wife was shot very recently within days or hours of the flight, not months. I'm a woman and a mom. Either way, I'd go assumming my husband had the day-to-day support he needed

[Anonymous]

I think by time of the flight (in April, maybe later, as these missions are often delayed), his wife's progress/treatment will be on cruise control. His absence will probably not be that big a deal by then. The more pertinent question is will he be willing to be away from her a lot during his flight training and preparation, which is intense and requires very long hours.

I think if she continues to progress, he should do it. (And NASA probably has a bigger say in this, as a PP noted the mental testing.) It seems she has a lot of support from friends and family to keep her motivated and strong in her rehabilitation.

It is a HUGE honor to command the shuttle's last mission, not to mention that this mission includes stopping at international space station and working with that crew-- one of whom is Mark Kelly's own brother. This is a really special opportunity.

[Anonymous]

Probably, if I knew my spouse supported my career, which it seems like his spouse did. Now would I do a shuttle mission NOW, while my spouse was in very critical condition? No. But by April, they should know if she's out of the woods. There are only so many opportunities for astronauts. If I were the injured spouse, I'd never want to hold my spouse back from something like that.

[Anonymous]

Not going on a space mission is more like not going on a military assignment than it is like not going to work. People who become astronauts have made a commitment and go through years and years of training for the benefit of our country.

[Anonymous]

No, I wouldn't go unless it was absolutely clear my spouse was doing okay. Shit happens and people don't always get to do what they want to do. Sacrifices are made.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's hard to believe that some of you are saying yes, if they have young kids. You don't even know yet if she'll be okay long-term. That's taking a huge risk. Clearly, some of you are really into careers over family.

Your lifetime risk of dying in a car accident is about 2%. So I hope if anything happens to your spouse, you'd never drive again. Because otherwise, clearly, you'd be more into your car than your family.

Driving is a necessity of everyday living for many. Flying on the Space Shuttle is not.

Just move to a walkable community and take public transit/taxis. If you really loved your family more than your car, you'd do it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Not going on a space mission is more like not going on a military assignment than it is like not going to work. People who become astronauts have made a commitment and go through years and years of training for the benefit of our country.

I don't think our country benefits much from the space shuttle. Maybe science as a whole does. But this isn't 1960.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Not going on a space mission is more like not going on a military assignment than it is like not going to work. People who become astronauts have made a commitment and go through years and years of training for the benefit of our country.

Our country does benefit, and it would detriment to the loss of the time and money he put in to training. You don't become an astronaut by taking your career lightly. I say, yes, he should go. Would he quit his job if she were dead now? No, I don't think so.

If I were her, I wouldn't want him to stay.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not going on a space mission is more like not going on a military assignment than it is like not going to work. People who become astronauts have made a commitment and go through years and years of training for the benefit of our country.

I don't think our country benefits much from the space shuttle. Maybe science as a whole does. But this isn't 1960.

The research that they can accomplish at 0G most certainly benefits the entire country. Bet you didn't know that research on things like contact lenses, bacteria, physiology all happen in space. But it does, and I appreciate it.

(I said I bet you didn't know it, but I'm sure you don't, because you sound very ignorant.)