Drunks in Space

Krauthammer Defends Drunken Astronauts

Although I disagree with his general enthusiasm for continuing manned missions into space, it is nice to see that he and I are once again on the same wavelength. This drunken astronauts is a nothing story unless they actually somehow jeopardized the mission.

The reality is that these are not the pilots. They can report on the conditions inside the vehicle, but they have no more control over the lift-off into space than an infant in a car seat. They are along for the ride.

If someone told me I was going up in a spaceship, that my chances of dying during the launch were about 1 in 200 and that I had no control over what happened, I would want to be at least somewhat inebriated to overcome my fear and also deaden my nerve endings a little in the event of a calamity. I would also want a big bottle of Jack Daniel's for the ride back.

Alcohol: The cause and solution to all of the life's problems.