this post was submitted on 10 Jul 2025
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The engineers knew! They begged them to stop the launch, but of course, no one makes the wheels not capitalism stop rolling! ~~profit~~ progress at all costs!
Yep, the soviet space program took fewer lives overall.
I haven’t forgiven them for sending up a dog and a monkey though
Way more were semt by both sides.
I don’t forgive the nazis or the americans either
The Nedelin disaster claimed more lives than NASA did over its entire existence.
Nedelin was a part of the millitary rocketry program, not the space program. If you want to include Nedelin, then the ICBM disasters in the US should also be included. The space programs and ICBM programs were very closely related on both sides, but if we strictly keep it to the space program the soviets were safer.
ICBMs are spaceflight rockets, imo it's best to count them. The US hasn't had such large accidents with ICBMs, mostly minor ones.
Even if we exclude those it's not true. The US has sent significantly more people into space than the Soviets did, so NASAs accident rate was lower (hence safer), even if the absolute number of deaths was higher.
Spaceflight rockets are ICBMs, if we are being pedantic. The space program was the civilian-facing part of the broader rocketry programs.
Either way, if we exclude them, it is still true, but you can also measure by ratio. It just goes to show that you can manipulate real data to be presented in any way you want, and add or subtract context as needed for your angle.
Did they have a comparable number of people sent to space?
During the space race, sure, from what I can find.
Fewer human lives—sure, if you only include verified deaths—but the Soviet space program had considerably more deaths overall once you factor in other animals.
Not actually true, both sides used animal testing.
I know this. NASA’s animal fatalities were fewer and less often.
Sources:
Both sides sent animals into space, and many didn't return. Animal testing in particular isn't something unknown to science, nor was it done out of intentional cruelty nor for the purpose of profits, like the cosmetics industry. I feel like you're narrowing in on something that ultimately isn't an equivalent comparison, especially when compared to the scale of the food industry and its systematized mass brutality every second of every day.
Cite your sources please. Without verifiable sources, you're just making shit up.
Am I making up that the US sent animals into space? What claim do you think I'm making up? I already linked my source 2 comments ago.
You cited a single source from a tabloid run by a Russian Oligarch. That doesn't count. Please post multiple, verifiable sources.
That what? That the US sent animals into space?
Per NASA.