What are the chances of death by being an astronaut?

Question

I was thinking of being an astronaut but I'm afraid of dying so I wonder what are the risks of death are.

Answer 1

One in a million

Answer 2

The exact chances are hard to calculate, because of differing definitions (for example, we consider the Apollo 1 fire to have killed three astronauts, even though they were not in space at the time).  According to Wikipedia, 22 astronauts have been killed (5% of all people who have been in space, and 2% of all manned spaceflights).  A much larger number of ground crew has died as well.

Answer 3

The space shuttle currently carries a 2% chance of death per flight.  From that point of view, it's the riskiest way to get to space.

Answer 4

lot less than the chances of actually becoming an astronaut

Answer 5

Most astronauts have wild hobbies which enhance the probability of death greatly:

Some are Amateur Parachutists

Some Ride Mototcycles

All are Jet Aircraft Pilots - Wow - that is really dangerous.

All of them travel extensively, and you never know when a

plane will go down and kill everyone on board.

Going up in a rocket ship carries with it some pretty rough

probabilities for accidental death either in flight or on the

launching pad...Many have not survived.

I would recommend the purchase of a Lucky Rabbit's Foot and a Fantastic Life Insurance Policy before setting foot

outside of your door. It would probably be safer to stay

home in bed.

Answer 6

The chances are 100%.  Every single astronaut alive today, will be dead within 200 years -- maybe less.

The most dangerous part of an astronauts job is the drive to Cape Kennedy (or the drive to the airport to fly to the cape).

Answer 7

NASA has a better track record than the average person does.  Someone dies on a US road every 15 minutes due to traffic accidents.  So, you'd statistically be safer up there with trained professionals than down here with barely trained, novices.