Columbia Has Apparently Broken up on Reentry

[Elspode]

Originally posted by Griff
To kinda broadly paraphrase Carl Sagan on this,.. If humanity is to continue we cannot keep all our eggs in one basket.

Space based businesses would only hire for the specialties they need but that would include a broader cross-section of humanity than government is presently using.

Shuttle crews are largely from a military background because they are already trained to follow procedures and respond to external command and control. I would speculate that the private sector will make a strong effort to recruit from ex-military personnel because those are the people who will already have the precise type of training that will make them suitable for many space-based activities. That being said, there will undoubtedly be more opportunity for civilians with appropriate skills and expertise when the private sector finally manages to sustain a presence in space.

Civilians have made many inroads into the orbital component of the US space program in recent years based on their areas of expertise. I would hope that this trend will increase over time, but I wouldn't expect to see the presence of military commanders, pilots and flight specialists go away.