On: SpaceX Halts Rocket Launch 10 Seconds Before Planned Liftoff

[trothamel]

There's an old quote that seems applicable here:

"It's better to be on the ground wishing you were in the air, than to be in the air wishing you were on the ground."

[trothamel → trothamel]

Since I'm embarrassed by how many votes this is getting without any citation, I'll just point out that I probably first learned about it from something Tory Bruno (CEO of ULA, the company that launches the Atlas and Delta rockets) said, seen here:

https://twitter.com/spaceflightnow/status/776854635055284224

This morning, it was posted by Doug Wheelock:

https://twitter.com/Astro_Wheels/status/832972785152573441

It appears to be said by many people before them, in different forms - I can't find any information about who first coined the phrase.

[Fuzzwah → trothamel]

This is also a common statement at skydiving dropzones.

[lb1lf → trothamel]

There's a related truism in aviation - "There are three things you don't need - runway behind you, airspace above you and fuel on the ground."

[evanb → trothamel]

"A good rule for rocket experimenters to follow is this: always assume that it will explode"

-- Astronautics, issue 38, Oct 1937

[agumonkey → trothamel]

Wise.