I suppose that’s fair, but I think public perception might be a bit different. The public aren’t used to watching prototype jet airliners crashing in flames on runways, so some people are going to be concerned about it.
Completely agree, and the messaging is really hard to get right.
They are doing these dramatic tests out in the open which sure gets a lot of attention, but there is a real risk of reputation damage or fodder in the hands of their competitors lobbyists.
I don't know a good way to resolve that, but I certainly prefer the current approach and trust that anyone who really cares about the safety will be able to understand what's important about these tests and what isn't.
Even on the crappy morning news here, where they certainly gave a lot of airtime to the fireball, they had an expert on who focused on what the test was aiming to achieve. There certainly was no focus on the idea that Starship is intended to eventually carry passengers (even though they mentioned it alongside stock renders of Starship going to mars and the moon).
Interesting point, the image of a bunch of these blowing up in testing might loom large in people's minds once it starts carrying people, even if they rationally know it's had a much better safety record since then.
