On Fri, 19 Feb 2021 13:38:54 +0000, Steve Walker
wrote:

snip

Relying on humans (human error) or automation (black Friday) to have
total control of something very dangerous is a bad thing, and why I'm
guessing it takes two keys and the presence of some important people
to launch a nuke (not that Trump being involved makes that any less
safe for the rest of us).

Except of course that nuclear power plants have the normal, programmable
(and therefore fallible and hackable - despite being locked down)
control systems backed up (for the critical safety systems) by multiple,
dedicated, hard-wired safety systems, which in turn are backed up by
fail-safe mechanical systems. And the designs, calculations and
permutations are pored over by the Nuclear, Process, Mechanical and
Control Engineers that do the designs, the Safety Engineers that oversee
the documenting of the safety systems, their equivalents in multiple
companies working on the project and finally the Office for Nuclear
Regulation.

Yet 'accidents' have happened?

The same processes apply to aeroplanes and space rockets yet they
still hit the ground and other planets pretty hard?

Safety has moved on massively from the early days where people could
operate the wrong valve.

I'm sure it has, in some countries. Maybe I'll be happier when all the
'old' systems have been turned of and fully decommissioned.

Cheers, T i m