Howard Dratch has some thoughts on the value of failure for the commercial launch industry. This was resonant with me:

The photographer who shoots and sees that the story he/she wanted to tell was lost, the moment missed, the avenue of seeing not taken, and uses the failure to become Gary Winogrand, Lee Friedlander, or Robert Frank has used failure as a step toward the stars. The question is if there is creativity to see the possibilities of the failure and the guts to put it behind. The new space entrepreneurs may have it, probably have it. The government agencies are a question. Will NASA learn from its mistakes and tragedies as quickly and as well?

It’s apparent to me that NASA has taken lessons from its failures (and from its successes as well, such as Apollo), but strategically, it’s learned the wrong ones.

I’ve had an essay on this subject bubbling around in my brain for a while now that I’ll have to unburden myself of soon.