Steve, I wrestled with such issues during my career. Yes, it's horrific those people died under such circumstances, but does it make sense to not benefit from what came out of their deaths?
Back in the mid 80s, I was involved in the investigation of a military transport aircraft that ditched in the open ocean. Before help could arrive, several of the crew and pax died/went missing. Part of my job was to determine if those who perished did so in the water landing, or drown afterwards.
After talking with our aeromed lab physicians, a key contributing factor appeared to be hypothermia (loss of body heat) from water immersion. They pointed me in the direction of their USN colleagues for expert advice on medical aspects of water survival.
The Navy docs were amazing with their knowledge of and available data on hypothermia in water. Like an idiot, I casually asked how that data had been generated. Sadly, it was explained to me it came from German testing on Jewish concentration camp inmates. The details of those tests and how they were conducted were beyond horrifying. I felt dirty using it.
Refusing to use the data once captured from the Nazis post WW2 made no sense it was decided. Not using the data wouldn't bring back those who suffered to generate the data, and it has been used the world over in designing water survival gear like immersion suits. Every time I briefed that mishap, a shiver went down my spine thinking about the camp victims and I said a silent pray for them.
Those who died in von Braun's missile factories provided the world with the ground work that led us to the Moon and beyond. Those space/military programs also generated technologies that became the basis for modern life as we know it, everything from powdered drink mixes to cell phones and GPS. I hate knowing how some of that came about, but figure not using what resulted from their deaths would make those deaths totally meaningless. I like to think they would agree.
www.the-sun.com
