 What was considered a downside to the space exploration by Si?
If it is admitted that our organization has degenerated to the point that we haven't a single pilot, then it might well be that the Economic Planning Board, and especially those cloddies on Appropriations, will terminate the whole Department of Space Exploration." Two weeks later, Rod had burned on a faulty take-off on what should have been a routine Moon run. Law prevented him from ever being called up for contributing to the country's labor needs again. The only fair thing was to let the technologically unemployed remain unemployed, with their Inalienable Basic stock as the equivalent of unemployment insurance, while the few workers still needed put in a reasonable number of hours a day, a reasonable number of weeks a year and a reasonable number of years in a life time.
 The fear of contracting space cafard.
 The inability to start of family of his own due to being away for long periods of time.  The fear of contracting space cafard.  His fear of being in the ship itself.  Becoming too used to being along for long periods of time.