In cases where the vessel is crewed, the crew members flee or try to pass as migrants, often successfully.Why are people risking this awful journey?
There is growing opinion in the sailing world that changes are needed if it is to survive.Back in the 1970s, the boats that sailed in the first fully crewed round-the-world race were standard ocean-cruising vessels of the day.
Even if the country's somewhat vague plans for a crewed landing and perhaps even a permanently occupied base fail to come off, several more robotic missions are planned.
The biggest supertrawlers can be crewed by only 20 men: essentially they have substituted fuel for labour.
Its distinctive rocket-plane is a direct descendet of SpaceShipOne, the craft that, on June 21st, 2004, became the first privately-built, crewed spacecraft to make it beyond the Karman Line, the 100km high cutoff that officially marks the beginning of space.The firm is distinctive in other ways, too.
Mr Nash helped the officials burn the beached boat, then drove off to resume his 'roo-shooting.Since early November, almost 900 illegal immigrants have landed on Australia's northern shores in boats crewed by Indonesians.
As the intention is that this will carry people to the Moon and, in theory at least, beyond, both are part of America's planned return to the kind of crewed space exploration last undertaken in the 1960s (though considerable doubts remain about whether those plans will, in fact, come to pass).
The big ships of the Italians, Mexicans and Russians, in descending order of opulence, are crewed by taut cadets under naval discipline.
It was founded in 2002 by Elon Musk, a Silicon Valley entrepreneur who made his name with PayPal, and who claims that his eventual goal is to enable crewed missions to be sent to Mars.Orbital Sciences, by contrast, has been around since 1982.
The one American attempt at a semi-permanent space station— Skylab was crewed for a mere six months in the 1970s, whereas Mir has been continuously occupied since its launch.
It was founded in 2002 by Elon Musk, a Silicon Valley entrepeneur who made his name with PayPal, and who claims that his eventual goal is to enable crewed missions to Mars.Orbital Sciences, by contrast, has been around since 1982.
