Deaths from falling out of bed in the USObjects launched into Earth orbit per year
Between 2015 and 2021, US deaths from falling out of bed and the number of objects launched into Earth orbit per year rose together at a correlation of 0.920. Two completely different kinds of falling, one up and out of the atmosphere, one down and off the edge of the mattress, both scaling across the same seven years. The mattress is not to blame for Starlink.
US deaths from falling out of bed climbed from around 450 in 2015 to over 700 by 2021, driven by the aging American population and the increased risk of bed-related falls among the over-65 demographic. Orbital launches rose from around 90 to over 140 in the same window, driven by SpaceX and the Starlink constellation rollout. The two trends share no mechanism and are products of entirely separate demographic and industrial forces. The bed and the rocket are in different rooms, on different planets.
Seven years of two lines rising together can describe an aging country and an accelerating aerospace industry sharing a calendar. The mattress and the orbit do not touch. Both keep going.
As an Amazon Associate, getspurious.com earns from qualifying purchases. Learn more.
Want to learn more about why correlations like “Deaths from falling out of bed in the US” vs “Objects launched into Earth orbit per year” don't prove causation? Read our guide to statistical thinking.
