First, I apologize for my zealous haste in building my case. The motion of satellites in milliseconds is just meters, as has been noted. With undiminished zeal, I note that comparisons among orbit determination techniques try to be precise to meters and that some notable forces, such as Earth tides, are meter-scale effects. So, I think my general theme still holds. Sorry.
With respect to ISO, it is not the only international standards body. Often industrial and national authorities find ISO standards too generic, offering little specific guidance. This is sometimes true. In the US, AIAA standards provide the next level of specificity and are promoted to international status through ISO when they are mature. This is where the German DIN, UK BSI, and other national standards organizations take over. (BTW, the national organizations are the foundational ISO members.) Some, such as Japan, do insist on the letter of ISO standards. We accommodate this as best we can with the advice of Japanese stakeholders to eliminate overly restrictive clauses. Hopefully, what comes out is feasible if the government mandates it. Some, as in the EU, form their own standards bodies that develop standards where none exist and in most cases try to promote them through ISO. The EU body is the European Cooperation for Space Standardization (ECSS). ECSS examines ISO space related standards and often adopts them as ECSS standards. ISO has great influence, but it does not and should not mandate anything. Normative means the consensus way to do things so that diverse users and providers can work together. It does not imply a mandate. My view from the inside. As best I can determine, there are not even normative processes for UTC. Dave Finkleman Senior Scientist Center for Space Standards and Innovation Analytical Graphics, Inc. 7150 Campus Drive Colorado Springs, CO 80920 Phone: 719-510-8282 or 719-321-4780 Fax: 719-573-9079 Discover CSSI data downloads, technical webinars, publications, and outreach events at www.CenterForSpace.com. _______________________________________________ LEAPSECS mailing list [email protected] http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/leapsecs
