NASA's getting ready for another try at Mars. The press kit is
available in pdf format and can be downloaded at
http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/presskits/odysseylaunch.pdf
This is an interesting document. I've spot checked it and, unlike some
press kits I've seen in the past, this one provides all quantitative
information in SI with American Hodgepodge units added parenthetically.
Also provided are equivalents in nautical miles, symbolyzed as "naut
mi" (no nanometers here, Gene!).
Page 15 is entitled "Lessons Learned" and it lists the steps taken in
this mission to minimize risks based on analysis of prior attempts. One
of the early items states:
Listed both imperial and metric units on documentation for
hand-off between systems and subsystems.
What I did NOT see was something to the effect of
Provided verification steps, with sign off, to ensure that all
data passed between organizations are in SI.
Page 20 shows a schematic of the launch profile. The speeds are given
in SI with correct unit symbols, km/h, even while maintaining use of
the American Hodgepodge unit symbol mph! However, it gives time
formatted as 4 min, 23.4 sec; apparently they missed the symbol s for
seconds, but there is no period after "min".
Alas, on page 32 I find thrust given in "kilogram-force (pounds of
force)". However, on page 18 thrust is correctly given in newtons. Yes,
I'll post a comment.
Oh, did I mention that Lockheed-Martin has a hand in this too?
By the way, the 2001 Mars Odyssey Home Page is at
http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/odyssey/index.html
and it, too, is quite interesting. For example, on one linked page I
found a description of visible lightt that states its wavelength is
"about half of a micrometer" -- NOT "micron", which has been a favorite
unit at NASA. Wow!
Jim
--
James R. Frysinger University/College of Charleston
10 Captiva Row Dept. of Physics and Astronomy
Charleston, SC 29407 66 George Street
843.225.0805 Charleston, SC 29424
http://www.cofc.edu/~frysingj [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Cert. Adv. Metrication Specialist 843.953.7644
