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2003-02-02
The loss of the Space Shuttle Columbia brings to mind the
question as to how this will help increase the use of metric in space
projects. I see this as an opportunity for more metric in
space.
Since the brunt of the space missions are carried out by
cash strapped NASA in FFU, this is a great opportunity for NASA to greatly
diversify its activities to include more design and construction of ships and
other craft by International Partners. International partners who work
strictly in the metric system.
If a replacement shuttle is to be built, NASA can not
absorb the costs alone. NASA could contract out the work to EU and Russian
space agencies, who would design, build and utilise SI to a point that NASA can
not ignore. Even if NASA's present policy is to use SI, the use of foreign
partners will assure the policy is being adhered to.
The International Space Station was designed primarily by
Americans to FFU specs, with some components using metric design provided by EU
partners. Even with NASA's policy to use SI in future
endeavours, we have seen that NASA planned to make FFU the operating
measurement language aboard the space station. With a greater
participation of International partners, this attitude will have to be changed,
especially if the EU makes it an issue.
NASA can no longer do it alone. They need
international co-operation if space travel is going to proceed. And to
minimise errors and costly loses, only one measurement system can be used.
That system has to be SI. These disasters, as tragic as they are in their
loss of human life, are a wake up call to NASA to depend less on going it alone
and more on depending on international co-operation and thus more metric in
design and usage.
John
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