Thanks Pat. I have emailed NASA in the past and got some responses.
One editor appeared surprised that articles were appearing without metric units. I think the reason is that NASA is a huge organisation; her viewpoint was limited to her own department. Perhaps maximum effect will be from: 1. Departmental mission statements The editor may think that it is worthwhile asking the authors if they are willing to rewrite the copy. The authors will be senior in the organisation. So it will be a way to at least get them thinking about it. 2. Current articles The editor will have been working on the copy fairly recently and the author may be responsive to feedback. Editors and authors probably don't want to bother with feedback about articles more than a couple of months old. I suspect that editors would rather not do unit conversions themselves, and would prefer to refer the copy back to authors. -- Terry Simpson Human Factors Consultant [EMAIL PROTECTED] www.connected-systems.com Phone: +44 7850 511794 > -----Original Message----- > From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf > Of Pat Naughtin > Sent: 31 August 2003 04:39 > To: U.S. Metric Association > Subject: [USMA:26747] Re: Nasa: use of metric in publicity > > Dear Terry and All, > > A few minutes ago, I sent this letter to <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > > > Dear NASA, > > Why do you change the numbers from metric measures to old measures when > you > report them on your web pages? > > In Australia, as in all other nations in the world, your numbers simply > don't make sense; in fact they can make your organisation appear rather > foolish. > > I have been reading your web pages at: > > http://ssppgse.gsfc.nasa.gov/ejection_sys/hes.html where I found, > > "Spacecraft can weigh up to 150 pounds with a center of gravity (CG) no > more > than 10.25 inches above the separation plane. The spacecraft must also be > balanced to within .25 inches of the ejection centerline. Maximum > spacecraft > diameter is 19 inches. Maximum height is 20.5 inches (depending upon > carrier > system configuration) Customers can choose to fly with or without an > opening > lid (Hitchhiker Motorized Door Assembly) at the top of the canister, and > have options of ejection velocities from 1.0 to 4.0 ft/sec." > > and at: > > http://www.nsbf.nasa.gov/mission.html where I found, > > "The average payload increased from 407 pounds in 1964 to more than 3000 > pounds in 1988. Average balloon volume has increased from 2.8 million > cubic > feet (MCF) in 1964 to over 20.0 MCF in 1988. Today, payloads weighing 5000 > pounds are quite common and balloons of 20 to 30 MCF are flown routinely." > > Might I suggest that phrases and words such as 'up to', 'no more than', > 'within', naked decimal points, 'Maximum', 'velocities from', 'average', > 'more than', coupled with some quite bizarre precision of the calculated > values tends to suggest that the person who made the conversions from > metric > measures to these numbers appears to be barely numerate. They seem to be > numerate enough to operate a calculator, but not numerate enough to know > how > to interpret the subsequent display on the calculator screen. > > As I read these items from NASA, I kept thinking how much does this cost? > How much does it cost NASA to employ someone to dumb down NASA data for > the > general public in the USA? > > And how much does it costs the likes of me, and other scientifically > literate and numerate folk, who are wondering to what sizes these NASA > reports are actually referring. We have to try and undumb the figures back > to the original metric values and hope we make the right guesses about the > rounding that we have to do, and to guess the rounding that our dumb- > downer > has already done for (to) us. > > Hhhrrrmmmph! > > Cheers, > > Pat Naughtin > Geelong, Australia > > on 2003-08-31 08.29, Terry Simpson at [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: > > > It is still commonplace to find Nasa publicity without metric units. > > > > "Spacecraft can weigh up to 150 pounds with a center of gravity (CG) no > more > > than 10.25 inches above the separation plane. The spacecraft must also > be > > balanced to within .25 inches of the ejection centerline. Maximum > spacecraft > > diameter is 19 inches. Maximum height is 20.5 inches (depending upon > carrier > > system configuration) Customers can choose to fly with or without an > opening > > lid (Hitchhiker Motorized Door Assembly) at the top of the canister, and > > have options of ejection velocities from 1.0 to 4.0 ft/sec." > > http://ssppgse.gsfc.nasa.gov/ejection_sys/hes.html > > > > "The average payload increased from 407 pounds in 1964 to more than 3000 > > pounds in 1988. Average balloon volume has increased from 2.8 million > cubic > > feet (MCF) in 1964 to over 20.0 MCF in 1988. Today, payloads weighing > 5000 > > pounds are quite common and balloons of 20 to 30 MCF are flown > routinely." > > http://www.nsbf.nasa.gov/mission.html > > -- > > Terry Simpson > > Human Factors Consultant > > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > www.connected-systems.com > > Phone: +44 7850 511794 > > > > > >
