I agree with John that helping the future space programs at NASA adopt metric is a most laudable goal. This could be the silver lining in the current retrenchment of NASA's space programs.
Ezra ----- Original Message ----- From: "John Frewen-Lord" <[email protected]> To: "U.S. Metric Association" <[email protected]> Sent: Sunday, July 24, 2011 2:19:15 PM Subject: [USMA:50910] Re: Apollo 11 - 20 July 1969 Going back to the original title of this thread, I have just watched a BBC program on the last shuttle mission, presented by Kevin Wong, who, although British, worked for very many years in Nasa as part of the shuttle team, and was granted unprecedented access to areas and people denied to the media in general in putting together this program. It was a very good program, and it was indeed a sad event for all those who were part of the shuttle prigram, some from its very outset, to see it ending. Yet, whenever someone who was interviewed used ONLY imperial/USC units in describing their involvement, I couldn't help thinking that it was indeed a program that was out of touch with the world - not only in terms of its measurement units, but also in terms of its incredible complexity and expense. The immediate future lies in the hands of the Russians with their Soyuz spacecraft - all metric of course. But no doubt a new US space program will emerge, likely privately funded, and hopefully this will use only SI. Surely this is something that the USMA can promote, and be involved in, as an active program - a program that, at present, doesn't actually exist, but as it emerges and gathers form and function, the USMA can give solid direction in terms of what measurement units should be used. An opportunity that must not be missed. John F-L ----- Original Message ----- From: Remek Kocz To: U.S. Metric Association Sent: Sunday, July 24, 2011 9:20 PM Subject: [USMA:50908] Re: Apollo 11 - 20 July 1969 I always wondered if aircraft mechanics across the world had a dual set of tools to accommodate the US-made planes. I guess just as much as the feet and miles were forced on the world, so were the USC fasteners. Too bad.
