An AirAsia flight carrying 162 people disappeared from radar Sunday, and before the crash site has even been found, Fox News rushed to try to equal CNN in the field of dumb speculation on possible causes of the disaster. On Fox & Friends Sunday, host Anna Kooiman introduced an interview with former FAA official Scott Brenner about how "the different way other countries train their pilots may be the real reason" for the crash, asking Brenner
NASA's Climate Orbiter was lost September 23, 1999
September 30, 1999 By Robin Lloyd
(CNN) -- NASA lost a $125 million Mars orbiter because a Lockheed Martin engineering team used English units of measurement while the agency's team used the more conventional metric system for a key spacecraft operation, according to a review finding released Thursday. … Lockheed Martin helped build, develop and operate the spacecraft for NASA. Its engineers provided navigation commands for Climate Orbiter's thrusters in English units although NASA has been using the metric system predominantly since at least 1990. No one is pointing fingers at Lockheed Martin, said Tom Gavin, the JPL administrator to whom all project managers report. … After a 286-day journey, the probe fired its engine on September 23 to push itself into orbit. The engine fired but the spacecraft came within 60 km (36 miles) of the planet -- about 100 km closer than planned and about 25 km (15 miles) beneath the level at which the it could function properly, mission members said.
The latest findings show that the spacecraft's propulsion system overheated and was disabled as Climate Orbiter dipped deeply into the atmosphere, JPL spokesman Frank O'Donnell said. That probably stopped the engine from completing its burn, so Climate Orbiter likely plowed through the atmosphere, continued out beyond Mars and now could be orbiting the sun, he said. … A NASA document came out several years ago, when the Cassini mission to Saturn was under development, establishing the metric system for all units of measurement, Gavin said. … "We're going to look at how was the data transferred," Gavin said. "How did it originally get into system in English units? How was it transferred? When we were doing navigation and Doppler (distance and speed) checks, how come we didn't find it?"
"People make errors," Gavin said. "The problem here was not the error. It was the failure of us to look at it end-to-end and find it. It's unfair to rely on any one person."
Lorelle Young, president of the U.S. Metric Association, said the loss of Climate Orbiter brings up the "untenable" position of the United States in relation to most other countries, which rely on the metric system for measurement. She was not surprised at the error that arose.
"In this day and age when the metric system is the measurement language of all sophisticated science, two measurements systems should not be used," Young said.
"Only the metric system should be used because that is the system science uses," she said. She put blame at the feet of Congress that she said has squeezed NASA's budget to the point that it has no funds to completely convert its operations to metric.
Imagine (if you're a masochist and have been very, very naughty) the lines of questioning they consider in the editorial meeting and then reject.
Remember - it was drugs that taught American children the metric system. Ask any schoolboy in our nation and he'll tell you "28 grams to the ounce."
FTW!
yeah, i kinda did that wrong. but we can say gas $0.75/liter instead of $3/gallon
Metric mishap caused loss of NASA orbiter
NASA's Climate Orbiter was lost September 23, 1999
September 30, 1999 By Robin Lloyd
(CNN) -- NASA lost a $125 million Mars orbiter because a Lockheed Martin engineering team used English units of measurement while the agency's team used the more conventional metric system for a key spacecraft operation, according to a review finding released Thursday. … Lockheed Martin helped build, develop and operate the spacecraft for NASA. Its engineers provided navigation commands for Climate Orbiter's thrusters in English units although NASA has been using the metric system predominantly since at least 1990. No one is pointing fingers at Lockheed Martin, said Tom Gavin, the JPL administrator to whom all project managers report. … After a 286-day journey, the probe fired its engine on September 23 to push itself into orbit. The engine fired but the spacecraft came within 60 km (36 miles) of the planet -- about 100 km closer than planned and about 25 km (15 miles) beneath the level at which the it could function properly, mission members said.
The latest findings show that the spacecraft's propulsion system overheated and was disabled as Climate Orbiter dipped deeply into the atmosphere, JPL spokesman Frank O'Donnell said. That probably stopped the engine from completing its burn, so Climate Orbiter likely plowed through the atmosphere, continued out beyond Mars and now could be orbiting the sun, he said. … A NASA document came out several years ago, when the Cassini mission to Saturn was under development, establishing the metric system for all units of measurement, Gavin said. … "We're going to look at how was the data transferred," Gavin said. "How did it originally get into system in English units? How was it transferred? When we were doing navigation and Doppler (distance and speed) checks, how come we didn't find it?"
"People make errors," Gavin said. "The problem here was not the error. It was the failure of us to look at it end-to-end and find it. It's unfair to rely on any one person."
Lorelle Young, president of the U.S. Metric Association, said the loss of Climate Orbiter brings up the "untenable" position of the United States in relation to most other countries, which rely on the metric system for measurement. She was not surprised at the error that arose.
"In this day and age when the metric system is the measurement language of all sophisticated science, two measurements systems should not be used," Young said.
"Only the metric system should be used because that is the system science uses," she said. She put blame at the feet of Congress that she said has squeezed NASA's budget to the point that it has no funds to completely convert its operations to metric.
&quot;This should be a loud wake-up call to Congress that being first in technology requires funding,&quot; she said, &quot;and it&#039;s a very important area for the country.&quot; <a href="http://www.cnn.com/TECH/spa..." target="_blank">" rel="nofollow noopener" title="http://www.cnn.com/TECH/space/9909/30/mars.metric...">http://www.cnn.com/TECH/spa...
<a href="http:\/\/imgur.com\/iDOzAa5" target="_blank">Still the best comparison of the traditional system of measures with metric.</a>
And water boils at 100! It&#039;s much easier to burn yourself making coffee.
Fuck it... I&#039;m going back to bed.
I&#039;m pretty sure the metric system caused me to put way too much Maker&#039;s Mark in my Canadian Christmas Cranberry Business.
Gravity is only a theory.
Imagine (if you&#039;re a masochist and have been very, very naughty) the lines of questioning they consider in the editorial meeting and then reject.
Densa. I like that.
Remember - it was drugs that taught American children the metric system. Ask any schoolboy in our nation and he&#039;ll tell you &quot;28 grams to the ounce.&quot;
Britain does a sort of wishy-washy, use-both thing, really. At least they try!
Hell, if John McCain was flying the plane it probably would have crashed during takeoff.
...why didn&#039;t they just come out and ask:
<em>&quot;Do you think their squinty eyes may have impaired their vision while in flight?&quot;</em>
Fox &quot;news&quot; levels of derp cannot be measured by any system.
Actually it is <a href="https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Metric_system" target="_blank">French</a>.