Should NASA Move to Metric?

Posted August 28, 2009 7:28 AM

An article in New Scientist notes that NASA some five years ago agreed to comply with a directive that all departments of the U.S. Federal government move toward exclusive use of the metric system of measurement. And with the space shuttle now being phased out, to be replaced by an all-new launch vehicle program, one would think this would be a perfect time to make the move to metric. But it seems that NASA's has second thoughts. The space agency is now saying that it would be cost-prohibitive to switch over any time soon. It turns out that the new launch vehicle will use solid rocket boosters based on the design of those currently employed on the space shuttle. The decision to stay with English measurements isn't sitting well with at least one private aerospace firm that the agency deals with. The worry is that failing to adopt the world standard measurement system could hamper the development of a global civilian space industry, due to compatibility and interoperability issues. And as the article notes, errors in converting back and forth between English and metric units resulted in the high-profile loss of the Mars Climate Orbiter, which crashed into that planet in September, 1999. Where do you come down on the question of whether NASA should make the change to metric? The preceding article is a "sneak peek" from Sensors & Switches, a newsletter from GlobalSpec. To stay up-to-date and informed on industry trends, products, and technologies, subscribe to Sensors & Switches today.

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