Re: Example of Units problems. -reworded

["Zack Clayton" <zack.clayton@epa.state.oh.us>]

Sorry, I used the forbidden server word in my first message.

Evidently we (HPs) aren't  the only ones who will be looking at unit conversions and the associated costs of maintaining two systems.

"contained in"  a JPL news release:

Zack Clayton
Ohio EPA - DERR
email:  zack.clayton@epa.state.oh.us
voice:  614-644-3066
fax:        614-460-8249

>>>    "People sometimes make errors," said Dr. Edward Weiler, 
NASA's Associate Administrator for Space Science. "The problem 
here was not the error, it was the failure of NASA's systems 
engineering, and the checks and balances in our processes to 
detect the error.  That's why we lost the spacecraft."

     The peer review preliminary findings indicate that one team 
used English units (e.g., inches, feet and pounds) while the 
other used metric units for a key spacecraft operation.  This 
information was critical to the maneuvers required to place the 
spacecraft in the proper Mars orbit.  

     "Our inability to recognize and correct this simple error 
has had major implications," said Dr. Edward Stone, director of 
the Jet Propulsion Laboratory.  "We have underway a thorough 
investigation to understand this issue."<<<

Notice that they refer to metric units, not SI units?  
How many millions did this failure in  unit conversion cost in both mission hardware and staffing support time?



************************************************************************
The RADSAFE Frequently Asked Questions list, archives and subscription
information can be accessed at http://www.ehs.uiuc.edu/~rad/radsafe.html