There is no good explanation, up front or later. NASA has done this before, and
its U.S. contractors, more than once, and knows that all the reasons are
laughable. Just as for the whole U.S. The founding fathers suggested that
metric would have been good "in the long run." That was 200 years ago.
I thought our kids will have it hard paying for the metric changeover when we
could have implemented it cheaper. But now with the U.S. debt, pardon me, the
stimulus package, it doesn't matter anymore.
Stan Jakuba
PS: Sorry for the pessimism - I must be under the weather.
----- Original Message -----
From: Phil Chernack
To: U.S. Metric Association
Sent: 09 Jun 01, Monday 09:35
Subject: [USMA:45164] Re: NASA Going English
I think that NASA did not do a good job of explaining what is really going on
here. The case is simple: they are reusing the Apollo technology to accelerate
this program. Apollo, as you know was done in customary measurement. To start
to reengineer all of that data and design work to SI would be cost-prohibitive
and extend development time far beyond what is reasonable. If this was
explained up front, we might all be a little more (albiet grudingly) accepting
of it.
In the long run, it is in NASA's best interest to go SI and I believe they
will. I also believe in the long run, the country as a whole will get there.
We may seem to be taking steps back from time to time but overall, we are
progressing towards metric. Maybe one day soon, we will get the impetus we
need to make a giant leap forward.
Phil
On Mon, Jun 1, 2009 at 4:37 AM, STANLEY DOORE <stan.do...@verizon.net> wrote:
The continued opposition to the metric system of measurement (SI) by
the United States is just another example of the continuing decline of the US.
Stan Doore
----- Original Message -----
From: Carleton MacDonald
To: U.S. Metric Association
Sent: Sunday, May 31, 2009 1:19 PM
Subject: [USMA:45157] Re: NASA Going English
Unfortunately I agree with you. The Arizona highway people, all the
highway departments in the USA that reverted from metric to English measure,
and the NASA people, no doubt believe that the USA will NEVER go metric. They
are reverting because of whining from contractors who have political clout, and
they firmly believe that this reversion, and the use of English measure, will
go on forever.
This administration, and this Democratic Congress, is politically the
most likely to ever carry out the final metrication process. They have
promoted change and have promoted America becoming more a partner in the world,
and their supporters (which includes me) are those more likely to be in favor
of metrication (I know pretty much every one of my friends and acquaintances
thinks that way – they all wonder why it wasn’t done years ago). If they don’t
do it, no future administration will.
The way the US Congress works (easy to hinder things, hard to pass
things), the whole “State’s Rights” situation here that doesn’t exist in many
other places, the radio talk show babblers, and the whole army of whiners who
just hate change, all make me rather pessimistic that anything will ever be
done.
Carleton
From: owner-u...@colostate.edu [mailto:owner-u...@colostate.edu] On
Behalf Of Victor Jockin
Sent: Saturday, May 30, 2009 19:30
To: U.S. Metric Association
Subject: [USMA:45150] Re: NASA Going English
I strongly agree that mandatory conversion in the only answer, but I also
believe it will not happen in the US within the lifetimes of anyone reading
this. The US metric conversion debacle of the last 40 years makes for an
interesting case study in American government. In short, I think our
government is nearly unique among western democracies in that it is incapable
of acting in the public interest when private interests oppose action. The
Senate is an undemocratic institution that empowers individual senators (i.e.,
the financial backers of individual senators) to block almost any action. Add
to that public ignorance of the need to for metric conversion, and we can
forget about a metric America. This is tragic, but so are the innumerable
other legislative disasters we endure as a nation, our current $trillion+
budget deficits being one recent example.
From: Carleton MacDonald
Sent: 05/29/2009 7:15 PM
To: U.S. Metric Association
Subject: [USMA:45134] Re: NASA Going English
I know this will inflame the libertarians here but the ONLY thing that is
going to fix this, fix Arizona, fix the highway departments reverting, etc. is
for nationwide legislation, passed by this Congress and signed by this
President, to immediately begin a coordinated, concerted and mandatory effort
to finish the metrication job in all aspects of American government, commerce,
and society, and in a span of time no more than two years. Do not listen to
the “freedom of choice” whiners, to those who want this to be “voluntary”, etc.
That’s what has put us in the terrible situation we are now in, with
reversions all over the place. I really do think they’d get a lot less
resistance than they think they would, if only they would get the cojones to
just get the job done and stop worrying about or listening to the complainers.
Carleton
From: owner-u...@colostate.edu [mailto:owner-u...@colostate.edu] On
Behalf Of ezra.steinb...@comcast.net
Sent: Friday, May 29, 2009 19:20
To: U.S. Metric Association
Cc: U.S. Metric Association
Subject: [USMA:45125] Re: NASA Going English
So, this is the "change we need"? Back to the 19th century????
----- Original Message -----
From: "John M. Steele" <jmsteele9...@sbcglobal.net>
To: "U.S. Metric Association" <usma@colostate.edu>
Sent: Friday, May 29, 2009 4:11:49 PM GMT -08:00 US/Canada Pacific
Subject: [USMA:45124] NASA Going English
Unbelievable.
http://www.spaceref.com/news/viewsr.html?pid=31353
Quoted from link:
Subject: New Management Directive on Units
All,
You've all heard the news that we're going back to English as the
primary unit of measure. Attached is the draft Management Directive. We're
planning on bring this MD to the CxCB on 6/5/09. Please let me know if you have
any issues.
