You know there's something wrong with US politics when NASA is forced to communicate in Imperial measurements.

"Orion’s main engine provides up to 6,000 pounds of thrust, enough to accelerate a car from 0 to 60 mph in about 2.7 seconds. At the time of the burn, Orion’s mass was 58,000 pounds and burned approximately 1,000 pounds of fuel during the firing."

https://www.nasa.gov/blogs/missions/2026/04/02/artemis-ii-flight-day-2-orion-completes-tli-burn-crew-begins-journey-to-the-moon/

#space #artemis #nasa

Artemis II Flight Day 2: Orion Completes TLI Burn, Crew Begins Journey to the Moon - NASA

NASA’s Artemis II crew is on the way to the Moon.

NASA

OFFS "On the station, crews rely on more than 4,000 pounds of exercise hardware spread across roughly 850 cubic feet." 🙄

#science #nasa #artemis

NASA's use of Imperial measurements is similar to if US biologists started using species names in the Texas dialect instead of in Latin.

#science #nasa #artemis #space

I can't overstate this. NASA's use of pounds and cubic feet in its outreach efforts does not come across to science-literate people, inside or outside the US, as a sign that the country is a badass superpower that can do what it likes and ignore everyone else.

Instead it suggests that the US is a provincial nation of dungaree-wearing banjo players.

#science #nasa #artemis #space

@mrundkvist Worse, NASA lost a spacecraft due to this oractice. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mars_Climate_Orbiter

I don’t see it as superpower bravado but rather the inability to adapt and the low values the public places I. Science and engineering.

Mars Climate Orbiter - Wikipedia

@tsrams @mrundkvist

Having incompatible measurement units can lead to bizarre situations. One of these is the story of the Gimli Glider, a Boeing 767 which, after its fuel density was calculated in pounds per litre instead of kilograms per litre, had to land with no engines on a decommissioned runway on which a motorsport event was taking place.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gimli_Glider

#metric

Gimli Glider - Wikipedia

@Anne_Delong @tsrams @mrundkvist Ahh yes, the Gimli Glider, a famously American cock-up on the American Air Canada airline operating between the noted American cities of Montréal and Edmonton.

@dresstokilt @tsrams @mrundkvist

Sorry, I didn't intend to imply that it was an American issue, just that dealing with two different measuring systems can lead to mistakes.

@Anne_Delong @dresstokilt @tsrams @mrundkvist

It was was one of the reasons Canada smartened up and switched to metric.

@chu @dresstokilt @tsrams @mrundkvist

Aside from the fuel issue, it seems that the pilots had not been trained on what to do if both engines were not working, and there was no item in the emergency manual about it. Only because the pilot flew gliders as a hobby did the plane get to the runway (which had a guardrail down the middle for safety during drag races).

@Anne_Delong @dresstokilt @tsrams @mrundkvist

We learnt about the glimi glider in flight school.

It was a long time ago in aviation terms. The industry was not as mature as it is now. It is important to remember that all safety regulations and protocols are written in blood. In general, until sometime fatal (or near fatal happens), things don't get regulated due to lack of information or just lack of understanding.

This was one of those incidents that added to the rule books.

@chu @Anne_Delong @tsrams @mrundkvist We're not even going to talk about the tragedy that was the Legolas Glider.