Martin Rundkvist2d ago

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
Show threadMartin Rundkvist2d ago

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

#science #nasa #artemis

Show threadMartin Rundkvist2d ago

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

Show threadMartin Rundkvist2d ago

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

Show thread14mission1d ago
@mrundkvist It's 4,204,640 football fields to the moon.
Show threadPhil Thane ✅11h ago
@14mission @mrundkvist The UK media use 'football fields' too and it drives me crazy. I don't watch football, I *think* a European football pitch is 100 metres long but it might not be. Of course we get a lot of US media too and I've no idea how long their football pitches are.
Show thread14mission
@pthane @mrundkvist I think a soccer/rest-of-the-world-football field is 100m? A US football field is 100 yards. Except maybe in Canada? I dunno.
1:04pmWeb
Show threadColm Ó Donnchadha5h ago
@14mission @pthane @mrundkvist soccer pitches are 100-130 yards long and 50-100 yards wide
Show threadPhil Thane ✅5h ago
@ColmDonoghue @14mission @mrundkvist So this 'handy' standard measure isn't even standardised?
Show threadColm Ó Donnchadha5h ago

@pthane @14mission @mrundkvist

No, it is officially sized in metres in the laws of the game, but length and width is up to each team to set, some teams change width day to day depending on opposing teams strength/weakness

A fairly standard size pitch is one that fits inside a running track, and there's a FIFA recommendation size that does this