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I think you're confusing the public broadcast commentary with the engineering that goes into the actual hardware. There are slightly different levels of rigor i

I think you're confusing the public broadcast commentary with the engineering that goes into the actual hardware. There are slightly different levels of rigor involved... (and very different audiences)

shmerl 7y ago
I think it should be uniform, until it becomes a habit. Making it lax in one area can backfire in another. That's besides the point that someone should be advancing the usage of metric for the general public, and who is best suited for it, if not someone already invested in it like SpaceX. Their HUD in the video is already using metric for example.
- JshWright 7y ago
  Bear in mind that the audience of the webcast is not uniformly comfortable with metric units. Using both makes sure that everyone has a sense of the scales involved. By using them both, it's a good way to give someone who doesn't use metric a basic understanding of the conversions.
  - shmerl 7y ago
    That's the point. In order to make the public comfortable, metric should be used for them. That's the only way to gain comfort. Not using it only prolongs the issue. The government basically gave up on it, leaving metrication in shambles. So SpaceX is in good position to do something about it. And using one or another intermittently only adds confusion IMHO, unless you literally use both for each value which is even more annoying (at least to me).
    - JshWright 7y ago
      It's cool that you're so passionate about this, but bear in mind your intitial comment was suggesting that SpaceX was risking a mission failure by mixing units in a broadcast intended for public consumption. The goalposts seem to have drifted a bit here...
      - shmerl 7y ago
        It's both. Presenting to the public and being consistent. If they are training their own teams to be used to it, it should be consistent everywhere. And public will benefit from it, like above.
        JshWright 7y ago
        The SpaceX rep on the broadcast was John "Norminal" Insprucker[1]. Pretty sure he's been sufficiently "trained" in metric units... [1]: https://airandspace.si.edu/support/wall-of-honor/col-john-insprucker-usaf https://airandspace.si.edu/support/wall-of-honor/col-john-in...
        mikeyouse 7y ago
        Good lord, I’ve seen him on the broadcasts before but I had no idea that’s what his resume looked like. Incredible.
        JshWright 7y ago
        Yeah, he comes across as a super unassuming dude in the webcasts, but he has definitely "been there, done that" when it comes to putting stuff in space.
        shmerl 7y ago
        Which is great, so it would be good to translate that to public commentary with metric too :) Also, surprised to find so many downvotes here. I suppose some still oppose the metrication effort and want to prolong the usage of imperial units, but are too embarrassed to admit it.

shmerl 7y ago

I think it should be uniform, until it becomes a habit. Making it lax in one area can backfire in another. That's besides the point that someone should be advancing the usage of metric for the general public, and who is best suited for it, if not someone already invested in it like SpaceX. Their HUD in the video is already using metric for example.

JshWright 7y ago
Bear in mind that the audience of the webcast is not uniformly comfortable with metric units. Using both makes sure that everyone has a sense of the scales involved. By using them both, it's a good way to give someone who doesn't use metric a basic understanding of the conversions.
- shmerl 7y ago
  That's the point. In order to make the public comfortable, metric should be used for them. That's the only way to gain comfort. Not using it only prolongs the issue. The government basically gave up on it, leaving metrication in shambles. So SpaceX is in good position to do something about it. And using one or another intermittently only adds confusion IMHO, unless you literally use both for each value which is even more annoying (at least to me).
  - JshWright 7y ago
    It's cool that you're so passionate about this, but bear in mind your intitial comment was suggesting that SpaceX was risking a mission failure by mixing units in a broadcast intended for public consumption. The goalposts seem to have drifted a bit here...
    - shmerl 7y ago
      It's both. Presenting to the public and being consistent. If they are training their own teams to be used to it, it should be consistent everywhere. And public will benefit from it, like above.
      - JshWright 7y ago
        The SpaceX rep on the broadcast was John "Norminal" Insprucker[1]. Pretty sure he's been sufficiently "trained" in metric units... [1]: https://airandspace.si.edu/support/wall-of-honor/col-john-insprucker-usaf https://airandspace.si.edu/support/wall-of-honor/col-john-in...
        mikeyouse 7y ago
        Good lord, I’ve seen him on the broadcasts before but I had no idea that’s what his resume looked like. Incredible.
        JshWright 7y ago
        Yeah, he comes across as a super unassuming dude in the webcasts, but he has definitely "been there, done that" when it comes to putting stuff in space.
        shmerl 7y ago
        Which is great, so it would be good to translate that to public commentary with metric too :) Also, surprised to find so many downvotes here. I suppose some still oppose the metrication effort and want to prolong the usage of imperial units, but are too embarrassed to admit it.