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NASA Still Can't Get That Metric Stuff Right

By Keith Cowing
NASA Watch
February 26, 2010
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NASA Opens High Frontier to Education and Not-For-Profit Groups
“NASA is announcing a new initiative to launch small cube-shaped satellites for education and not-for-profit organizations. CubeSats are a class of research spacecraft called picosatellites, having a size of approximately four inches, a volume of about one quart, and weighing no more than 2.2 pounds.”
NASA Solicitation: Announcement of CUBESAT Launch Initiative
“A CubeSat is a type of space research nanosatellite, the base CubeSat dimension is 10x10x11 centimeters (one “Cube” or “1U”). CubeSats typically range from one to three Cubes (10x10x34 centimeters) in volume and typically weigh no more than one kilogram per 1U Cube.”
Assessment of NASA’s Use of the Metric System, G-00-021, NASA OIG
“By law and policy, SI is the preferred system of measurement within NASA.”
Keith’s note: Here we are in the 21st Century and NASA still will not adhere to its own – and goverment requirements – and conduct business in metric units. But wait … they do – in the official solicitation. So … did someone in PAO translate from metric units back into English units? Wacky.
Otherwise: this is a very cool program.

NASA Watch founder, Explorers Club Fellow, ex-NASA, Away Teams, Journalist, Space & Astrobiology, Lapsed climber.