[Lex Computer & Tech Group/LCTG] How did they do it

Wed Jul 5 18:32:57 PDT 2023

Wasn't the original Hubble mirror problem also a metric-English error?

On Wed, Jul 5, 2023, 7:27 PM George Gamota <ggamota at stma-llc.com> wrote:

> There was this Mars mission where the scientists used metric and engineers
> used English. The spacecraft went millions of miles of course.
>
>
>
> *From:* LCTG <lctg-bounces+ggamota=stma-llc.com at lists.toku.us> *On Behalf
> Of *Ted Kochanski
> *Sent:* Wednesday, July 5, 2023 6:15 PM
> *To:* David Lees <joeoptics at gmail.com>
> *Cc:* George Gamota <ggamota at gmail.com>; Lexington Computer Group New
> Address Distribution <LCTG at lists.toku.us>
> *Subject:* Re: [Lex Computer & Tech Group/LCTG] How did they do it
>
>
>
> Depends on the system which is involved
>
> [aka Where is AI when you really need it]
>
>
>
> A while back an Air Canada 767 headed for Edmonton Alberta had to do an
> emergency [no engine power] landing at a former [WW2-Cold War vintage
> CRAF base in Gimli Manitoba] -- Google or Wikipedia the "Gimli Glider"
>
> While the whole incident was complicated by electronic embedded system
> failures, as well as procedural failures -- ultimately the "crash landing"
> resulted from a fuel load
>
> entered into the flight control computer in kgs but using the measurement
> of the fuel load in lbs -- when they took off from Montreal via
> Ottawa enroute to Edmonton
>
>
>
> Somewhere in western Ontario they discovered that they had no fuel left --
> and their engines shut down causing the plane to lose primary and backup
> hydraulic power
>
> and most of the electrical power as well. The loss of primary electrical
> power led to the loss of the Mode S Transponder causing great grief in the
> en-route Air Traffic Control
>
> Luckily -- The 767 came equipped with a ram-air turbine to drive an
> emergency hydraulic pump -- but this depended on the plane maintaining
> typical cruising speed
>
> As they approached Gimli things didn't look too promising.
>
>
>
> However -- There was manifold mostly accidental good news:
>
> the pilot was an experienced glider pilot
>
> his co-pilot had flown out of the Gimli air base when he was in the CRAF.
>
> Lacking full hydraulic power the nose landing gear failed to fully
> descend and lock into place.
>
> Finally, and improbably the old airbase had been converted to a
> motorsports park [which was if use by drag racers used to dealing with
> fires] with a guardrail running down the centere of the former runway
>
> [from the wiki article]
>
> "As soon as the wheels touched down on the runway, Pearson [767 pilot]
> braked hard, skidding and promptly blowing out two of the aircraft's tires.
> The unlocked nose wheel collapsed and was forced back into its well,
> causing the aircraft's nose to slam into, bounce off, and then scrape along
> the ground. This additional friction helped to slow the airplane and kept
> it from crashing into the crowds surrounding the runway. Pearson applied
> extra right brake, which caused the main landing gear to straddle the
> guardrail.  Air Canada Flight 143 came to a final stop on the ground *17
> minutes after running out of fuel*
> No serious injuries occurred among the 61 passengers or the people on the
> ground. As the aircraft's nose had collapsed onto the ground, its tail was
> elevated, so some minor injuries happened when passengers exited the
> aircraft via the rear slides, which were not sufficiently long to
> accommodate the increased height. A minor fire in the nose area was
> extinguished by racers and course workers equipped with portable fire
> extinguishers.
>
>
>
> So sometimes even if you don't know your kgs from your feet or whatever --
> you may still luck-out
>
>
>
> Ted
>
>
>
> On Wed, Jul 5, 2023 at 5:30 PM David Lees <joeoptics at gmail.com> wrote:
>
> Yea, the metric - English units disaster.  Why metric units should always
> be used unless you are buying beer 😜
>
>
>
>
> https://www.popularmechanics.com/space/moon-mars/news/a28632/the-dumb-mistake-that-doomed-a-mars-probe-in-1999/
>
>
>
> On Wed, Jul 5, 2023, 4:06 PM Ted Kochanski <tedpkphd at gmail.com> wrote:
>
> All,
>
>
>
> Remember -- Mars has a tendency of inducing conversion errors
>
> Google for yourself how many of these
>
>
>
> Ted
>
>
>
> On Wed, Jul 5, 2023 at 3:59 PM George Gamota <ggamota at gmail.com> wrote:
>
> You guys are right. Need stronger glasses :-)
>
> Sent from my iPhone
>
>
>
> On Jul 5, 2023, at 2:51 PM, Dick Miller <TheMillers at millermicro.com>
> wrote:
>
>  George, it will take more than a century for that rover to travel that
> distance. That is, if the likelihood of mechanical breakdown - or a Martian
> monster - doesn't come first.
>
> It has traveled about 1.2 miles so far. In the article you cited, those
> were American decimal points, not European ones.
>
>
> Cheers from
> --Dick Miller, Partner, MMS <TheMillers at millermicro.com>
>
> Sent from an awesome, inexpensive, non-proprietary
> <https://www.gnu.org/proprietary/>, no-lock-in, no-bloatware,
> virus-resistant, free open-source software, *Linux*
> <http://NatickFOSS.org/> PC - with *Ubuntu-Unity 23.04*
> <https://ubuntuunity.org> and *Fotoxx 23.50*
> <http://www.kornelix.net/fotoxx/fotoxx.html>.
>
> On 7/5/23 14:15, Donald Cooke wrote:
>
> That's a long way. Wikipedia has another opinion, Meters, not Kilometers:
>
> <image.png>
>
>
>
>
>
> Don Cooke   #523  603.219.9259
>
>
>
>
>
> On Wed, Jul 5, 2023 at 10:57 AM <ggamota at gmail.com> wrote:
>
> I just saw that  the Chinese rover on Mars traveled over 1, 100 miles in
> one year. Seems like they figured out a way to travel autonomously.
>
> Any thoughts?
>
> George
>
>
>
> The Zhurong rover has operated on the surface of Mars for over a year
> since it deployed on May 22nd, 2021. Before the rover suspended operations
> on May 20, 2022, due to the onset of winter and the approach of seasonal
> sandstorms, Zhurong managed to traverse a total distance of 1.921 km (1.194
> mi).
>
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> David Lees
> From Pixel 6 Pro
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