English/metric measurement error in the Mars Climate Orbiter

[mklotz]

Just in case you still think it's reasonable to have two or more measurement systems in use at the same time, take a look at these examples...

https://www.conantphysics.com/wp-con...easurement.pdf

Most distressing is this quote...

Note that aircraft altitudes are in feet throughout the world, except for China, Mongolia, and the CIS (former Soviet states), which use meters.

Think about what happens if some already metric nation decides to follow China's lead. How do you guarantee that the notification of the switchover reaches all the people who need to know about it? How do you guarantee these people, once informed, take all the necessary actions in response to the changeover?

I believe most aircraft autopilots currently accept inputs in feet. (Correct me if I'm wrong on that.) Does that mean that, if the pilot is assigned a flight level in meters, he must make a conversion to feet before adjusting the autopilot? Sounds like a recipe for disaster to me.