quantitative and technical material most information from rude, carolyn. technical editing, 4 th ed

Quantitative and Technical Material

Most information from Rude, Carolyn. Technical Editing, 4th ed.

http://www.nasa.gov/images/content/206510main_hstimgMARS_200711218_HI.jpg

The Mars Climate Orbiter was lost at the Red Planet […] because the mission's navigation team was unfamiliar with the spacecraft. It lacked training, and failed to detect a mistake by outside engineers who delivered navigation information in English [imperial] rather than metric units, according to a mission failure investigation report released Wednesday.

A litany of errors and problems led to the loss of the $125 million spacecraft on Sept. 23, a loss that has complicated an upcoming Mars landing mission, the report says.Space.com

Imag

e: h

ttp:

//ds

c.di

scov

ery.

com

/spa

ce/t

op-1

0/na

sa-d

isas

ter-

mom

ents

/ind

ex-0

6.ht

ml

The Mission Failure Investigation Board's report cites the following contributing factors:

• Errors went undetected within ground-based computer models of how small thruster firings on the spacecraft were predicted and then carried out on the spacecraft during its interplanetary trip to Mars

• The operational navigation team was not fully informed on the details of the way that Mars Climate Orbiter was pointed in space, as compared to the earlier Mars Global Surveyor mission

• A final, optional engine firing to raise the spacecraft’s path relative to Mars before its arrival was considered but not performed for several interdependent reasons

• The systems engineering function within the project that is supposed to track and double-check all interconnected aspects of the mission was not robust enough, exacerbated by the first-time handover of a Mars-bound spacecraft from a group that constructed it and launched it to a new, multi-mission operations team

• Some communications channels among project engineering groups were too informal • The small mission navigation team was oversubscribed and its work did not receive peer review by

independent experts • Personnel were not trained sufficiently in areas such as the relationship between the operation of

the mission and its detailed navigational characteristics, or the process of filing formal anomaly reports

• The process to verify and validate certain engineering requirements and technical interfaces between some project groups, and between the project and its prime mission contractor, was inadequate

Quoted directly from MFIB's report overview

Basic Guidelines for the Use of Numbers:

1. Use figures for all quantifiable units of measure

2. Do not begin a sentence with a figure3. Do not mix systems of measurement4. Set decimal fractions of less that 1.0 with an

initial zero5. Convert treatment of numbers in a

translation

International System of Units (SI)Quantity Unit Abbreviation

Length

Mass

Time

Electric current

Temperature

Luminous intensity

Amount of substance

International System of Units (SI)Quantity Unit Abbreviation

Length Meter

Mass Kilogram

Time Second

Electric current Ampere

Temperature Kelvin

Luminous intensity Candela

Amount of substance Mole

International System of Units (SI)Quantity Unit Abbreviation

Length Meter m

Mass Kilogram kg

Time Second s

Electric current Ampere A

Temperature Kelvin K

Luminous intensity Candela cd

Amount of substance Mole mol

SI Units for Other Physical Quantities

Quantity Unit Symbol or abbreviation

Acceleration

Electric resistance

Frequency

Power

Pressure

Velocity

SI Units for Other Physical Quantities

Quantity Unit Symbol or abbreviation

Acceleration Meter per second squared

Electric resistance Ohm

Frequency Hertz

Power Watt

Pressure Newton per square meter

Velocity Meter per second

SI Units for Other Physical Quantities

Quantity Unit Symbol or abbreviation

Acceleration Meter per second squared M / s2

Electric resistance Ohm Ω

Frequency Hertz Hz

Power Watt W

Pressure Newton per square meter N / m2

Velocity Meter per second M / s

Fractions

Built up1 + (x - 3) y + 2

Solid (Inline)[1 + (x – 3)] / (y + 2)

Pay attention to order of parentheses, brackets, and braces:

{[()]}

To mark a fraction for inline presentation:

12

Equations

• Equations are statements, read as sentences, which follow accepted rules of grammar

• Equations contain an equal (=) sign• Equations are numbered sequentially, generally

by chapter, then equation # (1.1, 2.3, etc.)• If you must break an equation across a line,

break in front of an operational sign or relation. Never break terms in a parentheses.

22

1mvmvdvpdvk

vv

o

22

1mvmvdvpdvk

vv

o

2

2

1mvmvdvpdvk

v

o

v

o

Formatting Equations

• Align related equations on the equal sign• Set operational or relational signs with a space

on either side• Place a zero before a decimal in quantity less

than 1, except for correlation coefficients (r) and probabilities (P)

• Capitalize experiment and trial when these words refer to specific tests

Rwvcm

Raacm

Praesent varius nibh in sapien aliquet pulvinar. Mauris elementum est nec diam consequat sit amet tristique ante auctor. Donec luctus tincidunt sapien quis convallis, such as the equation for Tangential Velocity:

(1)

(1.2)

Proin malesuada pellentesque euismod. Aenean quis malesuada lectus. Phasellus mollis suscipit dui, a tempus sem volutpat et. Acceleration is satisfied by

Rwvcm

Raacm

(1.1)

(1.2)

Proin malesuada pellentesque euismod. Aenean quis malesuada lectus. Phasellus mollis suscipit dui, a tempus sem volutpat et. Acceleration is satisfied by

Praesent varius nibh in sapien aliquet pulvinar. Mauris elementum est nec diam consequat sit amet tristique ante auctor. Donec luctus tincidunt sapien quis convallis, such as the equation for Tangential Velocity:

Statistical symbols and abbreviations

Symbol / Abbreviation Meaning

ANOVA

r

df

F

μ

n

N

P or φ

SD

S; Ss

t-test

Statistical symbols and abbreviations

Symbol / Abbreviation Meaning

ANOVA Analysis of variance

r Correlation

df Degrees of freedom

F F-ration

μ Mean

n Number of subjects

N Number of test results

P or φ Probability

SD Standard deviation

S; Ss Subject; subjects

t-test Test of differences between two means