NASA vs. NOAA

[dhweather]

Interesting discussion I had with my wife the other night.
NOAA versus NASA, and what Americans will tolerate mistake wise.

For example, the NHC has done all it can do for Charley, warnings out
the yahoo, and it makes landfall in the warning area. Charley went
a few miles South of where most expected him to go, and the outcry
was horrific - it was damning and extremely critical. "How could
they screw up this bad, someone's head should roll". Right.
What else do you want the NHC to do? Go door to door and remind
people a major cane is coming, they are under a warning, and please
seek shelter?

NASA - remember the earlier MARS probes, before Spirit? There's one
that is planted DEEPLY into the surface of Mars - it did not land as
engineered to do. Why, might you ask? One group of the engineers
used the metric system for its calculations, while the other used
the good ol' english system for its calculations. The result? Hundreds
of millions of dollars buried deep within the surface of Mars.
There was no outcry, at least not to the scale of the Charley victims
that WERE UNDER A HURRICANE WARNING.


OK, I'll get off my rant now.

Please remember the NHC is the best we've got, some exceptional
individuals down there with extensive knowledge. So please don't
disrespect them. It's fine to question them, but calling them "idiots"
"morons" and such just does not cut it.

And I'll still stand up for the NASA folks. Sure, they do have a lot of
mishaps, and unfortunately several lives have been lost, all in the name
of science.

Think where we would be without them today? Yeah, I'll keep NASA too!

[Rocketman]

Well we (NASA) did "hit a bullet with a bullet" this weekend, eh?

[dhweather]

Like I said, I'll take 'em. Leading edge science requires great and
costly risks. But when they do get one that is successful, it's
mind boggling.

I still remember my then 92 year old grandmother watching
the images from the rovers, she was awe-inspired. Hey, all
her life she heard about the possibility of "Martians", and she got
to see pictures of the planet.