• PugJesus@piefed.socialOP
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    21 days ago

    Back when NASA was flinging things into space for the first time, the tolerances that were even possible were extremely tight. Every pound mattered (every pound still matters, but because we have other things to do once we get to space nowadays, plus every pound is expensive).

    600 pounds of white paint for the fuel tank was considered unnecessary, once the engineering team figured that it didn’t actually protect the special foam covering of the fuel tank anyway. Thus the distinctive orange color!

    • Scrollone@feddit.it
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      21 days ago

      For all the people in the world except the ones from Liberia, Myanmar and the United States, 600 freedom units = ~272 kg

        • Honytawk@discuss.tchncs.de
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          19 days ago

          And you could just use standardized metrics that is used by the entire world. Like many Americans claim they can. Yet here we are.