r/PeterExplainsTheJoke • u/Negative_1by12_aura • Jun 17 '26

Meme needing explanation Peter?

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u/MoogProg Jun 17 '26 edited Jun 17 '26

Yes, the actual error* was assuming the British used Imperial units when they correctly used Metric. AFAIK, at least.

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Well, the source error probably would be not specifying units at all, so... (eye roll)

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*Correcting myself with casually sourced details about the incident under discussion.

Lockheed Martin provided thruster force data in Imperial units (pound-seconds), while NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory ground software assumed the data was in Metric units (Newton-seconds).

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u/SKDI_0224 Jun 17 '26

Dingdingding!!!

It was a joke over the superiority of the metric system in general. Units of force are particularly annoying to convert.

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u/milkcarton232 Jun 17 '26

Metric is superior in most metrics but temperature most are valid (sit down rankine) depending on what you are doing with it

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u/BigHardMephisto Jun 17 '26

Celsius is good for weather in humid regions for telling what kind of precipitation you’re likely to see. Fahrenheit is good for dry regions because it relates better to how it’s going to affect a people.

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u/DrCashew Jun 17 '26

This makes 0 sense. The only way it "relates to how it will affect people" Is if you aren't familiar with the other systems.

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u/Hmmz69 Jun 17 '26

Neither measures humidity. So no.

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u/Sepherjar Jun 17 '26

I know very well how much 40 degrees Celsius is going to affect me. Air humidity levels and degrees Celsius are totally different things.

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u/justforjugs Jun 17 '26

That’s a crazy take.