Why do space operations use “nominal” to mean “working correctly”?When did the term “Space” first...
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Why do space operations use “nominal” to mean “working correctly”?
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In common parlance, "nominal" means "in name only", "small (amount or quantity)" or "stated, but not necessarily reflective of reality".
So, the general sense is that "nominal" means something that should not be taken at face value.
How and why, then, did it come to mean "working correctly" in space travel? Is the implication here that it really means "working as far as we can tell"? Or is there a deeper meaning?
terminology
asked 8 hours ago
DancrumbDancrumb
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$begingroup$
In common parlance, "nominal" means "in name only", "small (amount or quantity)" or "stated, but not necessarily reflective of reality".
So, the general sense is that "nominal" means something that should not be taken at face value.
How and why, then, did it come to mean "working correctly" in space travel? Is the implication here that it really means "working as far as we can tell"? Or is there a deeper meaning?
terminology
asked 8 hours ago
DancrumbDancrumb
1284 bronze badges
New contributor
Dancrumb is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
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6
$begingroup$
Answered well at english.stackexchange.com/a/189686
$endgroup$
– Organic Marble
8 hours ago
add a comment |
$begingroup$
In common parlance, "nominal" means "in name only", "small (amount or quantity)" or "stated, but not necessarily reflective of reality".
So, the general sense is that "nominal" means something that should not be taken at face value.
How and why, then, did it come to mean "working correctly" in space travel? Is the implication here that it really means "working as far as we can tell"? Or is there a deeper meaning?
terminology
asked 8 hours ago
DancrumbDancrumb
1284 bronze badges
New contributor
Dancrumb is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
$endgroup$
In common parlance, "nominal" means "in name only", "small (amount or quantity)" or "stated, but not necessarily reflective of reality".
So, the general sense is that "nominal" means something that should not be taken at face value.
How and why, then, did it come to mean "working correctly" in space travel? Is the implication here that it really means "working as far as we can tell"? Or is there a deeper meaning?
terminology
terminology
asked 8 hours ago
DancrumbDancrumb
1284 bronze badges
New contributor
Dancrumb is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
asked 8 hours ago
DancrumbDancrumb
1284 bronze badges
New contributor
Dancrumb is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
asked 8 hours ago
DancrumbDancrumb
1284 bronze badges
New contributor
Dancrumb is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
asked 8 hours ago
DancrumbDancrumb
1284 bronze badges
asked 8 hours ago
DancrumbDancrumb
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1284 bronze badges
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Dancrumb is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
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6
$begingroup$
Answered well at english.stackexchange.com/a/189686
$endgroup$
– Organic Marble
8 hours ago
add a comment |
6
$begingroup$
Answered well at english.stackexchange.com/a/189686
$endgroup$
– Organic Marble
8 hours ago
6
6
$begingroup$
Answered well at english.stackexchange.com/a/189686
$endgroup$
– Organic Marble
8 hours ago
$begingroup$
Answered well at english.stackexchange.com/a/189686
$endgroup$
– Organic Marble
8 hours ago
add a comment |
1 Answer
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As explained in the answer that Organic Marble dug up, aerospatial "nominal" is really a shorthand for something like within the allowed tolerances around the nominal value. We can speculate about how that shorthand evolved.
Example: Assume the specified thrust of an engine -- its nominal thrust -- is 45 kN, but the mission rules say you can proceed if the actual observed thrust is +/- 10% of that figure. The flight controller sees it's running at 42kN. How's the engine doing? The controller might want to say "it's within the allowed tolerances from nominal."
That's a mouthful to say, so it gets shortened to something like "close enough to nominal" to save time, and eventually the literal meaning of "nominal" becomes irrelevant, and the controller just says "nominal" to mean close-enough-to-nominal and "off-nominal" (or "high", or "low", or "abort now-now-now") to mean not-close-enough-to-nominal.
answered 8 hours ago
Russell BorogoveRussell Borogove
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$begingroup$
As explained in the answer that Organic Marble dug up, aerospatial "nominal" is really a shorthand for something like within the allowed tolerances around the nominal value. We can speculate about how that shorthand evolved.
Example: Assume the specified thrust of an engine -- its nominal thrust -- is 45 kN, but the mission rules say you can proceed if the actual observed thrust is +/- 10% of that figure. The flight controller sees it's running at 42kN. How's the engine doing? The controller might want to say "it's within the allowed tolerances from nominal."
That's a mouthful to say, so it gets shortened to something like "close enough to nominal" to save time, and eventually the literal meaning of "nominal" becomes irrelevant, and the controller just says "nominal" to mean close-enough-to-nominal and "off-nominal" (or "high", or "low", or "abort now-now-now") to mean not-close-enough-to-nominal.
answered 8 hours ago
Russell BorogoveRussell Borogove
97.8k3 gold badges341 silver badges428 bronze badges
$endgroup$
add a comment |
$begingroup$
As explained in the answer that Organic Marble dug up, aerospatial "nominal" is really a shorthand for something like within the allowed tolerances around the nominal value. We can speculate about how that shorthand evolved.
Example: Assume the specified thrust of an engine -- its nominal thrust -- is 45 kN, but the mission rules say you can proceed if the actual observed thrust is +/- 10% of that figure. The flight controller sees it's running at 42kN. How's the engine doing? The controller might want to say "it's within the allowed tolerances from nominal."
That's a mouthful to say, so it gets shortened to something like "close enough to nominal" to save time, and eventually the literal meaning of "nominal" becomes irrelevant, and the controller just says "nominal" to mean close-enough-to-nominal and "off-nominal" (or "high", or "low", or "abort now-now-now") to mean not-close-enough-to-nominal.
answered 8 hours ago
Russell BorogoveRussell Borogove
97.8k3 gold badges341 silver badges428 bronze badges
$endgroup$
add a comment |
$begingroup$
As explained in the answer that Organic Marble dug up, aerospatial "nominal" is really a shorthand for something like within the allowed tolerances around the nominal value. We can speculate about how that shorthand evolved.
Example: Assume the specified thrust of an engine -- its nominal thrust -- is 45 kN, but the mission rules say you can proceed if the actual observed thrust is +/- 10% of that figure. The flight controller sees it's running at 42kN. How's the engine doing? The controller might want to say "it's within the allowed tolerances from nominal."
That's a mouthful to say, so it gets shortened to something like "close enough to nominal" to save time, and eventually the literal meaning of "nominal" becomes irrelevant, and the controller just says "nominal" to mean close-enough-to-nominal and "off-nominal" (or "high", or "low", or "abort now-now-now") to mean not-close-enough-to-nominal.
answered 8 hours ago
Russell BorogoveRussell Borogove
97.8k3 gold badges341 silver badges428 bronze badges
$endgroup$
As explained in the answer that Organic Marble dug up, aerospatial "nominal" is really a shorthand for something like within the allowed tolerances around the nominal value. We can speculate about how that shorthand evolved.
Example: Assume the specified thrust of an engine -- its nominal thrust -- is 45 kN, but the mission rules say you can proceed if the actual observed thrust is +/- 10% of that figure. The flight controller sees it's running at 42kN. How's the engine doing? The controller might want to say "it's within the allowed tolerances from nominal."
That's a mouthful to say, so it gets shortened to something like "close enough to nominal" to save time, and eventually the literal meaning of "nominal" becomes irrelevant, and the controller just says "nominal" to mean close-enough-to-nominal and "off-nominal" (or "high", or "low", or "abort now-now-now") to mean not-close-enough-to-nominal.
answered 8 hours ago
Russell BorogoveRussell Borogove
97.8k3 gold badges341 silver badges428 bronze badges
edited 8 hours ago
answered 8 hours ago
Russell BorogoveRussell Borogove
97.8k3 gold badges341 silver badges428 bronze badges
answered 8 hours ago
Russell BorogoveRussell Borogove
97.8k3 gold badges341 silver badges428 bronze badges
answered 8 hours ago
Russell BorogoveRussell Borogove
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97.8k3 gold badges341 silver badges428 bronze badges
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Answered well at english.stackexchange.com/a/189686
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– Organic Marble
8 hours ago