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A Community Devoted to the Preservation and Practice of Celestial Navigation and Other Methods of Traditional Wayfinding
Re: Nautical Miles and Apollo
From: Frank Reed
Date: 2019 Jun 7, 14:29 -0700
From: Frank Reed
Date: 2019 Jun 7, 14:29 -0700
Robin, you wrote:
"in the Apollo program, spacecraft distances were quoted in nautical miles. I'm not sure why but it might have been familiarity since many of the astronauts were from a navy background"
Also nearly all aviation, not just naval aviation, used nautical miles back then. Pilots, controllers, textbooks, and most flight resources quoted distances in nautical miles fifty years ago, and most still do today. Definitely aboard Apollo 12, that "All Navy" aspect helped. Have you watched Tom Hanks' dramatized/near documentary series "From the Earth to the Moon". Though it's too light-hearted for some people, the episode about Apollo 12 is one of my favorites.
Frank Reed
