Mars Probe Lost

The $125-million Mars Climate Orbiter has been lost (Oct. 1) due to a misunderstanding about units of measurement (English versus metric). No one should believe this is the first, or last, costly incident resulting from units confusion. What if that spaceship had been manned? The U.S. stands isolated in a metric world. International business and communication are constantly increasing. Metric is clearly the world standard for the new millennium, and the U.S. should adopt it without delay in all aspects of commerce, education and life.

ROB PORTER

Irvine

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Re Carl Pilcher’s explanation for the loss of the Mars probe due to a simple math error, “I think the problem was that our systems designed to recognize and correct human error failed us”: Does he have any idea how absurd his statement is? It was a simple case of overreliance on computers. It starts with spell-check for elementary school children and ends here with our NASA scientists.

ANA SHORR

Pacific Palisades