Editing Metrication (section)

==Metrication mishaps==
Confusion over units during the process of metrication can sometimes lead to accidents. In 1983, an [[Air Canada]] [[Boeing 767]], nicknamed the "[[Gimli Glider]]" following the incident, ran out of fuel in midflight.  The incident was caused, in a large part, by the confusion over the conversion between litres, kilograms, and pounds, resulting in the aircraft receiving {{convert|22,300|lb|kg}} of fuel instead of the required {{convert|22,300|kg}}.<ref>{{Cite book|author=Merran Williams |date=July–August 2003 |title=The 156-tonne GIMLI GLIDER |publisher=Flight Safety Australia |pages=22, 25 |url=http://www.casa.gov.au/fsa/2003/jul/22-27.pdf |access-date=5 November 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071127211746/http://www.casa.gov.au/fsa/2003/jul/22-27.pdf
|archive-date=27 November 2007}}</ref>

While not strictly an example of national metrication, the use of two different measurement systems was a contributing factor in the loss of the [[Mars Climate Orbiter]] in 1999.  The [[National Aeronautics and Space Administration]] (NASA) specified metric units in the contract.  NASA and other organisations worked in metric units, but one subcontractor, [[Lockheed Martin]], provided thruster performance data to the team in [[pound force]]-seconds instead of [[newton (unit)|newton]]-seconds.  The spacecraft was intended to orbit [[Mars]] at about {{convert|150|km|mi}} in altitude, but the incorrect data meant that it descended to about {{convert|57|km|mi}}.  As a result, it burned up in the [[Atmosphere of Mars|Martian atmosphere]].<ref>{{cite web |title=NASA's metric confusion caused Mars orbiter loss |url=http://edition.cnn.com/TECH/space/9909/30/mars.metric/ |date=30 September 1999 |website=CNN |access-date=24 May 2013 |archive-date=18 January 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130118123539/http://edition.cnn.com/TECH/space/9909/30/mars.metric/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>