Re: NASA's most overused word: anomaly !

From Dave Mayes:
On Feb 13, 2:00pm, "Ercm" <n...@xxxxxxxx> wrote:
This word is overused so much that it is as annoying as the Head-On TV
commerial...

I agree that anomaly is one of NASA's most overused words but what do
you expect from one of the government's premier scientific agencies?
I guess they could use the scientific term "bad day" a bit more to
describe what can happen when they have too many anomalies but "bad
day" is two words and the term "bad day" understates in an informal
sort of way the less complex and easily understood scientific term
CATASTROPHE.
<snip>

I agree with the overuse criticism. But compounding the problem is
the fact that the meaning of the term "anomaly" is often misunderstood
within NASA. The word is often used (misused) as a synonym for
"abnormal", "problem" or "failure". But the pure form of the word
does not inherently connote any negativity. It simply indicates a
deviation from the nominal. I'll repeat:

- An anomaly is simply a deviation from the nominal.

And this points toward the fact that an even more overused and
frequently misunderstood word at NASA is "nominal". This word is
commonly used as a synonym for "normal" or having "no problem". But
"nominal" does not necessarily indicate something that is positive.
Here's what it actually means:

- Nominal is simply a condition as it has been defined, good or bad.

A synonym for nominal would be "named" (akin to the word
"nominated"). A situation is defined, and then when it is
subsequently executed without deviation, the condition is "nominal".
Looking at the root "nom-", we can see that the two words "nominal"
and "anomaly" share the same root. One means "that which is named",
the other meaning "not that which is named" (negated by the prefix
"a-", similar to how the words "typical" and "atypical" are related).
So we can see that:

- The words "anomaly" and "nominal" are antonyms.

They are each other's opposites. This might seem like splitting
hairs, but there is a distinct advantage to using these strictly
accurate definitions. This question serves to illustrate:

What does "nominal RTLS" mean?

There are experts at NASA who see this as a contradiction in terms,
because they think of "nominal" as "good" and an abort as "bad". But
it is actually a perfectly accurate term. A nominal RTLS is simply an
RTLS that conforms to whatever was defined (named) as an RTLS. To
illustrate further, it is possible to set out to simulate an RTLS,
have something happen that was not planned (such as a planned engine
failure not happening) and then instead of flying an RTLS you end up
flying a perfect ascent trajectory.

This perfect ascent would be *an anomaly*. It was a deviation from
what was planned and expected.

These certainly aren't the only two words that are misused at NASA.
And the distinction here is more subtle than other words that are
egregiously misused (like misusing a word in a way that reveals a
failure to comprehend fundamental physics). But anomaly/nominal are
important words with specific meanings that can be more effective when
used properly.

....and going back to the original point, can be *even more* effective
when avoiding these words when not needed at all. But for those times
when these words are the best choice for clear, concise communication,
here is a plug for using them properly!


~ CT
.

Relevant Pages

  • Re: NASAs most overused word: anomaly !
    ... And exactly what is a deviation from the nominal? ... It is the more serious anomalies that NASA publicly reports ... An interim discrepancy that, upon thorough investigation, is ...
    (sci.space.shuttle)
  • Re: NASAs most overused word: anomaly !
    ... the fact that the meaning of the term "anomaly" is often misunderstood ... within NASA. ... And exactly what is a deviation from the nominal? ... It is the more serious anomalies that NASA publicly reports ...
    (sci.space.shuttle)
  • Re: NASAs most overused word: anomaly !
    ... the fact that the meaning of the term "anomaly" is often misunderstood ... within NASA. ... An anomaly is simply a deviation from the nominal. ... It is the more serious anomalies that NASA publicly reports ...
    (sci.space.shuttle)
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