Re: nominal
> why NASA refers to telemetry/situations as "nominal", when "normal" would seem to be a more normal word to use
Well, despite their apparent similitude, "nominal" and "normal" don't mean the same thing at all.
"Nominal" means that a value is exactly as intended or expected, while "normal" only means it isn't totally abnormal. "Nominal" conveys the precise information that everything is going according to plan, while "normal" covers the whole gray zone, from "excellent" over "strange but tolerable", right up to the rocky shores of "Huston we've got a problem".
Biting the hand that feeds IT
