Propulsion and navigation prototype systems are being delivered and before we got too far with the associated documentations I thought this would be a good time for a debate on the terminology we’re going to use for navigation.

There are two possible sources of tradition on this: navy and airforce. Space efforts were traditionally run by the airforces of the world and so that was the source of a lot of the terminology used in space. The vessels were small and maneuvers were tight, making them more like aircraft to fly (quite literally in the case of the Shuttle).

But Endeavour will be much larger (at least the size of a large nuclear submarine) and with all that mass to move around, the maneuvering experience will be much more like a ship than an aircraft.

Or do we pick and choose to suit our needs?

So, for example:

• Do we call the control of the vessel’s speed and direction maneuvering or flight operations?
• Is the console itself referred to as the helm or as flight (flight control)?
• Is the person sitting there a helmsman or a pilot?

The approach we take here has interesting implications for the terminology we use for navigation – is the front right of the vessel described as the starboard bow or is it starboard forward? But we can go into that as the discussion progresses.

What do you think?