# Why is distance to the space station measured in nautical miles **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 1, 2007, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-distance-to-the-space-station-measured-in-nautical-miles/394198 "2007-03-01T19:44:07Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Winston\_Smith](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e95f7d/32.png) [@Winston\_Smith](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Winston_Smith)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2007, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-distance-to-the-space-station-measured-in-nautical-miles/394198/1 "2007-03-01T19:44:07Z")
When it is clearly space/air not ocean? ---
**Author:** ![UncleRojelio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/unclerojelio/32/3160_2.png) [@UncleRojelio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncleRojelio)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2007, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-distance-to-the-space-station-measured-in-nautical-miles/394198/2 "2007-03-01T19:48:51Z")
[Nautical miles](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nautical_mile) are used in aviation as well. ---
**Author:** ![Bobotheoptimist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/919ad9/32.png) [@Bobotheoptimist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bobotheoptimist)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2007, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-distance-to-the-space-station-measured-in-nautical-miles/394198/3 "2007-03-01T19:49:38Z")
Nautical miles equal to 1/60th a degree of … lat…long… um… latitude. Yeah, latitude so they make more sense in space where they have no lat… Dammit! I don’t know. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2007, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-distance-to-the-space-station-measured-in-nautical-miles/394198/4 "2007-03-01T20:03:27Z")
Tradition. ---
**Author:** ![Winston\_Smith](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e95f7d/32.png) [@Winston\_Smith](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Winston_Smith)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2007, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-distance-to-the-space-station-measured-in-nautical-miles/394198/5 "2007-03-01T20:12:45Z")
[QUOTE=Exapno Mapcase] Tradition. [/QUOTE] Cite? ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2007, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-distance-to-the-space-station-measured-in-nautical-miles/394198/6 "2007-03-01T20:20:24Z")
[Here](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0067093/). 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Winston\_Smith](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e95f7d/32.png) [@Winston\_Smith](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Winston_Smith)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2007, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-distance-to-the-space-station-measured-in-nautical-miles/394198/7 "2007-03-01T20:23:33Z")
[QUOTE=Exapno Mapcase] [Here](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0067093/). 🙂 [/QUOTE] La chiam! ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2007, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-distance-to-the-space-station-measured-in-nautical-miles/394198/8 "2007-03-01T20:24:22Z")
Another cite from [NASA](http://www.nasa.gov/lb/facts/Earth/earth_facts_archives.html) > [@](#): > > Sailors were the first to use nautical miles. One nautical mile is equal to one minute of latitude. Maps were drawn to follow this standard and world aviation standards still use the nautical mile. A nautical mile is equivalent to 1.1508 miles, or 6,076 feet, in the English measurement system. To convert nautical miles into kilometers multiply the nautical miles by 1.8520. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2007, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-distance-to-the-space-station-measured-in-nautical-miles/394198/9 "2007-03-01T20:25:25Z")
[QUOTE=Winston Smith] La chiam! [/QUOTE] Close. It’s La’chaim.