Challenges and Potential Solutions to Develop and Fund NASA Flagship Missions

Bitten, Robert; Shinn, Stephen A.; Emmons, Debra

doi:10.1109/aero.2019.8741920

Cited by 6 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 15 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…I illustrate this change in thinking with the phrase 'to build a cathedral' in two distinct ways. The first recounts the parable of the bricklayers, which in some tellings refers to the rebuilding of St Paul's Cathedral by Christopher Wren: 2 One day in 1671, Christopher Wren observed three bricklayers on a scaffold, one crouched, one half-standing and one standing tall, working very hard and fast. To the first bricklayer, Christopher Wren asked the question, 'What are you doing?'…”

Section: (A) To Build a Cathedralmentioning

confidence: 99%

“… †Bitten, R. et al ., 2019, Challenges and Potential Solutions to Develop and Fund NASA Flagship Missions, IEEE, 978-1-5386-6854-2/19 Wiseman, J., 2015, The Hubble Space Telescope at 25: Lessons Learned for Future Missions, IAUGA 2258532 W Mitchell, D., 2015, An Overview of NASA Project Management, MAVEN Magic, and Lessons Learned Martin, P., 2012, NASA's Challenges to Meeting Cost, Schedule, and Performance Goals, OIG Report IG-12-021 †Feinberg, L., Arenberg, J. et al ., 2018, Breaking the Cost Curve: Applying Lessons Learned from the JWST Development to Build More Cost Effective Large Space Telescopes in the Future, SPIE 10698-23. Arenberg, J., Matthews, G. et al ., 2014, Lessons We Learned Designing and Building the Chandra Telescope, SPIE 9144-25 CRS 2007, Defense Procurement 2004–2007: Full Funding Policy – Background, Issues, and Options for Congress, CRS Report for Congress, RL31404 O'Rourke, R., 2006, Navy Ship Procurement: Alternative Funding Approaches – Background and Options for Congress, CRS Report for Congress, RL32776 *References [ 2 – 9 ]; †Highly recommended reading. …”

Section: Processmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Lessons learned from (and since) the Voyager 2 flybys of Uranus and Neptune

Hammel

2020

Phil. Trans. R. Soc. A.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

More than 30 years have passed since the Voyager 2 flybys of Uranus and Neptune. This paper outlines a range of lessons learned from Voyager, broadly grouped into ‘process, planning and people.’ In terms of process, we must be open to new concepts, whether new instrument technologies, new propulsion systems or operational modes. Examples from recent decades that could open new vistas in the exploration of the deep outer Solar System include the Cassini Resource Exchange and the ‘sleep’ mode from the New Horizons mission. Planning is crucial: mission gaps that last over three decades leave much scope for evolution both in mission development and in the targets themselves. The science is covered in other papers in this issue, but this paper addresses the structure of the US Planetary Decadal Surveys, with a specific urging to move from a ‘destination-based’ organization to a structure based on fundamental science. Coordination of distinct and divergent international planning timelines brings both challenges and opportunity. Complexity in the funding and political processes is amplified when multiple structures must be navigated; but the science is enriched by the diversity of international perspectives, as were represented at the Ice Giant discussion meeting that motivated this review. Finally, the paper turns to people: with generational-length gaps between missions, continuity in knowledge and skills requires careful attention to people. Lessons for the next generation of voyagers include: how to lead and inspire; how to develop the perspective to see their missions through decades-long development phases; and cultivation of strategic thinking, altruism and above all, patience. This article is part of a discussion meeting issue ‘Future exploration of ice giant systems’.

show abstract

Section: (A) To Build a Cathedralmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Processmentioning

confidence: 99%

Lessons learned from (and since) the Voyager 2 flybys of Uranus and Neptune

Hammel

2020

Phil. Trans. R. Soc. A.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Often if these funds are allocated, they are not allocated until after design requirements are set, paradoxically cutting off the ability to make informed simulation-based science-motivated decisions about how to set those requirements. Funding robust data simulators for NASA's next generation of flagships before or in Phase A will not only go a long way towards optimizing the design of these missions, but will in the long run help keep costs down as design changes at later stages are expensive (Bitten et al, 2019). 3.1 Facilities will need to provide and maintain robust data simulators for their instruments, telescopes, and surveys.…”

Section: Lessons From Precision Weak Lensing Experimentsmentioning

confidence: 99%

On the need for synthetic data and robust data simulators in the 2020s

Peeples,

Emonts,

Kyprianou

et al. 2019

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

As observational datasets become larger and more complex, so too are the questions being asked of these data. Data simulations, i.e., synthetic data with properties (pixelization, noise, PSF, artifacts, etc.) akin to real data, are therefore increasingly required for several purposes, including:(1) testing complicated measurement methods, (2) comparing models and astrophysical simulations to observations in a manner that requires as few assumptions about the data as possible, (3) predicting observational results based on models and astrophysical simulations for, e.g., proposal planning, and (4) mitigating risk for future observatories and missions by effectively priming and testing pipelines. We advocate for an increase in using synthetic data to plan for and interpret real observations as a matter of routine. This will require funding for (1) facilities to provide robust data simulators for their instruments, telescopes, and surveys, and (2) making synthetic data publicly available in archives (much like real data) so as to lower the barrier of entry to all.

show abstract

“…These challenges can be observed in the cost and schedule increases of flagship space missions. For example, the James Webb Telescope project had a budget overrun of 1,000% [3]. Other scholars have pointed to space project management as the root cause for technical failures such as NASA's Mars Climate Orbiter [26].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Decentralized project management concept for schedule-critical space projects

Campos

Ferguson

2021

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The Apollo moon missions of the 1960s pioneered the classic phased approach to space mission management. While successful at the time, this rigid and inflexible management philosophy has become synonymous with cost and schedule overruns of most high-profile space missions. The software industry has recently adopted modern, more flexible project management techniques based on "lean-agile" methods that enable team collaboration and communication through distributed task and schedule management, online document sharing and rolling-wave planning. However, due to the inherent schedule complexities of hardware development and the firm constraints of design review and launch timelines, flexible project management frameworks have not been widely adopted for space mission management. This paper presents a modified version of the traditional agile management philosophy, adapted to the unique needs of the space industry. A recent satellite development project was managed using the new modified-agile approach, while collecting project hours and task durations. Comparisons were made between this new style of space project management and a recently completed satellite development project using traditional space project management techniques. Results show that the new management approach reduced strain on the project team, improved overall productivity, and maintained a more level task loading when compared to the traditional management approach. This paper also illustrates how the new management approach can enable project resilience to change by analyzing its response to the labor disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

show abstract

Challenges and Potential Solutions to Develop and Fund NASA Flagship Missions

Cited by 6 publications

References 15 publications

Lessons learned from (and since) the Voyager 2 flybys of Uranus and Neptune

Lessons learned from (and since) the Voyager 2 flybys of Uranus and Neptune

On the need for synthetic data and robust data simulators in the 2020s

Decentralized project management concept for schedule-critical space projects

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About