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At least 109 records · Page 6

All sources NASA NTRS DOE OSTI

NASA NTRS2006

Systems Integration Processes for NASA Ares I Crew Launch Vehicle

NASA's Exploration Initiative will require development of many new elements to constitute a robust system of systems. New launch vehicles are needed to place cargo and crew in stable Low Earth Orbit (LEO). This paper examines the systems integration processes NASA is utilizing to ensure integration and control of propulsion and nonpropulsion elements within NASA's Crew Launch Vehicle (CLV), now known as the Ares I. The objective of the Ares I is to provide the transportation capabilities to meet the Constellation Program requirements for delivering a Crew Exploration Vehicle (CEV) or other payload to LEO in support of the lunar and Mars missions. The Ares I must successfully provide this capability within cost and schedule, and with an acceptable risk approach. This paper will describe the systems engineering management processes that will be applied to assure Ares I Project success through complete and efficient technical integration. Discussion of technical review and management processes for requirements development and verification, integrated design and analysis, integrated simulation and testing, and the integration of reliability, maintainability and supportability (RMS) into the design will also be included. The Ares I Project is logically divided into elements by the major hardware groupings, and associated management, system engineering, and integration functions. The processes to be described herein are designed to integrate within these Ares I elements and among the other Constellation projects. Also discussed is launch vehicle stack integration (Ares I to CEV, and Ground and Flight Operations integration) throughout the life cycle, including integrated vehicle performance through orbital insertion, recovery of the first stage, and reentry of the upper stage. The processes for decomposing requirements to the elements and ensuring that requirements have been correctly validated, decomposed, and allocated, and that the verification requirements are properly defined to ensure that the system design meets requirements, will be discussed.

Taylor, James L.↗

DOE OSTI2024

On the Application of Cyber-Informed Engineering (CIE)

The 2023 National Cybersecurity Strategy has recommended a transition to secure-by-design methodologies in critical infrastructure. This paper presents the adoption of the National Cyber-Informed Engineering (CIE) Strategy as initiated by the U.S. DOE’s CESER office, advocating for the integration of cybersecurity at the earliest stages of system design. The strategy targets design engineers responsible for energy infrastructure to embed CIE principles within the engineering lifecycle, thus enhancing cyber resilience. This paper discusses the expansion of secure-by-design concepts to cyber-physical systems, moving beyond traditional IT security to include engineering considerations that can mitigate cyber risks through design choices. The paper introduces Digital Risk Management, balancing traditional cybersecurity with CIE to reduce both likelihood and impact of cyber threats. A set of CIE starter questions derived from 12 core principles is detailed, aiding engineers to consider cybersecurity in their designs and highlights the importance of CIE in anticipating and reducing the impacts of cyber attacks, suggesting that such integration is essential for national security and infrastructure resilience.

42 ENGINEERING↗

NASA NTRS1999

Continuous Risk Management at NASA

NPG 7120.5A, "NASA Program and Project Management Processes and Requirements" enacted in April, 1998, requires that "The program or project manager shall apply risk management principles..." The Software Assurance Technology Center (SATC) at NASA GSFC has been tasked with the responsibility for developing and teaching a systems level course for risk management that provides information on how to comply with this edict. The course was developed in conjunction with the Software Engineering Institute at Carnegie Mellon University, then tailored to the NASA systems community. This presentation will briefly discuss the six functions for risk management: (1) Identify the risks in a specific format; (2) Analyze the risk probability, impact/severity, and timeframe; (3) Plan the approach; (4) Track the risk through data compilation and analysis; (5) Control and monitor the risk; (6) Communicate and document the process and decisions. This risk management structure of functions has been taught to projects at all NASA Centers and is being successfully implemented on many projects. This presentation will give project managers the information they need to understand if risk management is to be effectively implemented on their projects at a cost they can afford.

Hammer, Theodore F.↗

NASA NTRS1999

Continuous Risk Management: A NASA Program Initiative

Hammer, Theodore F.↗

DOE OSTI2025

INTEGRATION OF DATA ANALYTICS WITH SYSTEM HEALTH PROGRAMS

Industry equipment reliability and asset management programs are essential elements that help ensure the safe and economical operation of nuclear power plants. The effectiveness of these programs is addressed in several industry developed and regulatory programs. However, these programs have proven to be labor intensive and expensive. There is an opportunity to significantly enhance the collection, analysis, and use of this information to provide more cost-effective plant operation. Additionally, there is an acute industry need to leverage advanced technology to reduce costs and improve operational effectiveness. The goal of this paper is to provide effective and efficient analytical methods and tools to support risk-informed decisions for the equipment reliability and asset management programs at nuclear power plants. This is accomplished by creating a direct bridge between component health/lifecycle data and decision making (e.g., maintenance scheduling and project prioritization). Here we are supporting typical system engineer decisions regarding maintenance activity scheduling and component ageing management. This is performed in a risk-informed context where herein the term “risk” is broadly constructed to include both plant reliability and economics. This framework combines data analytics tools to analyze equipment reliability data with risk-informed methods designed to support system engineer decisions (e.g., maintenance and replacement schedules, optimal maintenance posture) in a customizable workflow. A challenge is that the structure of this workflow strongly depends on the decision that needs to be made, the type of data available, and the constraints that need to be considered. Current methods are designed to provide specific answers to specific problems; however, these methods might prove to be inadequate even when problem settings slightly change (e.g., different types of requirements, additional dependencies between system reliability and economics). We tackled this challenge by designing framework in a flexible and modular fashion such that the user can assemble and customize his/her own workflow that integrates SSC economic lifecycle models (e.g., maintenance and replacement costs), system reliability models, and optimization methods.

97 - MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗

NASA NTRS2000

Summary of Results from the Risk Management Program for the Mars Microrover Flight Experiment

On 4 July 1997, the Mars Pathfinder landed on the surface of Mars carrying the first planetary rover, known as the Sojourner. Formally known as the Microrover Flight Experiment (MFEX), the Sojourner was a low cost, high-risk technology demonstration, in which new risk management techniques were tried. This paper summarizes the activities and results of the effort to conduct a low-cost, yet meaningful risk management program for the MFEX. The specific activities focused on cost, performance, schedule, and operations risks. Just as the systems engineering process was iterative and produced successive refinements of requirements, designs, etc., so was the risk management process. Qualitative risk assessments were performed first to gain some insights for refining the microrover design and operations concept. These then evolved into more quantitative analyses. Risk management lessons from the manager's perspective is presented for other low-cost, high-risk space missions.

Shishko, Robert↗

NASA NTRS2001

Risk analysis simulation of rover operations for Mars surface exploration

Risk management advocates have long sought to directly influence the early stages of the systems engineering process through a more effective role in system design trade studies. The principal obstacle to this has been the lack of credible ways to represent and quantify mission risk—that is, a combination of the probability of mission success (“system safety”) and science value—for the project manager and the rest of the design team. If it were possible to quantify mission risk, then the effects of proposed mission and system design changes could be calculated, and along with life-cycle costs, could be used to explore the design space more extensively and select better designs. JPL has been working to build the capability to quantify the probability of mission success using a federation of diverse simulations and models, each of which contributes some vital piece of the puzzle. The initial institutional focus has been on Mars surface operations. This ensemble computing framework enables the diverse models and simulations to work together seamlessly. Recent work at JPL has demonstrated the capability to exercise this ensemble from end-to-end using an Oracle-based database to automatically move results from one model/simulation to the next stage in the analysis.

Shishko, Robert↗

NASA NTRS2023

Human Systems Integration: Managing Risk in Anesthesia

The practice of anesthesia relies on clinicians’ ability to safely manage increasingly complex equipment. Devices such as ventilators, drug infusion pumps, and physiologic monitors use sophisticated algorithms to deliver care, but most clinicians are only trained to manage automated systems during normal operation. Few if any receive training on how to manage system failures. Although manufacturers are required to consult with human factors engineers as part of the equipment design process, most pieces of equipment are ultimately brought to market without extensive input from clinicians. Systems in the operating room can be as simple as an oxygen tank, or as complex as a multi-institutional healthcare organization. Humans are also a complex system, and play a critical role in the domains of operations, design, fabrication, maintenance, repair, and ultimately, dismantling and closeout. HSI seeks to provide a means for advocating the human side of the system. Human Systems Integration (HSI) is the cross disciplinary process used as part of the Systems Engineering process to reduce risk in systems. HSI professionals consider the human, hardware, and software elements of system design to optimize system performance and improve safety. HSI professionals work in domains of study that include training, management, human factors engineering, safety, and occupational health, among others. This article discusses the role of systems in the practice of anesthesia, and how consideration of the human during all phases of the system life cycle helps manage risks and promote a better patient outcome.

Human Factors↗

NASA NTRS2011

Shuttle Propulsion System Major Events and the Final 22 Flights

Numerous lessons have been documented from the Space Shuttle Propulsion elements. Major events include loss of the Solid Rocket Boosters (SRB's) on STS-4 and shutdown of a Space Shuttle Main Engine (SSME) during ascent on STS-51F. On STS-112 only half the pyrotechnics fired during release of the vehicle from the launch pad, a testament for redundancy. STS-91 exhibited freezing of a main combustion chamber pressure measurement and on STS-93 nozzle tube ruptures necessitated a low liquid level oxygen cut off of the main engines. A number of on pad aborts were experienced during the early program resulting in delays. And the two accidents, STS-51L and STS-107, had unique heritage in history from early program decisions and vehicle configuration. Following STS-51L significant resources were invested in developing fundamental physical understanding of solid rocket motor environments and material system behavior. And following STS-107, the risk of ascent debris was better characterized and controlled. Situational awareness during all mission phases improved, and the management team instituted effective risk assessment practices. The last 22 flights of the Space Shuttle, following the Columbia accident, were characterized by remarkable improvement in safety and reliability. Numerous problems were solved in addition to reduction of the ascent debris hazard. The Shuttle system, though not as operable as envisioned in the 1970's, successfully assembled the International Space Station (ISS). By the end of the program, the remarkable Space Shuttle Propulsion system achieved very high performance, was largely reusable, exhibited high reliability, and was a heavy lift earth to orbit propulsion system. During the program a number of project management and engineering processes were implemented and improved. Technical performance, schedule accountability, cost control, and risk management were effectively managed and implemented. Award fee contracting was implemented to provide performance incentives. The Certification of Flight Readiness and Mission Management processes became very effective. A key to the success of the propulsion element projects was related to relationships between the MSFC project office and support organizations with their counterpart contractor organizations. The teams worked diligently to understand and satisfy requirements and achieve mission success.

Owen, James W.↗

NASA NTRS2023

Requirements Engineering Scorecard and the Next-Generation Space Suit

The objective for a NASA contractor, the performing organization in this case study, is to provide engineering services to develop and deliver the next generation space suit to NASA, the customer in this case study. A case study with qualitative and quantitative analyses regarding a new process and approach to requirements engineering is described, with the intent that if utilized, these tools may have contributed to improvements across the project in terms of meeting cost, scope, budget and quality while appropriately accounting for risk management. The procedure entails a research method in which the current state of the project, current state of the art, and the identified systems engineering challenges are evaluated. Iterative models are tempered through development by continual improvements by engineering evaluation of engineers on the project. The current results have produced a prototype of a requirements engineering scorecard with implementations of FMEA and quantitative analysis to (i) identify root cause of underdeveloped requirements and (ii) project management impacts with regards to project risk. Forward work includes customer, performing organization, acceptance against applicable INCOSE community accepted practices.

INCOSE↗

NASA NTRS1989

Introducing new technologies into Space Station subsystems

A new systems engineering technology has been developed and applied to Shuttle processing. The new engineering approach emphasizes the identification, quantitative assessment, and management of system performance and risk related to the dynamic nature of requirements, technology, and operational concepts. The Space Shuttle Tile Automation System is described as an example of the first application of the new engineering technology. Lessons learned from the Shuttle processing experience are examined, and concepts are presented which are applicable to the design and development of the Space Station Freedom.

Wiskerchen, Michael J.↗

NASA NTRS2020

Toa Baja Disasters: Utilizing Open-Source Earth Observations to Inform the Toa Baja Municipality’s Flood Mitigation Efforts and Educate the Public

Toa Baja, located just west of San Juan in Puerto Rico, is known as “the underwater city” due to its propensity to flood. The city contains the mouth of the island’s longest river, Río de la Plata, which drains into the Atlantic Ocean on the northern edge of the municipality. Proximity to these major water features and the flat, low terrain contribute to the flood-prone nature of the area. During tropical storm events, such as Hurricane Maria in 2017, Toa Baja experienced inundation of up to 20 feet. Changes in the global climate system are causing more intense and frequent tropical storms, making places like Toa Baja subject to irreparable damage. This NASA DEVELOP project collaborated with the Municipio Autónomo de Toa Baja, ResilientSEE, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Urban Risk Lab to supplement recent 2018 Federal Emergency Management Agency Hydraulic Engineering Centers-River Analysis System flood maps, which designated 63% of the area as a flood plain. The analysis provides a high-resolution interpretation of flood susceptibility using a variety of factors that collectively influence the likelihood of flooding. Sentinel-1 C-Band Synthetic Aperture Radar (C-SAR) data processed with Google Earth Engine scripting identified historical inundation and was used for validation purposes. Socioeconomic factors were combined with the inundation layer producing a final risk output. These outputs will improve public understanding of exposure to flood risk in Toa Baja and provide scientific evidence for flood mitigation advocacy.

Disasters↗

NASA NTRS2020

Toa Baja Disasters: Utilizing Open-Source Earth Observations to Inform the Toa Baja Municipality’s Flood Mitigation Efforts and Educate the Public

Toa Baja, located just west of San Juan in Puerto Rico, is known as “the underwater city” due to its propensity to flood. The city contains the mouth of the island’s longest river, Río de la Plata, which drains into the Atlantic Ocean on the northern edge of the municipality. Proximity to these major water features and the flat, low terrain contribute to the flood-prone nature of the area. During tropical storm events, such as Hurricane Maria in 2017, Toa Baja experienced inundation of up to 20 feet. Changes in the global climate system are causing more intense and frequent tropical storms, making places like Toa Baja subject to irreparable damage. This NASA DEVELOP project collaborated with the Municipio Autonómo de Toa Baja, ResilientSEE, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Urban Risk Lab to supplement recent 2018 Federal Emergency Management Agency Hydraulic Engineering Centers-River Analysis System flood maps, which designated 63% of the area as a flood plain. The analysis provides a high-resolution interpretation of flood susceptibility using a variety of factors that collectively influence the likelihood of flooding. Sentinel-1 C-Band Synthetic Aperture Radar (C-SAR) data processed with Google Earth Engine scripting identified historical inundation and was used for validation purposes. Socioeconomic factors were combined with the inundation layer producing a final risk output. These outputs will improve public understanding of exposure to flood risk in Toa Baja and provide scientific evidence for flood mitigation advocacy.

Disasters↗

NASA NTRS2006

Hypergol Systems: Design, Buildup, and Operation

This course was developed by personnel at the NASA JSC White Sands Test Facility in conjunction with the NASA Safety Training Center (NSTC). The NSTC was established in May 1991 by the NASA Headquarters Safety Directorate to provide up-to-date, high-quality, NASA specific safety training on location at NASA centers, or simultaneously to multiple centers over the Video Teleconferencing System (ViTS). Our desire is to establish and maintain a strong, long-lasting relationship with all NASA centers in order to fulfill your safety training needs on a cost-effective basis. Our ultimate goal is to provide a positive contribution to safe operations at NASA. NSTC Course 055 is a 2-day course discussing the safe usage of hypergols (hydrazine fuels and nitrogen tetroxide). During the course we will identify the hazards associated with hypergols including toxicity, reactivity, fire, and explosion. Management of risk is discussed in terms of the primary engineering controls design, buildup, and operation; and secondary controls personal protective equipment and detectors/monitors. The emphasis is on the design and buildup of compatible systems and the safe operation of these systems by technicians and engineers.

Baker, David↗

NASA NTRS2008

Forecasting Proximal Femur and Wrist Fracture Caused by a Fall to the Side during Space Exploration Missions to the Moon and Mars

The possibility of bone fracture in space is a concern due to the negative impact it could have on a mission. The Bone Fracture Risk Module (BFxRM) developed at the NASA Glenn Research Center is a statistical simulation that quantifies the probability of bone fracture at specific skeletal locations for particular activities or events during space exploration missions. This paper reports fracture probability predictions for the proximal femur and wrist resulting from a fall to the side during an extravehicular activity (EVA) on specific days of lunar and Martian exploration missions. The risk of fracture at the proximal femur on any given day of the mission is small and fairly constant, although it is slightly greater towards the end of the mission, due to a reduction in proximal femur bone mineral density (BMD). The risk of wrist fracture is greater than the risk of hip fracture and there is an increased risk on Mars since it has a higher gravitational environment than the moon. The BFxRM can be used to help manage the risk of bone fracture in space as an engineering tool that is used during mission operation and resource planning.

Lewandowski, Beth E.↗

NASA NTRS2018

A New Approach to Mission Classification and Risk Management for NASA Space Flight Missions

The NASA risk classification system is meant to uide space mission development from formulation through completion of implementation. It is also meant to be the basis on which program and project managers develop and implement appropriate mission assurance and risk management strategies for the mission. In order to be useful, the risk classification system needs to provide consistent and reproducible classification results so that missions may be designed with the appropriate components, subsystems, and testing philosophy, all of which impacts mission schedule and cost. In a cost-constrained environment, a clear, robust, and reproducible approach to mission implementation becomes more critical than ever before. Once a project's risk classification level is established, the managers can define the appropriate management controls, systems engineering processes, mission assurance requirements, safety, and testing for that mission. The current NASA mission classification system will be reviewed before a new system is proposed.NASA manages space flight missions according to a four-tiered classification which assumes increasing levels of risk. We argue that risk does not change between classes. What changes are the means available to reduce risk. In performance-driven missions, the project will spend money in order to maintain performance without reducing margins. In cost-constrained missions, performance will be reduced in order to stay within budget or to maintain schedule: measurement requirements may be traded, design life may be reduced, or both. We then propose a new approach to the classification of NASA space flight missions, based on an assessment of how flexible the requirements, how exquisite the measurements, how long the lifetime, and how rigid the budget.Our proposed approach makes possible a clearer differentiation between classification levels and more effective guidance to program and project managers.

Bordi, Francesco↗

NASA NTRS2006

From Zero to Integration in Eight Months, the Dawn Ground Data System Engineering Challenge

The Dawn GDS Team met the SC Sim integration challenge in eight months. The GDS System Engineering approach in response to the SC Simintegration challenge, focused on a set of key practices: decomposition of project request into manageable requirements; integration of multiple ground disciplines and experts into a focused team effort; risk management thru management of expectations; and aggregation of intermediate products into a final product. By maintaining a a system-level focus, the overall systems engineering process unified team GDS Team members with a common goal: the success of the ground system as a whole and not just the success of their individual expert contributions. Incorporation of Agile-type development efforts were aligned with a risk strategy based on team-oriented principles and expectations management, thus achieving a more stable baseline solution without compromising the integrity of the GDS design.

Dawn Mission↗

NASA NTRS2026

Turbofan Engine Power Extraction Demonstration Final Report

As GE Aerospace advances toward a revolutionary step change in propulsion efficiency, the integration and demonstration of new engine architectures and technology systems are essential. The NASA Turbofan Engine Power Extraction Demonstration (PEx), conducted through the Hybrid Thermally Efficient Core (HyTEC) project, aims to develop and demonstrate megawatt-class hybrid electric capability on a modern commercial turbofan engine. The hybrid electric system is critical to meeting the needs of the U.S. aviation industry for next-generational propulsion systems with greater efficiency, durability, and range. This supports energy independence and helps ensure the security and resilience of one of America's largest export industries. The PEx project specifically targets three key objectives: mechanically integrating hybrid electric capability into a commercial turbofan engine, integrating electric machine control with turbofan control for advanced power management, and de-risking performance modeling of future hybrid electric architectures. To mature these technologies to Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 6, a series of electric power system component tests and a baseline engine performance test campaign were conducted. These efforts culminated in an integrated hybrid electric turbofan test campaign demonstrating power extraction, power insertion, and power transfer between spools. Tests of the electric power system were completed at GE Aerospace’s Electrical Power Integrated Systems Center in Dayton, Ohio and engine tests were completed at Peebles Test Operation in Peebles, Ohio. Hybrid electric trade studies extended the demonstrated capability to altitude using the validated cycle model from the PEx test campaigns, allowing for comments on expanded mission benefits not demonstrated in the ground campaign. The knowledge gained from PEx also supports GE Aerospace’s Compact Core Demonstrator as part of HyTEC Phase 2 and ultimately informs the implementation of hybrid electric systems in the next generation of GE Aerospace commercial engine products. This report provides a summary of the program background, test campaigns, trade studies, and insights into the technical maturation required to support future commercial products.

Hybrid Electric↗