Redefining engineering practices across NASA

Redefining engineering practices across NASA
by Clarence Oxford
Los Angeles CA (SPX) Apr 29, 2024

Since John F. Kennedy's landmark 1961 address advocating for lunar exploration, NASA has continually embraced the challenge of difficult endeavors to stimulate innovation across its varied missions. Kennedy articulated this ethos when he said, "We choose to go to the Moon not because it's easy, but because it's hard; because that goal will serve to organize and measure the best of our energies and skills, because that challenge is one that we are willing to accept, one we are unwilling to postpone..."

Under the guidance of the Systems Engineering (SE) Technical Discipline Team (TDT), various teams within NASA have been pushing the envelope over the past year to enhance the agency's systems engineering capacities.

ExMC: Systems Analysis and Integration Using MBSE
NASA's SE TDT, through the Model-Based Systems Engineering (MBSE) Infusion And Modernization Initiative (MIAMI), collaborates with the Human Research Program's Exploration Medical Capability (ExMC) Element at JSC to refine and apply systems engineering principles and tools like MBSE. This initiative supports ExMC in developing a robust architecture for future medical systems in space exploration. These efforts have yielded mutual benefits, enhancing NASA's broader MBSE community by providing valuable insights into model architecture and management.

NASA/JPL: Enterprise Approach to Mass Properties Control
A team from NESC and NASA has developed significant methodologies to control mass growth, a crucial factor in space system design. Their report, leveraging the ANSI/AIAA S-120A-2015 standard, outlines strategies for managing and reporting mass properties effectively, aiming to unify approaches across NASA's various centers and minimize risks associated with mass-related discrepancies in space missions.

HALO: Modernized Application of Design and Construction Standards
The Habitation and Logistics Outpost (HALO) Project has initiated a pilot to modernize how NASA applies and manages technical standards. This involves transitioning to a data-centric system for managing standards, which could streamline processes and enhance the applicability and management of technical requirements. This pilot represents a significant step towards more efficient and effective standards management at NASA.