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Review of the Space Communications Program of Nasas Space Operations Mission Directorate
1
Introduction
BACKGROUND AND GENERAL OVERVIEW
At the request of NASA, the Aeronautics and Space Engineering Board of the National Research Council (NRC) formed a committee to assess the overall quality of the space communications program of NASA’s Space Operations Mission Directorate (SOMD) and offer findings and recommendations. This review included an examination of internal and collaborative activities and an overall peer assessment of SOMD’s space communications program, which is carried out by the Space Communications Office (SCO). An overview showing the various program elements of the SCO is given in Figure 1.1.
The overall objective of SOMD is to “ensure the provision of space access and improve it by increasing safety, reliability and affordability.”1 Accordingly, SOMD provides services for launch, space communications, and rocket propulsion testing in support of NASA, other government, and commercial interests. Within SOMD, the SCO’s primary objectives are to provide communications and data services for every flight mission, with each of the eight elements shown in Figure 1.1 contributing in diverse ways to meeting these objectives.
NASA asked the Committee to Review NASA’s Space Communications Program to use specific criteria, where appropriate, as part of its assessment of the SCO program. The specific criteria were outlined in the following four key areas:
Formulation of the program plan. The focus of this criterion was to assess whether the space communications program had clearly defined goals and objectives. Does the program reflect a clear understanding of needs and has it articulated these needs to other organizations? Are the space communications program services accomplishing program activities, providing sufficient planning, and meeting customer needs?
Connections to the broader community. The focus of this criterion was to assess whether there is evidence that the program utilizes appropriate work already done by other agencies outside NASA; out-of-house work; and interoperability issues associated with other related agencies.
Methodology. The focus of this criterion was to assess how well the program plans are crafted, and the level of assessments, whether or not risk is properly being managed, and whether near- and longer-term studies are reasonable and justifiable.
Overall capabilities. The focus of this criterion is to assess the quality of the work compared to similar world-class efforts and if such work meets the requirements of the customers. The committee also explored the qualifications of NASA and contractor personnel, whether there were sufficient levels to meet program goals, and the overall state of program readiness.
NASA then asked the committee to use the criteria outlined above to evaluate the following operational networks and other program elements:
Operational networks
Space Network
NASA Integrated Services Network (NISN)
Other program elements
Spectrum management
Data standards management
Search and rescue
Communications and navigation architecture
Technology development
Operations integration
ELEMENTS OF SOMD’S SPACE COMMUNICATIONS PROGRAM
As previously stated, the primary objectives and out-
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Review of the Space Communications Program of Nasas Space Operations Mission Directorate
FIGURE 1.1 Space Communications Office (SCO) and its eight program elements. Also shown are two major communications networks that fall outside the SCO. SOURCE: Adapted from the NASA organizational chart, available at http://www.spacecomm.nasa.gov/spacecomm/about/orgchart.cfm, accessed May 12, 2006.
comes of the SCO are to help ensure the provision of space access by providing communications and data services for every flight mission. As illustrated in Figure 1.1, the SCO at NASA encompasses eight elements. For convenience, these elements are categorized here as either operational networks or other program elements. The operational networks include the Space Network and NASA Integrated Services Network, which are focused on providing continuous, near-global coverage for near-Earth missions, space-based relay for high-data-rate access, telecommunications services, and administrative communications. The other program elements support an array of near- and longer-term NASA needs for spectrum management, communications data standards, space-based distress and alerting and locating capabilities, and navigation and communications technologies, along with overall program management and operations integration.
Operational Networks
The operational networks are the elements of SOMD’s space communications program that provide tracking, telemetry, command, and data acquisition in support of Space Shuttle, Space Station, space science, and Earth science missions. The Space Network consists of a constellation of communications satellites—the Tracking and Data Relay Satellite System (TDRSS) and a series of tracking stations to provide tracking and data relay services to NASA, non-NASA government, and commercial and international customers 24 hours per day, 7 days per week. The NASA Integrated Services Network provides telecommunications services among facilities such as NASA flight support networks, mission control centers, and science facilities, and it supplies administrative communications among NASA centers.
Other Program Elements
Spectrum management is crucial to the successful pursuit of all NASA missions. All agency flight programs require interference-free access to use of spectrum for communications to support launch, orbiting, navigation, telemetry, control, and sensor activities. Data standards management facilitates the interoperability of NASA space
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Review of the Space Communications Program of Nasas Space Operations Mission Directorate
FIGURE 1.2 Annual budget for 2006 (in millions of dollars) for the eight elements of SOMD’s space communications program. SOURCE: Budget data provided by NASA.
communications facilities through the use of common data standards. In addition, efforts to develop data standards play an important role internationally in fostering cooperation with other agencies and organizations. NASA is also responsible for research and development for a search and rescue capability. With existing emergency beacons in use worldwide on aircraft, ships, and individuals, and satellite-aided search and rescue contributing to the rescues of humans both nationally and internationally, search and rescue continues to be a critical element for NASA. Space communications and navigation architecture supports NASA’s current science and exploration missions and is focused also on future exploration. Technology development also supports the current and future needs of NASA missions, investing in key communications and navigation technologies for NASA’s future. The operations integration program element is charged with managing communications activities and assuring communications readiness for missions involving human spaceflight, focusing on support to the Space Shuttle and International Space Station programs.
Figure 1.2 provides an overview of the annual budget for each of the element areas associated with SOMD’s space communications program.
STUDY APPROACH AND ORGANIZATION
Figure 1.3 provides an overview of the committee’s study purview as it relates to the program elements and their various functions described above. The left-hand side of Figure 1.3 represents the primary focus of the committee’s work in assessing the overall quality of the space communications program. To the right of the darkened line are those areas not examined by the committee’s work, as those areas currently fall outside the direct responsibility of the SOMD space communications program.
The primary purpose of the committee’s work was to provide peer assessments that would supply broad program and technical advice to the Space Communications Office and, in so doing, help to ensure that NASA continues “to provide and improve high-quality, reliable, cost-effective space communications networks and services” and to “develop breakthrough information and communication systems
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Review of the Space Communications Program of Nasas Space Operations Mission Directorate
FIGURE 1.3 Study purview and element areas.
to increase NASA’s understanding of scientific data and phenomena.”2 In discussions regarding this task, NASA indicated that it viewed the charge to the committee as posing the question, Is NASA doing things right?, rather than, Is NASA doing the right things? Thus the committee focused on determining the effectiveness of the current programs, rather than the exploration of alternate program designs.
Approach to the Assessment
The Committee to Review NASA’s Space Communications Office was established by the NRC in December 2005. Its members included a cross section of senior executives, engineers, researchers, and other aerospace professionals (see Appendix B). As noted above, the committee was charged with independently assessing the overall programmatic and technical quality of the SOMD space communications program. These assessments included findings and recommendations on NASA’s internal and collaborative research, development, and analysis regarding the Operations Network and element areas. While the primary objective was to conduct peer assessments, the committee did offer programmatic advice when such advice followed naturally from technical considerations.
The committee met at the National Academies’ Constitution Avenue Building in Washington, D.C., on January 26-27, 2006, for an overview of the SOMD program and its various elements. Teleconferences and other information-gathering activities followed the first committee meeting. Subgroups of committee members subsequently participated in site visits to Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, prior to the second committee meeting. The committee met again in Washington, D.C., on March 14-16, 2006. The March meeting was followed by additional site visits to NASA Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas, and Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. In addition, numerous telephone conferences with key points of contact at NASA were completed, and a review of more than 95 related NASA publications, reports, and presentations was conducted.
During April 18-20, 2006, the committee held a third meeting at the National Academies’ Beckman Center in Irvine, California. The focus of this meeting was to reach consensus on findings, recommendations, and overarching issues and to complete the writing of the final report.
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Review of the Space Communications Program of Nasas Space Operations Mission Directorate
Organization of This Report
This report focuses on two areas of assessment of SOMD’s space communications program: (1) the operational networks and (2) other elements. Chapters 2 and 3 examine the overall quality of the operational networks and present a series of findings and recommendations (where appropriate) related to the Space Network and the NASA Integrated Services Network. Chapters 3 to 9 focus on the program’s other elements, which include spectrum management, data standards management, search and rescue, communications and navigation architecture, technology development, and operations integration. In each of these chapters the committee attempts to address those questions in the statement of work that are applicable to that element. Chapter 10 looks at requirements, program management, and overlapping activities. Also presented in Chapter 10 are the committee’s findings and recommendations on overarching issues. This report as a whole provides an overview, evaluation, and summary of the program elements outlined and assesses the overall quality of the space communications program of NASA’s Space Operations Mission Directorate.
NOTES
1. Spearing, Robert, “Space Communications,” briefing to the NRC Committee to Review NASA’s Space Communications Program, Washington, D.C., January 26-27, 2006.
2. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), NASA Strategic Plan, Washington, D.C., 2003.
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Review of the Space Communications Program of Nasas Space Operations Mission Directorate
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Representative terms from entire chapter:
program element
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