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Review of the Space Communications Program of Nasas Space Operations Mission Directorate
Appendixes
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Review of the Space Communications Program of Nasas Space Operations Mission Directorate
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Review of the Space Communications Program of Nasas Space Operations Mission Directorate
A
Statement of Task
The Aeronautics and Space Engineering Board of the National Research Council (NRC) will form a committee to assess the overall quality of the space communications program of NASA’s Space Operations Mission Directorate and offer findings and recommendations thereto. This task includes internal and collaborative activities. The primary objective is to conduct peer assessments rather than provide programmatic advice.
The committee will meet as required during the study to receive technical presentations about the projects under review by their group and formulate final findings and recommendations. Members will also make site visits as deemed necessary in formulating the assessment. Portions of each meeting will be highly interactive with NASA personnel. The committee will develop a final report based upon inputs and discussions at the committee meetings and site visits.
The committee’s observations will follow broad themes concerning program quality. The committee will not make explicit budget recommendations to NASA, but will instead comment on program effectiveness.
Where appropriate, the committee assessment should use specific criteria, such as the following:
Formulation of the Program Plan
Are the program’s goals and objectives clearly defined and consistent with relevant document such as NASA’s Strategic Plan?
Is there evidence of a clear understanding of the need by NASA’s mission directorates, other organizations or the aerospace community at large for the space communications services? Are the program’s deliverables to those organizations clearly articulated and are those organizations adequately involved in the planning and review process?
Can the expected services be accomplished by the program activities? If not, is the path to adequately providing the services clear? Is this planning well supported by sufficient decision points, down selects, customer agreements, and/or unallocated out year funding?
Are there sufficient near-term deliverables or progress metrics from which the program can be regularly assessed? Are there sufficient off-ramps or sunsets to ensure that funding is reallocated within the program or to other programs if the program does not make adequate progress towards one or more of its goals and objectives? Are the program’s plans for independent and/or external reviews adequate and appropriate?
Are appropriate objectives being posed, taking into consideration program goals, NASA’s strengths, and the time horizon for the project? Are critical personnel and facilities required to support the program well defined?
Connections to the Broader Community
Is there evidence that the program utilizes appropriate work already done by the Department of Defense, the U.S. commercial space industry, and others? Does it leverage the work of leaders in the field?
Is the strategy for out-of-house work (competitions, partnerships, etc.) well chosen and managed?
Are the benefits (and costs) of increasing interoperability with military space systems, commercial space systems, and the systems of foreign space agencies properly considered?
Methodology
How well crafted are the program plans for the areas under review?
Have the appropriate supporting system level assessments been conducted?
Do the managers understand and manage the risks involved to an appropriate level?
Are the plans for further study reasonable and justifiable?
Overall Capabilities
Is the quality of the work comparable to similar world-class efforts in other organizations, and does it meet the requirements of its customers (both internal and external).
Are the qualifications of the NASA/contractor staff sufficient to achieve program goals?
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Review of the Space Communications Program of Nasas Space Operations Mission Directorate
Are the capabilities, quantity, and state of readiness of equipment and facilities sufficient to achieve program goals?
Are personnel, equipment, and facilities supplied by support contractors used efficiently; do they fill gaps in government capabilities without duplication?
The selection of criteria for each assessment and the relative weights given to each criterion are within the committee’s discretion and can vary from program to program. The NRC will evaluate the following program elements using the criteria above.
Space Communications Program Elements
Space Network
NASA Integrated Services Network (NISN)
Tracking and Data Relay Satellite System (TDRSS)
Systems Engineering
Technology
Spectrum Management
Standards Management
Communications and Navigation Architecture
Search and Rescue
Program Integration
Representative terms from entire chapter:
technology element
