1. SAFETY AND MISSION SUCCESS THROUGH ENGINEERING EXCELLENCE Ralph R. Roe, Director NASA Engineering and Safety Center (NESC) Mil-Aero Programmable Logic Devices MAPLD 2005 Washington, DC September 7, 2005

2. 2 The NESC provides a strong technical team to coordinate and conduct robust, independent engineering and safety assessments across the Agency BACKGROUND 20032004 July NESC Created October Mgmt Plan Approved November Operational 2005 August 91st Assessment

3. 3 Simple, straightforward concept –Bring together some of NASA’s best engineers with experts from industry, academia, and other government agencies to address our highest risk, most complex issues Decentralized organizational structure across all Centers reporting to the NESC management office at LaRC Engineers need to be where the problems are to stay sharp NESC MODEL

4. 4 Small core of engineering experts at Centers for insight into respective programs Recognized Agency discipline experts leading Super Problem Resolution Teams (SPRT) –Use “ready” experts from across NASA, Industry, Academia and other government agencies to staff SPRT’s –Tap “ready” experts to attack “trouble spots”. Institutionalize the Tiger Team approach Strong Systems Engineering function for proactive trending and identification of problem areas before failures occur NESC MODEL (cont’d)

5. 5 NESC ORGANIZATION NESC Office of the Director NESC Office of the Director NASA HQ Representative NESC Management & Technical Support Office NESC Management & Technical Support Office NASA HQ Chief Engineer Representative NESC Systems Engineering Office NESC Systems Engineering Office NESC Principal Engineers Office NESC Principal Engineers Office NESC Chief Engineers Office (One per Center) NESC Chief Engineers Office (One per Center) NESC Discipline Expert Engineers and Independent Technical Authority Discipline Warrant Holders Office NESC Discipline Expert Engineers and Independent Technical Authority Discipline Warrant Holders Office 13 NESC Super Problem Resolution Teams (SPRTs)

6. 6 NASA 84% DOE Labs 1% University 4% Industry 10% DoD 1% 427 5 49 20 3 SUPER PROBLEM RESOLUTION TEAM (SPRT) COMPOSITION

7. 7 WFF - 1 HQ - 7 ARC - 31 DFRC- 13 JPL - 35 JSC- 91 SSC - 13 KSC - 26 MSFC - 57 GSFC - 50 GRC - 56 WSTF- 3 LaRC - 42 IV&V - 2 Locations of NASA Personnel Participating in NESC SPRTs NESC ORGANIZATION

8. 8 PARTNERSHIPS National Institute of Aerospace Lawrence Livermore National Laboratories Institute of Nuclear Power Operations

9. 9 NESC RETURN ON INVESTMENT (ROI) Measuring how much an organization has contributed is not a simple task. Traditional ROI does not truly measure value added by the NESC. The most significant contribution of the NESC is the immeasurable benefit of bringing together NESC experts with Program experts to solve complex problems. The results are: –Better, safer technical solutions –Stronger checks and balances –Well-informed decision making

10. 10 EXAMPLES OF NESC VALUE-ADDED Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) Testing NESC working with the NASA Office of Logic Design (OLD) on FPGA testing, analysis, and evaluation. Independent test program of FPGA reliability conducted by NESC Testing and methodology development is an Agency-wide activity supported by NESC

11. 11 EXAMPLES OF NESC VALUE-ADDED Space Shuttle Orbiter Main Propulsion System Flowliner NESC provided an analytical solution backed by laboratory tests and high fidelity inspection techniques that eliminated the need for a planned engine test program. Cost Avoidance (>$20M) Slots in Flowliners Flowliner at interface to SSME low pressure turbopump Crack in OV-102 Risk of foreign object debris into SSME Gimbal Joint Bellows

12. 12 EXAMPLES OF NESC VALUE-ADDED Orbiter Composite Over-wrapped Pressure Vessels (COPV) NESC research led to the discovery of data that indicated a significant reduction in life and reliability of Orbiter COPV Data was not readily available to Program experts working day-to-day operations. Results brought about a better understanding of the risk and avoided a potential catastrophic failure.

13. 13 EXAMPLES OF NESC VALUE-ADDED Rotating Service Structure (RSS) Stress Analysis NESC team provided peer review of United Space Alliance stress analysis of the Space Shuttle launch pad RSS NESC brought forward industry best practices which avoided unnecessary modifications to the launch pad.

14. 14 EXAMPLES OF NESC VALUE-ADDED Cassini/Huygens Probe Entry, Descent and Landing (EDL) NESC team independently modeled the Entry, Descent and Landing of the Huygens probe. This modeling provided a better, more in-depth understanding of the risks for probe EDL. No change was made in the mission but Agency leadership had better information to make an informed go, no-go decision just prior to probe release.

15. 15 TECHNICAL HIGHLIGHTS Return to Flight External Tank Human Factors Feedline Bellows Ice Elimination Non-Destructive Evaluation (NDE) Foam Dissection Data Liquid Hydrogen Fwd Dome Intertank Flange Section Flange Closeout Insulation Intertank Acreage Foam Insulation Liquid Hydrogen Tank Acreage Foam Insulation Intertank Hat Stiffeners Liquid Hydrogen Tank Bolt Inner Mold Line Void Y-Joint Dome Foam Insulation

16. 16 TECHNICAL HIGHLIGHTS Return to Flight RCS Thruster Cracks Wing Leading Edge (WLE) Attachment Hardware Integrity WLE Attachment Hardware Cure-in-Place Ablative Applicator Tile Repair Rudder Speed Brake Actuator Math Models

17. 17 TECHNICAL HIGHLIGHTS Return to Flight Post Proof NDE OF Module Welds T-0 Umbilical Interface BUMPER Micro- Meteoroid/Orbital Debris IV&V Body Flap Actuator Recurring Anomalies - Solid Rocket Booster Hold Down Post Stud Hangup

18. 18 The NESC has built a strong technical team to be used as a NASA-wide technical resource. The NESC is an investment in technical excellence and safety. NESC would like to encourage broad participation from national experts on our teams. Learn more about NESC @ nesc.nasa.gov SUMMARY