SAGES Advice: Apollo and Shuttle Mentors for the Constellation Program
- Paper number
IAC-07-D1.I.01
- Author
Mr. Richard M. Kohrs, Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC), United States
- Coauthor
Mr. Jeffrey Hanley, National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)/Johnson Space Center, United States
- Coauthor
Mrs. Brenda Ward, National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)/Johnson Space Center, United States
- Coauthor
Mr. Jeff Elbel, Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC), United States
- Year
2007
- Abstract
As NASA embarked on the Space Shuttle program in the early 1970’s, the agency benefited immeasurably from the experience and expertise provided by veterans of the just-completed Apollo program. Today, as NASA embarks on the Constellation program to return to the Moon and venture on to Mars, those veterans have retired. And veterans from some other immediately previous program with applicable experience are not generally available. Though NASA has considerable talent in its workforce today, programs intended to carry humans to and from space are characterized by design, development and testing challenges which differ greatly from those encountered by the orbiting International Space Station. To reach back and capture launch and return vehicle experience, the Constellation program created a ready resource - SAGES - Shuttle and Apollo Generation Expert Services. Beyond review and advice, SAGES was created to transfer knowledge through mentoring. It is based on relationships between Apollo and Shuttle experts and the Constellation team. SAGES provides mentors on an as-needed, targeted basis in areas ranging from technical design and analysis disciplines, to ground and flight operations, to program management. In addition, SAGES provides mentors from both NASA and contractor domains to cover the full range of program challenges, including manufacturing and logistics. This paper will describe the range of Apollo and Shuttle knowledge deemed to be of use to the Constellation program, and will describe the process by which it is accessed and our experience in transferring it, including lessons learned. Twenty four tasks have been initiated in the first year, including margins management; relationship between Level II program office and the Level III project office responsibilities; lunar lander requirements; test and verification planning; and launch abort design and operations. It is asserted that mentoring by the SAGES experts reduces Constellation risk and enhances credibility in an environment where understanding key technical and management decisions, and the order in which they should be addressed, is critical. A gratifying nuance of SAGES mentoring is that it has given the people who invented U.S. manned spaceflight hope for the future of space exploration as it is placed in the very capable hands of the Constellation team.
- Abstract document