The Constellation Program’s Flight Test Strategy
- Paper number
IAC-08.D2.9.-D1.6.8
- Author
Mr. Thomas Rathjen, National Aeronautics and Space Adm, United States
- Year
2008
- Abstract
For the first time in over three decades, NASA is designing, building, and testing systems to carry humans to the moon…and beyond. The Constellation Program consists of multiple rockets, human vehicles and habitats, space suits, ground-based facilities and infrastructure, and mission control systems. Early versions of these systems, known as “initial capability”, will replace the Space Shuttle as the United States’ human access to space and provide transportation to and from the International Space Station (ISS). Later versions will not only land humans on the moon, but will establish an outpost for long duration stays on the surface. Some of these systems are based on legacy from Apollo and the Space Shuttle, and some are totally new. NASA has set stringent, quantified reliability and safety requirements, and designs must be verified to meet these and all functional requirements before human missions commence. Therefore, a robust test and evaluation strategy is key to safety and ensuring mission success. At the pinnacle of this strategy is flight testing. Because of the evolutionary nature of the Constellation systems from initial capability to the lunar campaign, as well as budgetary constraints, the flight test strategy must maximize the return on investments by taking advantage of all opportunities to gain data from test flight experiences. The Constellation Program’s Test and Evaluation Office has therefore implemented an objectives-based approach to flight test planning. “Flight test objectives” are established which must be satisfied for major milestones (such as first human flight, and first docking to the ISS). These objectives are then mapped to flight test opportunities, which includes two types: 1) development flight tests for collecting data needed for maturing requirements, evaluating design and process options, and investigating anomalies, and 2) validation flight tests to demonstrate functionality and performance within specifications and requirements. Both types are used for progressively accomplishing the established flight test objectives in support of capability and operational milestones. The resulting flight test strategy is regularly reviewed and updated as program schedules, budgets, and flight plans evolve. This paper discusses Constellation’s flight test strategy in detail, including the methodology for establishing flight test objectives and the program’s current flight test plans.
- Abstract document
- Manuscript document
IAC-08.D2.9.-D1.6.8.pdf (🔒 authorized access only).
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