Vehicle Systems Panel Report on the Status of NASA's Vehicles Systems Program Letter Report (2004) / Chapter Skim
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Letter Report
Letter Report
Pages 1-10
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From page 1... ...
The panel's review centers on the technical merit of the projects and tasks in the VSP as well as the planned program structure and rationale for meeting top-lever goals. This letter report follows the full NRC report An Assessment of NASA 's Aeronautics Technology Programs, which was authored by the Committee for the Review of NASA's Revolutionize Aviation Program ant!
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From page 2... ...
Seven existing programs, each with a bottom-up content formulation, were brought uncler the umbrella of the VSP, and NASA management had the daunting task of bringing cohesion to a diverse array of research tasks. This letter report provides the VSP panel's assessment of the current state of the VSP research program restructuring.
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From page 3... ...
For many years NASA has had a problem with maintaining aeronautics facilities owing to declining use and budgets. Although the required paring down of fixed assets to meet future visions and needs is being implemented, it does not appear to be progressing in a strategic manner but instead in a reactive way, driven by near-term budget needs and accounting rules.
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From page 4... ...
This program planning activity has producecI a vision that should allow NASA to establish worIct-ciass leadership in: L;nvironment-friendly, clean-burning engines, New energy sources for aircraft ant] power management, Quiet aircraft for community-friencIly service, Aeroclynarnic performance for fuel efficiency, Aircraft weight reduction, and · Smart aircraft and autonomous control.
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From page 5... ...
The VSP manager cannot implement the changes needed to make the VSP efficient and effective unless drastic changes are made to the financial, personnel, and operational management structure of the NASA centers—an interrelationship referred to in this report as the "Center-Program Relationship." The funds management accountability and responsibility/accountability links between the VSP and NASA centers are dysfunctional and seriously jeopardize the ability of the VSP to successfully transform and focus NASA's vehicle systems work. Currently NASA headquarters program managers have responsibility for achieving goals but do not have the authority to manage the allocation of all funds.
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From page 6... ...
A remaining concern is that program plans at the task level often have no clear exit criteria that specify when research is complete or really for transition to industry or other agencies, yet such a specification is absolutely necessary for cleaning decision gateways. While a milestone tracks progress, that is, gives a measure of plannecl technical success against a specific schedule, a gateway should be a precleterminec!
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From page 7... ...
One newly apparent technical issue arising cluring the panel's November meeting is that turbine inlet temperature will rise by ~ 000 degrees as a result of constant volume combustion. No materials exist today that can function successfully in this environment, and the likelihood that they will appear in the future is small.
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From page 8... ...
The approach suggested here by the panel, which will still allocate at least 20 percent of each area's budget to acivanced technology projects, is a different method of meeting recommendation 7, but this approach will require discipline on the part of both center and program office personnel to ensure the intent is met. While perhaps a fine distinction to some, the VSP's current program management plan, as presented to pane} members, uses strategic focus technologies as a surrogate for basing the technology development plan on core competencies.
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From page 9... ...
points out that decisions on infrastructure may adversely impact the VSP's ability to successfully demonstrate and transition technologies to the marketplace. Aeronautics infrastructure reduction activities to ciate indicate that, although some action is being taken to pare clown fixed assets, the infrastructure reduction is apparently being implementer!
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From page 10... ...
The pane] urges the VSP to tailor these tasks so that they are consistent with the NASA theme objectives and strategic technology focus areas as presented by VSP managers to the panel.
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