Challenges in the management of faster-better-cheaper space missions

Author

Pate-Cornell, E. ; Dillon, Robin

Author_Institution

Dept. of Ind. Eng. & Eng. Manage., Stanford Univ., CA, USA

Volume

5

fYear

1998

fDate

21-28 Mar 1998

Firstpage

507

Abstract

NASA has recently changed the management style of its unmanned space program to a faster-better-cheaper (FBC) mode of operation. FBC projects have focused scopes and are developed in three years for about two hundred million dollars. A current study of four missions (Cassini as a base case, Mars Global Surveyor, Mars Pathfinder, and Deep Space Probe 1) allows us to compare the new management formula in its current transition phase to the traditional “flagship” projects, and to examine what this formula may yield in the long run. In this paper, we examine the short-term features of the current missions that may require some review and consideration before applying the same formula to future projects

Keywords

economics; project management; scheduling; space vehicles; technological forecasting; Cassini; Deep Space Probe 1; Mars Global Surveyor; Mars Pathfinder; NASA; faster-better-cheaper space missions; future projects; management formula; unmanned space program; Costs; Extraterrestrial measurements; Industrial engineering; Mars; NASA; Probes; Project management; Research and development management; Space missions; Space vehicles;

fLanguage

English

Publisher

ieee

Conference_Titel

Aerospace Conference, 1998 IEEE

Conference_Location

Snowmass at Aspen, CO

ISSN

1095-323X

Print_ISBN

0-7803-4311-5

Type

conf

DOI

10.1109/AERO.1998.685861

Filename

685861