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Students and JPL engineers discuss design proposals |
Just as a toddler uses a set of blocks to build a structure, engineers
at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif., design conceptual
space missions using a set of "blocks," each representing a
different segment of requirements, to make sure that all aspects of a
mission mesh with the final design.
Instead of being made of wood or cardboard, these blocks are made
up of such things as power requirements, software needs, weight limits,
costs, launch vehicle, science instruments - the many facets of any
scientific research mission, be it a Mars orbiter or a visit to the surface.
"We're now studying advanced concepts for 2007 and beyond,"
said Steve Matousek, deputy manager of JPL's Solar System Advanced
Studies Office. "Pre-project creation of these building blocks
enables us to keep track of changing technology and requirements,
and perhaps reassemble the mission, before planning goes to the
implementation stage."
Center of Excellence Helps Put Blocks Together
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Student checks programs |
To aid in the mission design process, JPL has established a Center
of Excellence for Space Mission Architecture and Design. Tony Freeman,
the center's leader, says that out of 10 such centers of excellence at JPL,
this is the only one dedicated to engineering.
"The center is set up with computers and large screen wall
displays so that work groups can come in and share information in
real-time to see how a change in one block affects others. Teams
like the Mars Smart Lander mission come in early in the program's life
cycle to explore design options," Freeman said.
The center's computer network features multi-disciplinary software that
connects each computer with all of the others. The software updates all
stations concurrently with any design changes, so that team
members "stay on the same page."
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Student and JPL employee discuss subsystems for the design |
JPL and Universities Encourage Students to Have Designs on Space
As part of Matousek's efforts, he works with universities to bring
engineering students to JPL to take part in advanced concepts design as
part of their training and to add to project planning. "I'm really
enthusiastic about this program, so I make time for it. Whenever
possible, I attend college conferences and competitions in the
science and engineering field," said Matousek.
Students from a senior design course at the University of Michigan
visited JPL to take part in a week-long study in the design center.
The 10 students were accompanied by Professor David Hyland, chair
of the university's Department of Aerospace Engineering. Their design
project was the Mars sample return mission, currently proposed for
launch sometime in the next decade. Serving as analysts representing
design teams of other classmates, the students were in regular contact
with team members in Michigan as part of the exercise.
"JPL's facility is unique," said Hyland. "It uses
the latest methods and acquaints students with how design will be done
in their professional lives. Being here also gives them the ability to call in
JPL experts when they have a design problem."
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A design process discussion |
"The program gives us useful products, helps train the future
workforce, and gives us a wonderful outreach opportunity to bring
university students to JPL," said Matousek. "I myself was
led to work at JPL by the experience of controlling a satellite as part of
my undergraduate work at the University of Colorado."
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Trip to California Didn't Involve a Day at the Beach!
In addition to full days of mission design, processing and
presentations, students had to keep up homework for other
classes. Hyland said, "They got to walk around Old
Town Pasadena some after dinner, but then they had to
finish their homework and fax it back to Ann Arbor."
Student Joe Mrozinski served as project manager for the
team. "That means I make sure that everyone is on
task and communicating with each other. I like putting
things together, so this gave me a taste of everything,"
he said. He plans on staying at the university to obtain
a master's degree.
Rebecca Myers appreciated the all-in-one-location aspect for
team members. "The facilities are so much more
sophisticated. They allow the team to work together in
more detail. It also gives us access to personnel who know
a lot more than we do," she said.
Also planning to obtain a master's is senior Brandon
Wright. He said, "It was a help to have the
tremendous amount of resources in one place. Being able
to see other aspects of the task projected real-time leads to
a more efficient design."
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JPL Staff Provides Support
Knut Oxnevad, from JPL's modeling and simulation group, led and
coordinated the student visit. He said, "Many people supported
this effort. In addition to 13 members of my team, 22 JPL scientists
directly supported this activity. Some very senior people, with busy
schedules of their own, came into the lab to support us."
In addition to teaching the students how to work concurrently,
sharing all information with other team members, Oxnevad showed
them the advantages of the design team environment and its quick
analysis capability. They learned to use higher technology at the
beginning of the design process and were able to do an analysis and
come up with numbers.
"The students had a lot of energy and adapted to the
technology very quickly. Most of them didn't know each other
before, but they soon bonded and became a team," said Oxnevad.
Design center operations manager Paul De Florio, who builds the labs
and makes them work, said, "I enjoy having students here. They
constantly come up with new ways of making the room more valuable
and easier for people to work in the environment."
The visit was also sponsored by the Mars Smart Lander and Mars Advanced Studies offices.
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