Aerospace Advises NASA on Future Technologies

EL SEGUNDO, Calif. (12/18/00) -- Experts in advanced technologies from The Aerospace Corporation recently reviewed proposals submitted to NASA's Cross Enterprise Technology Development Program to assist the space agency in identifying the concepts most worthy of further pursuit.

The Jet Propulsion Laboratory asked Aerospace to evaluate the technical merit of concepts having the potential to advance NASA's capabilities significantly in the areas of ultraviolet, visible and X-ray detectors; radar and photonics sensors; and micro- and nanosciencecraft.

The assessment was conducted with a view to permitting NASA to embark upon missions that would otherwise be technically infeasible or prohibitively expensive.

Aerospace evaluated each proposal against criteria such as technical merit, cost realism, and relevance to NASA objectives, including cross-enterprise applicability. The project culminated in workshops held in Washington, D.C.

Pasadena Office

Meanwhile, Aerospace has opened an office in Pasadena, Calif., to better support JPL.

Aerospace has a long history with JPL, which includes support to NASA interplanetary and Earth-orbiting science missions in three principal areas: systems engineering, independent assessment and review, and conceptual design.

Gary Pulliam, general manager of the Civil and Commercial Division at Aerospace, pointed out at an open house for the Pasadena facility that recent mission "red team" reviews and launch readiness assessments, predominantly on the Mars program, have proved a major incentive for Aerospace to establish a presence close to JPL.

"We've also worked together on more than 55 systems engineering and conceptual design projects," Pulliam said.

Aerospace has played a role in helping with the architecture and development tools for JPL's Project Design Center and with the application of The Aerospace Corporation's Satellite Orbit Analysis Program, SOAP, used to visualize and plan the trajectory of interplanetary missions.

"We're still discussing ways we can enhance our work relationship," John Beckman, manager of JPL's Systems Division, told open house attendees. "But opening the office here is a natural fit as we work together more downstream. I see good things to come in this partnership," he added.