May 29, 2009 Vol. 2, Issue 5

“Passing the torch” in NASA’s human spaceflight program was the theme of Masters Forum 18, which took place May 13-14, 2009, in Cocoa Beach, Florida.

The forum featured together top practitioners past and present who have played key roles in the Shuttle and Constellation programs. Other speakers addressed topics related to large-scale programmatic transitions such as knowledge transfer and organizational learning.

The program opened with a discussion among NASA veterans Tom Moser, Jim Odom, John O’Neill, and Russell Rhodes about Shuttle program formulation, development, and operations. Key themes included the planning necessary to achieve operational sustainability over the life cycle of a system like the Shuttle, the criticality of a robust test program, and the need for real-time documentation of decisions as a record for future practitioners. “Capture everything you do and why you did it. It’s not a big deal, but if you don’t do it, it’s hard to recreate it,” said Tom Moser. “The cost isn’t an issue if you do it when the decisions are made.”

NASA Chief Safety and Mission Assurance Office Bryan O’Connor offered his views on lessons from Challenger and Columbia. He provided an overview of the investigations following Apollo 1 and the two Shuttle accidents and compared the merits of the different approaches. Speaking more broadly about mishap prevention, he noted that accountability is a product of responsibility, authority, and capability. “Accountability cannot be delegated,” he said. He noted that NASA policy gives more authority to individuals in leadership positions, but that all workers have the authority to speak up.

The forum also offered a wide range of perspectives about the Shuttle’s role in enabling science and exploration. Noel Hinners, Joe Rothenberg, Michael Sander, John Charles, Roger Crouch, and Tommy Holloway shared insights and lessons about the Hubble servicing missions, earth monitoring, life sciences research, microgravity research, and the International Space Station. Laurie Leshin followed the panel with an overview of the scientific achievements enabled by the Hubble Space Telescope.

Presenters also addressed various facets of knowledge sharing in the context of the transition from Shuttle to Constellation. Ed Rogers and Matt Kohut gave an introduction to the uses of case studies as a learning tool. Brent Fontenot offered an overview of Johnson Space Center’s knowledge sharing and storytelling activities. Dave Lengyel spoke about the Exploration Systems Mission Directorate’s (ESMD) integrated approach to risk management and knowledge management.

Looking at NASA’s current efforts under development in the Constellation program, John Olson, Phil Sumrall, Fred Oullette, and John Connolly spoke about progress and challenges with program elements including the Ares vehicles, the Orion crew exploration vehicle, and the Altair lunar lander.

Participants reflected on key insights from the forum in small groups during the final session. Several common lessons emerged:

• Develop a robust test program, test as you fly, and fly as you test.
• It is critical to understand the rationale behind technical decisions, which requires collecting extensive real-time documentation as decisions are made.
• “Better” is the enemy of “good enough.”
• Later never happens.
• Top 10 problem lists can be effective project communication tools.
• Understanding “political systems engineering” is important to maintaining long-term support for a program or project.
• Case studies, stories, and other non-engineering applications can illuminate lessons learned.
• You’re never as smart as you think you are.

In keeping with the theme of the event, the forum was timed so that attendees would have the opportunity to witness the launch of STS-125 and take part in a behind-the-scenes tour of Kennedy Space Center.