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LLEGO - Launch & Landing Effects Ground Operations cost model

2008

Papers & Presentations ¦ The Project ¦ Contact

LLEGO is a model for understanding Kennedy Space Center (KSC) launch and landing recurring operations costs for human space flight. This function is also referred to at times as "ground processing", "ground operations", "the ground operations element (GOE)", "launch and landing project", "check-out", "processing", "launch site ops", "launch ops" or as just plain "ground ops". Currently, this function is all about the ground operations of the Space Shuttle Space Transportation System (STS), a part of the Space Shuttle Program (SSP). After the Space Shuttle is retired, ground operations will eventually be about the crewed Orion spacecraft atop an Ares I launch vehicle and the cargo/un-crewed Ares V launch vehicle and Altair lunar lander, all within the Constellation Program (CxP).

The Cx flight and ground systems build on many elements of the existing Shuttle flight and ground hardware, organizations and processes. The LLEGO model builds on past Space Shuttle ground operations data, research, modeling and experience. In this way, LLEGO is especially applicable to the future Cx architecture. Although LLEGO is used for cost estimation, it's main purpose is in providing insight to the user about the relationships among ground operations functions, Shuttle data, and their relation to design drivers. Drivers include flight system complexity, reliability, and maintainability, as well as the operations practices and technology for the supply chain network. All these factors together will drive the recurring cost of the future ground operation, including launch.

Above: Screen-shot of LLEGO V 3.0 with the baseline Space Shuttle file loaded

Direct hands-on labor is a beginning for any understanding about a spacecraft and launch vehicles affordability and it's productive potential for delivering people and cargo to and from space. But direct hands-on labor is also merely the tip of the iceberg of other functions and resources needed to actually launch a system. These other functions are dependent on the operations practices and technology applied to the rest of the extended supply chain network. In it's simplest form, LLEGO is used in the "business as usual" mode, applying Shuttle operations practices and technology.

Above: Recurring space transportation ground operations cost estimation user cases, from the simplest to the most complex

Key cost modeling and research questions will always include:

  • What is the relationship between specific operability features in a design and direct hands-on work?
  • What is the nature of the extended set of organizations, policies, and practices beneath the very visible hands-on work of a ground operations contractor technician?
  • What is the relationship of the designs operability to the realm that lies beneath?
  • How can we design with both improved operability in mind for the hardware as well as with operable processes, practices and technology in mind for the organizational structures that carry out the support functions?

Papers & Presentations:

The Project:

  • Created a model that provides linkages between the what, how and why of Launch and Landing costs and flow times, reflecting on future affordability and responsiveness for space launch, with an emphasis on the NASA Exploration architecture.
  • Has created a capability to quantitatively analyze what drives expenses and flow-time.
  • Will communicate insights from analysis to key decision makers and stakeholders.
  • Will quantify potential paths to improvements in affordability and flow-time productivity.
    • Implement a design change? What is the effect?
    • Implement a business or policy change? What is the effect?
    • Sensitivity "what-if" analysis; change items, co-relate degrees to effects.

Above: The relationship of LLEGO to other models

As a sub-task, this project also:

  • Developed a Safety, Reliability and Maintainability Design Development and Requirements Balancing Tool. more>>>

The Team & Acknowledgements:

  • NASA Kennedy Space Center
    • Edgar Zapata, Principal Investigator & COTR, KSC
    • Mike Galluzzi, Shuttle Program Office, Supply Chain Manager
  • Acknowledgements: This project was funded by ESMD Level 1 as part of the Explorations Systems Research & Technology (ESR&T) program.
    • Doug Craig, ESMD Directorate Integration Office (DIO)
    • Pat Troutman and Bill Cirillo of Langley Research Center, leads for the Explorations Systems Analysis and Technology Assessment, area “11B” of the Explorations Systems Architecture Study (ESAS)

Milestones:

  • Project duration Phase I: July 19, 2006 to July 19, 2007
  • Project Phase I summary presentation, KSC internal, July 25, 2007
  • Phase II Upgrades 2007-2008
  • Phase III 2008-2009: This phase supports the Independent (recurring) Cost Estimate (ICE) and analysis of the Cx Ground Operations Project (GOP) in support of the Cx Standing Review Board (SRB) cost-sub-team.

Contacts, Further Information, Distribution:

  • The LLEGO tool is freely available to government, industry and academia upon request. Also see all the other available "models". Please state name and organization with the request. Depending on the work, if it is for the government or private, the government or the public version will be provided respectively.
  • LLEGO's latest version configuration.

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Also see:

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Website Contact: Edgar Zapata, NASA Kennedy Space Center