HIGHLY REUSABLE SPACE TRANSPORTATION
ARCHITECTURAL CONCEPTS
AN ASSESSMENT FORM
For Scoring And Ranking Concepts
For
Operational Effectiveness
SPST - HRST Support Group, April 30, 1997
HRST ARCHITECTURAL CONCEPTS
Assessment Scoring and Ranking Process Guideline
This is the Highly Reusable Space Transportation (HRST) Architectural Concepts Assessment Form which was developed by The Space Propulsion Synergy Team (SPST) HRST Support Group. It is anticipated that the HRST concept originators will complete and submit this assessment form for their specific concept. Subsequently, a group will compile and compare these assessment forms. This product should assist in the selection of promising concepts leading to decisions relative to priorities for technology program commitment.
The method presented and documented is that used to weigh each of the HRST eighteen major design areas along with the assigned quantitative assessment of merit in each design area. Note that the weight of each of the eighteen major design areas is anchored to the SPST document "A Guide for the Design of Highly Reusable Space Transportation".**
This document provides for concept evaluation in eighteen major design areas. Each of these major design areas provide reference and anchor to the SPST Design Guide’s features and in some cases to several design features. The relative weight assigned each major design area (eighteen in all) correlates with the highest ranking design feature referenced. In cases where there were more than one design feature referenced they are of the same family or element of architectural design feature and are very supportive to the highest ranking design feature.
All top twenty design features are referenced in the eighteen major design areas except one which is really a resultant feature (Hours for turnaround between launches) and not a direct driver of design. The relative weight of these design features have a range of 291 to 597 and represent the top fifty percent (50%) relative weight.
As each concept is evaluated the score is mathematically normalized so that they can be evaluated against a default concept, in this case, the Access To Space (ATS) Option 3 All Rocket SSTO (bipropellant) concept or the Space Shuttle Transportation System (STS).
** A Guide for the Design of Highly Reusable Space Transportation. Space Propulsion Synergy Team, Rev. Basic, Nov. 18, 1996. Specifically, the pareto charts "Prioritized Measurable Criteria", Top 20 and Middle 22 Design Features, pages 15 and 16.
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Edgar Zapata, NASA Kennedy Space Center
Shuttle Process Engineering Directorate, Fluid Systems Division