Exploring the Unknown - NASA's History Office

EXPLORING THE UNKNOWN 537
that firm to serve on the buffer team. The buffer team should also include an independent
business analysis firm specializing in the particular industry to be approached. The
right business analysis firm not only knows the industries of interest, but is familiar with
the particular environment in which the producers operate. It has access to business documentation
resources beyond the aerospace horizon; and, most importantly, such a firm
will know key management and technical personnel of these companies plus the correct
business basis on which to approach them.
The candidate producer firms identified by the buffer team should be subjected to a
penetrating business analysis by the business consultant member of the team. This analysis
should include such factors as: the firm’s annual sales and growth; [27] the size of the
company; the new products it has marketed; the tenure of the firm’s senior officers; the
surplus funds available for investment; the size of the firm’s R&D budget; and the identifiable
constraints on the firm’s growth. In addition, there will be factors requiring evaluation
which are peculiar to the specific class of industry being approached.
Having made contact with the companies by introductory letter, follow-up telephone
calls should arrange for a formal presentation at the producer’s own facility. After establishing
a degree of rapport with their business or technical management, the presenting
company should tailor each presentation to the interests of the key people in each producer
company, i.e., the corporate decision makers and senior technical personnel.
Personnel making the presentation should be thoroughly familiarized with the segment
of industry they will be visiting; at least one member should have credible experience
in that producer industry. All members should be prepared to speak the vocabulary
distinct to that industrial field of endeavor. The presentors [sic] should be a systems team
that is capable of addressing all aspects of space processing to the audience’s satisfaction.
Not only must they be knowledgeable in the area of products and processes, but also familiar
with space flight systems and how day-to-day activities in space are carried out. They
must be thoroughly prepared, as well, to discuss resource requirements, costs and manpower,
and schedules. Inclusion of a life sciences specialist in the team is highly desirable
so that questions on man’s contributions and requirements in space can be answered.
The presentation approach should reflect the businessman-to-businessman relationship
desired between the buffer team and the manufacturing firm. It must reflect that
industry is profit oriented rather than knowledge oriented; research must ultimately lead
to increased corporate profit. By selecting products of particular interest to that company
and presenting relevant market and business forecasts, a profit potential can be demonstrated
in a way to engage both the technical and management attention of the audience.
Using a conservative approach in the presentation, especially with technical and business
values familiar to the audience, will give individuals an excellent chance to contribute to
the discussions and to realize that their experience and participation would greatly
enhance the program.
[28] In this situation, the presentation approach should reflect that a joint working
arrangement between the visited company and the aerospace industry would be mutually
beneficial, using the strengths of each partner to achieve new goals. It must convey the
attitude: “We are deeply involved and would like you to join us” rather than “You tell us
what we can do for you in space.” If the presentation features working hardware, mathematical
analyses and models, as well as preliminary product data with their related market
and risk analyses, the audience will feel that the presenters have a strong corporate investment
in the concept, both financially and in terms of manhours of effort.
During the presentation, the question is invariably asked of the presentor [sic], “Why
should we manufacturers be interested in space processing?” Placing a good reason for
their interest early in the presentation can forestall the inquiry. The reason can easily be
developed by identifying the visited company with a candidate product that has the potential
of being produced in space and that also complements their already existing product