A Case Study in NASA-DoD - The Black Vault

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1. A method for collecting, reviewing, and assigning priorities
to potential payloads (experiments).
2. A system for defining the number and method of securing
spaceflight for these payloads.
3. An agency for managing and funding of booster and spacecraft
procurement, payload integration, and launch and orbital
support.
The Space Test Program Office has provided these services for over
100 different payloads derived from the three military services and
other operating agencies. These payloads have ranged from alpha-particle
detectors to x-ray monitors. Some have weighed less than a pound, while
others have weighed over a thousand pounds.
The selection process for payloads to be included in the Space Test
Program originates with a request from a DoD laboratory, or some other
agency, for a spaceflight of a specific experiment. The Director of
Space, USAF Headquarters, processes these requests and, with the concurrence
of the Office of the Director of Defense, Research and Engineering
(DDR&E), and interested military services, determines which payloads- will
be included in the Space Test Program. The Space Test Program Office defines
the spaceflight for as many payloads as possible, given funding
limits, and submits the program to the Director of Space and DDR&E for
approval. When the plan is approved, the Space Test Program Office contracts
for the necessary spacecraft, launch vehicle, and payload integration.
To increase the proportion of the funds available for payload development,
the Space Test Program Office has followed a low-cost strategy
consisting of:
1. Using "secondary" space on spacecraft and launch vehicles
of other programs, i.e., piggybacking.
2. Using existing space vehicle designs whenever possible.
3. Using backup spacecraft designed and built for other
programs.
4. Using selective redundancy in Space Test Program-procured
spacecraft.