A Case Study in NASA-DoD - The Black Vault

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SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS
This dissertation presents a case study that analyzes some of the
procurement considerations involved in selecting an unmanned standard
spacecraft for the Air Force Space Test Program missions to be flown
1 *
during the space shuttle's initial ten-year operational period. The
selection process included a comparative evaluation of a number of
procurement options derived from four candidate Air Force and National
Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) standard spacecraft designs.
The case study is placed within the broader policy context of the Congressional
requirement, embodied in the National Aeronautics and Space
Act of 1958, that "close cooperation among federal agencies [will be
maintained] to avoid unnecessary duplication of effort, facilities,
and equipment."
The case study examined in this dissertation was accomplished in
two phases.
During the first phase, the Space Test Program Standard
Satellite (STPSS)--a design proposed by the Air Force--and two NASA
candidates--the Applications Explorer Mission spacecraft (AEI) and the
Multimission Modular Spacecraft (MMS)--were considered. During the'
second phase, a fourth candidate was introduced--a larger, more
capable AEM (L-AEM), configured by the Boeing Company under NASA sponsorship
to meet the specifications jointly agreed upon by NASA and the
Air Force. Total program costs for a variety of procurement options,
each of which is capable of performing all of the Air Force Space Test
Program missions during the 1980-1990 time period, were used as the
principal measure for distinguishingaamong procurement options.
Four major conclusions have been drawn from this case study. First,
program cost does not provide a basis for choosing among the AEM, STPSS,
and MMS spacecraft, given their present designs. Second, the availability
of the L-AEM spacecraft, or some very similar design, would provide a basis
for minimizing the cost of the Air Force Space Test Program. The L-AEM
could be used individually or in combination with the AEM or HS as
See footnotes, pp. 2 and 5.
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