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NASA Technology Roadmaps Presentation to

VEXAG Technology Development and

Laboratory Measurements Focus Group

Jim Cutts

Feb 8, 2016

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Topics

• Objectives of this presentation

• NASA Technology Roadmaps – Technology Roadmap Development Process – Strategic Technology Integration Process – Role of the Roadmaps – Structure and organization of the Roadmap

• Inspector General’s report on NASA Technology

• Current Status

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NASA Office of the Chief Technologist Strategic Technology Integration

• Provides the strategy and leadership that guide NASA’s technology development and open innovation activities. The office performs an agency-level technology coordination role – coordinating with the NASA Mission Directorates and field centers to align the

agency’s technology investments to meet mission requirements – filling gaps, anticipating future needs, and minimizing duplication of effort.

• Develops policy, requirements, and strategy for NASA’s technology

development activities by coordinating with NASA mission directorates, other government agencies, and external organizations. As part of these efforts, OCT develops and maintains: – NASA Space Technology Roadmaps – NASA Strategic Space Technology Investment Plan (STIP) – TechPort database

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NASA OCT – Strategic Technology Integration

Space Technology

Roadmaps (STR)

Strategic Technology Investment Plan (STIP)

Web-based Integrated

Technology Data Source and

Decision Support Tool

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NASA Technology Roadmap Development Process

• In 2014, the Technology Roadmap development team was formed and used the technology development process

• In the Spring of 2015, the roadmaps were released to the public of review and comment with the expanded Scope – New: TA15 Aeronautics – 8 new level 2 Technology Areas – 66 new level 3 Technology Areas – 1,278 new Technology Candidate Snapshots (level 4)

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NASA Technology Roadmaps Overview

• The intent is to update the roadmaps every five years to reflect changes in NASA’s strategic direction

• The first version of the NASA Technology Roadmaps was published in 2010

• Planning for the second and current version began about two years ago and went through an extensive review process.

• The 2015 NASA Technology Roadmaps was released to the public in July 2015. – It can be downloaded

from:http://www.nasa.gov/offices/oct/home/roadmaps/index.html – They are a set of documents that consider a wide range of needed technology

candidates and development pathways for the next 20 years (2015-2035) – The roadmaps focus on applied research and development activities

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Technology Area Breakdown Structure (TABS)

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The 2015 NASA Technology Roadmaps include 15 distinctive Technology Area (TA) roadmaps and the roadmap effort is led by the Office of the Chief Technologist (OCT)

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NASA Technology Roadmap Taxonomy

• TA1: Launch Propulsion Systems • TA2: In-Space Propulsion Technologies • TA3: Space Power and Energy Storage • TA4: Robotics and Autonomous Systems • TA5: Communications, Navigation, Orbital Debris Tracking and Characterization

Systems • TA6 Human Health, Life Support, and Habitation Systems • TA7 Human Exploration Destination Systems • TA8 Science Instruments, Observatories, and Sensor Systems • TA9 Entry, Descent, and Landing Systems • TA10: Nanotechnology • TA11: Modeling, Simulation, Information Technology, and Processing • TA12: Materials, Structures, Mechanical Systems, and Manufacturing • TA13: Ground and Launch Systems • TA14: Thermal Management Systems • TA15: Aeronautics

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NASA Technology Roadmaps Cross Cutting Technologies

• Recognizing the incompleteness of this taxonomy, the NASA Technology Roadmaps has identified a set of “cross cutting topics”: – Autonomous Systems and Artificial Intelligence – Avionics – Extra Vehicular Activity – Information Technology – In-Situ Resource Utilization – Orbital Debris – Radiation – Space Weather – Sensors – Thermal Protection Systems

• Assessment – Other than providing a brief description of what it is and how it maps into the main

taxonomy, little has been done yet with this “cross cutting technology area”

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NASA Technology Roadmaps Technology Snapshots and Design Reference Missions

• The NASA Technology Roadmap taxonomy is divide into four levels – Level 1 is one of the 15 technology areas – Level 4 includes detailed “technology snapshots” with current technology

readiness level, specific performance goals and challenges.

• Design Reference Missions (DRMs) – This is an array of hypothetical mission scenarios developed by potential

customers or users of a mission to help guide mission design. – The DRMs involving human spacecraft are drawn from NASA’s own planning

documents – The DRMs for robotic missions are drawn from the appropriate Decadal

Surveys

• Linkage between Technology Snapshots and DRMs – Each technology snapshot specifies the missions that it enables (a pull

technology), enhances or benefits (a push technology) in some way.

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IHow NASA Manages its Space Technology Portfolio Technology NASA Inspector General’s Report - Dec 2015

Recommendations To clarify the role and authorities of NASA’s Technology Executive Council, it recommends that the NASA Administrator: (1) develop a charter outlining the Council’s role, responsibilities, authority, and

membership. To ensure management processes and controls better align and prioritize NASA’s space technology projects with its mission goals, we recommended the Office of the Chief Technologist:

(2) further prioritize “core” and “adjacent” technologies in the new Strategic Space Technology Investment Plan

(3) take steps to ensure project managers utilize TechPort as intended. In addition, we recommended the Office of the Chief Engineer update NASA Procedural Requirements 7120.8 to establish policy and procedures for: (4) initiating space technology projects that include Agency-wide awareness and coordination and (5) requiring all concluded technology projects complete closeout reports and technology infusion or transfer data for inclusion in TechPort.

The Deputy Administrator has concurred in recommendations 1,2 and 3 and partially concurred in recommendations 4 and 5.

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Current Status • JPL did an evaluation of the NASA Technology Roadmap for the Planetary

Science Division as part of its technology planning task in August 2015

• The findings of this review were transmitted to Mike Seablom the SMD Chief Technologist who conveyed them to STMD

• Consideration is being given to compiling technology needs for PSD in the form of the Roadmap’s Technology snapshots. That is yet to be implemented

• John Dankanich of MSFC’s Tech Transfer office used the Roadmap as part of a planning effort to prioritize technologies conducted for the Small Bodies Assessment Group.

• The STIP that is based on the Roadmaps has yet to be published. It may come out later this year.

• The NASA Inspector General has completed a critical evaluation of how NASA manages its spece technology portfolio and changes are expected