Application of management and systems engineering to student projects

1. Application of management and systems engineering to student projects The example of the Auburn University Student Space Program

2. Outline • What is the Auburn University Student Space Program (AUSSP)? • Lessons learned after 5 years • Corrective steps taken and preliminary results

3. What is AUSSP? • Member of the National Space Grant Student Satellite Program • Involves about 35 undergraduate students any time in three-five teams • Auburn High-Altitude Balloonning (AHAB) team • AubieSat-I (CubeSat) team • AubieSat-II (NanoSat) team • Mars team • Management team

4. National Space Grant Student Satellite Program Crawl – Walk – Run – Fly From model rockets to Mars http://ssp.arizona.edu/sgsatellites

5. “CRAWL” BalloonSatPrograms CanSat Programs

6. “WALK” Sounding Rocket Programs CubeSat Programs

7. “RUN” Nanosat Programs Arizona State University ASUSat 1 Colorado Space Grant’s Citizen Explorer 1 Colorado, Arizona, and New Mexico: Three-Corner Sat

8. “FLY” To the Moon and Mars External support & opportunities to get involved…

9. Some Suggested activities: Science analysisSoftware tools for data storage, handling, accessProject ManagementSystems EngineeringMission OperationsSpacecraft subsystemsDesign, build, test, calibration, operations, performance maintenanceCommunications, PowerStructures, Mechanisms, Thermal Science, InstrumentsAttitude, orbitAerial mobility (Flyers), Surface Mobility (Rovers)Prototyping/developing applicable technologiesPublic InformationK-12 programs (ed. Modules, teacher training, etc.)

10. Why Student Projects? • Aging Workforce • Inspire & Retain • Pipeline issue • Attract and keep best students in STEM • Active learning • Job training: learning process

11. The AHAB Program • Crawl level • Freshmen and Sophomores • Class: Physics of the World Around Us (3 Credits) • Launch payloads to the edge of space (altitude range 80,000 - 100,000 feet) • Max weight: 16 lbs

12. The AHAB Program GOALS • Reliable launcher • Importance of control: cut-down system • Shielding • Outreach program for K-12 • Science experiments

15. Troubleshooting! <= Mooring

17. AS-I CubeSat • Walk level • Juniors and Seniors • Class: Physics of the World Around Us (3 Credits) • Use COTS • Science mission being defined • Mass ≤ 1-kg; Cube of 10-cm sides

18. AS-I CubeSat GOALS • Students develop technical as well as systems engineering and management skills designing, building, testing and operating a CubeSat • Put first AU satellite in LEO • AS-I performs successfully in space • Develop a steady student satellite capability at AU

20. AS-II NanoSat • Run level • Exceptional Juniors and Seniors • Potential students are working on AS-I • Mass ≤ 50-kg; Max linear dimension: 45-cm • Submit proposal to AFOSR: deadline for submission: 15 October • Radiation mitigation experiment

21. Mars Student Activities • Fly level • Magnetic Investigation of Mars by Interacting Consortia (MIMIC) • Work with JPL and 10 SG Consortia • AUSSP in charge of science and instruments for the mission • Measuring the remnant magnetic field of Mars => loss of atmosphere => loss of liquid surface water => impact on potential life • Mission abandoned: NASA launcher scrapped • AU: six participating students, two spent Summer 04 at JPL

22. Mars Student Activities • AU students @ JPL during summer • Luther Richardson - 2003 • Ben Spratling and Eric Massey - 2004 • Jason Stewart - 2005 • Eric Grimes - 2006 • INSPIRATION in 2006: a robotic weather station on surface of Mars (11 SG students: 2 from Alabama) • Eric Grimes in charge of instruments

23. Management Team • Students from non-technical majors: finance, business, accounting, nutrition, journalism, history, etc. • No class credit in physics • Student Program Manager • Positions: CFO, HRO, PRO, ITO • Meetings twice a week • Support program and tech teams

24. Management Team • Program support • Budget, purchasing, accounting • Fund raising & visibility on campus and beyond • Recruitment • Contact information • Class rolls/participation • Wiki and website • Certificates and awards • Longitudinal tracking • Socials • SEDS

25. Program history • Program started in Fall 2001 • Immediately started both a CubeSat and a Ballooning program • First balloon launch with recovery in Nov. 2001 • Added a Mars mission in Fall 2003 • Added a NanoSat project in 2006

26. Program evaluation - Pros • Over 100 students participated • Five students to JPL Summer Programs • One student at least with a NASA job • Two students presently “co-oping” with NASA • Six balloon launches • A CubeSat partially designed and the structure built • Tested CubeSat ejection from P-Pod in C-9 • Four HS experiments ready for balloon flight • Learned from a large number of mistakes

27. Program evaluation - Cons • Only six balloon flights of which four were not found the day of launch • No final design yet of AS-I after five years • Non-productive AHAB teams in 2005: one year without a launch • Year wasted with insufficient students for AS-I in Fall 2005 and Spring 2006

28. Analysis • We could not make a purely student-led program work • Need to teach and implement process: • Management • Systems Engineering • We were not successful in getting enough students to commit • Lack of support of engineering over years

29. Lessons learned - 1 • Faculty mentor • Used to work through student team manager • Now directly involved in all activities • Sets the tone right from the beginning • Runs team activities as a laboratory • Is now seen as the captain of the boat • Student manager • Used to run the labs • Now helps mentor manage the lab meetings, learns management and takes on increasing responsibilities with time • Student systems engineer • Learns skills form mentor and experts in and outside labs

30. Lessons learned - 2 • Process • Used to be pointed out on an as needed basis • “Building fever” kills process and produces failure • Process now taught to - and immediately applied by -the whole team in the first weeks of the semester • Recruitment • High turn-over rates • Learning curve • Need to recruit top students • Recruitment strategy that works

31. Lesson learned - 3 • Student commitment • Strong mentor leadership => students feel more secure • Responsibility matrix signed • Make sure students have a job they can do and like to do • Certificates • Summer jobs expanded • Participation in conferences • NASA and AE industry contacts for jobs

32. Lessons learned - 4 • Student participation • Participate in project objectives, requirements and tasks definition: take ownership of project • Each student has a responsibility matrix - no more watching the few gung-ho students work and getting disconnected • Documentation • No lab exit before activities are documented • Last week of semester is documentation week • Documentation is significant part of grade

33. Learning Management - 1 • Each semester’s work is defined as a project • Students are presented the status of the system they are to work on • The mentor has defined the vision, mission, a few broad goals, milestones and deliverables for the semester • The students having learned the basics of the system are ready to work out the objectives for each goal

34. Learning Management - 2 • The students work out: • The objectives for each goal • The system’s operational requirements • The subsystems’ requirements • The tasks to be performed based on the objectives and requirements • The tasks are organized as a Work Breakdown Structure (WBS)

35. Learning Management - 3 • The WBS includes duration of tasks • A network diagram reveals the order in which tasks are to be accomplished • The critical path is identified • A Gantt Chart represents the schedule • Students do an inventory of materials • Students make a list of needed tools and materials • Students are now ready to start building

36. Learning Management - 4 • Each lab session starts with • A quick status of project • A look at the Gantt Chart • A comparison of the two is made and corrective action is defined • The goals of the session are set • Lab work proceeds: design and/or building is done, tests are performed • Results are documented before leaving the lab

37. Important ingredients • Discipline • Flexibility • Reviews

38. Systems Engineering - 1 • Plans and guides the engineering effort • Focuses on system as a whole • Bridges traditional engineering disciplines • Necessary due to specialization and complexity of modern systems

39. Systems Engineering - 2 • Hierarchical elements of a system: • Mission Architecture => Balloon, Rigging, Tracking Box, Payload, Launch Team, Ground Station, Tracking Teams, Path Determination, Outreach • System => Tracking Box • Subsystems => Structure & Rigging, Primary Tracking, Secondary Tracking, Power, Cut-Down • Components => Transceivers, GPS, TNC, Cut-Down Board • Parts => batteries, cables

40. Operation & maintenance documentation Production specifications System functional specifications Operational deficiencies Concept Development Post Development Engineering Development Defined system concept Production system Installed operation system Technical opportunities System Life Cycle Source: Systems Engineering, Principles and Practice, Alexander Kossiakoff and William N. Sweet, Wiley-Interscience 2003

41. Systems Engineering Method over Life Cycle Source: Systems Engineering, Principles and Practice, Alexander Kossiakoff and William N. Sweet, Wiley-Interscience 2003

42. Results - 1 • Started August 24 • Extraordinary difference from past • Student participation • Eagerness to work • Confidence • Learning • Two students spent 7 hours doing inventory!

43. Results - 2 • In three weeks, both Balloon and CubeSat have: • Defined semester objectives • Worked out requirements: mission, system, subsystem • Developed their WBS at work session level • Established a schedule • Established status of system • Done a full inventory • Started work on subsystems • Ordered components

45. Conclusions Some requirements for a successful student program • Full faculty involvement with whole team • Full student participation in project and work definitions • Clearly defined process • Students learning and applying management and systems engineering principles, tools and techniques • Each student has responsibilities and work load well defined • Fast track tech skills development • Technical expertise provided • Develop camaraderie between team members