AEROSPACE REPORT NO. TOR-2010(8591)-17, GUIDANCE FOR SPACE PROGRAM MODELING AND SIMULATION (30-JUN-2010)

AEROSPACE REPORT NO. TOR-2010(8591)-17, GUIDANCE FOR SPACE PROGRAM MODELING AND SIMULATION (30-JUN-2010)., Although Modeling and Simulation (M&S) plays a significant role in the development of any spacecraft or system, this document is primarily intended for use in unmanned national space system programs. The guidance provided herein is really discipline-independent and should be of value to anyone involved with M&S in any capacity. The document provides guidance based on the experiences and lessons learned from a diverse team of people involved with M&S through various capacities and implementations. The document describes a coherent planned approach to M&S to support key program decisions. This approach when thoughtfully implemented has the capability to positively impact a program through significant risk reduction and potential for cost savings. In contrast, M&S applications not developed using a coherent approach may be neither suitable nor valid for their intended use and these M&S may even waste resources. The primary purpose of this document is to provide insight and guidance to future space system programs for the implementation of M&S as part of the overall program plan. This document will describe an overall M&S process that can be adapted and used by a program from conception to completion and even into system operation. After the process is described, it is tied to a standard system gate process that is used in the program development life-cycle. A key part of this linking of the process to the gates is the development of a program M&S plan. This document develops an M&S plan that is scalable and can be tailored to fit the needs of multiple programs that vary in size and complexity. The benefits to a program using a robust M&S plan can be extensive. In many cases it is the only way to establish the requirements that the system must be designed to meet. It is often not possible to perform physical testing of components and systems until on orbit. The use of models and simulations provides input conditions for the system development. M&S also provides a means of establishing requirements and performing development tasks that can be more cost effective than physical testing which may not even be possible in a laboratory setting. Another area where M&S should play a key role in a complex space program is in risk assessment and management. All space systems have a substantial amount of risk that must be handled or at least understood in order to make sound system decisions. M&S can be used to understand the impact of the risk on the performance and in some cases the survivability of the system. M&S can also be used in place of physical development and testing to assess the risk and to evaluate mitigation strategies. In many instances, it is not possible to perform this effort except through the use of M&S. Throughout this document, guidance is provided to the user on how to implement M&S in a program and specifically the development of the M&S Plan. Various recommended practices are interspersed throughout this document with explanatory, supporting, background, and descriptive text.