NASA L'SPACE Mission Concept Academy

Project Overview

During the Summer of 2023, I joined the NASA L’SPACE Mission Concept Academy, a 15-week online interactive program where students are placed into teams to develop a NASA-level mission up to the Preliminary Design Review (PDR) stage. I was part of Team 20, and our mission focused on studying the dwarf planet Ceres to explore its potential habitability history and its origins within the solar system. I took on multiple roles, serving as the Deputy Project Manager, Mechanical Engineer, and Mission Assurance Specialist for my team.

As the Deputy Project Manager, I led the programmatic subteam in developing the Gantt chart, managing the allocated budget of $300 million, and identifying mission-related risks. I created the Gantt chart to outline the mission timeline, facilitated communication between leadership, mentors, and stakeholders regarding my subteam's progress, and ensured that the rover's development stayed within budget.

In my role as Mechanical Engineer, I conducted trade studies to evaluate and select the most viable options that fit within our budget, and I also contributed to designing our mission rover using Siemens NX.

As the Mission Assurance Specialist, I managed and mitigated mission risks, primarily by making engineering improvements to the rover.

Below, I’ve detailed my specific contributions in each of these roles.

Deputy Project Manager (Primary)

Serving as the deputy project manager, I led the programmatic subteam in developing the Mission Concept Review (MCR), Systems Requirement Review (SRR), Mission Definition Review (MDR), and the final deliverable PDR within a 15-week timeframe. This role provided me with valuable insights into the business aspects of a NASA mission, an area where I previously lacked experience. Fortunately, the mentorship from L'SPACE and the resources provided facilitated a smooth leadership process in leading the programmatic team.

Our mission task came with significant constraints, including a mass limit of 120 kg, a volume constraint of 125x125x125 cm, a cost cap of $300 million, a specific launch date, and various technical requirements such as choosing a landing site using JMARS, ensuring spacecraft communication, and developing a sample collection system. Additionally, we were restricted from using certain materials, like the Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generator (RTG). Navigating these constraints was challenging, but we successfully integrated them into our PDR. 

My primary responsibilities as a Deputy Project Manager were overseeing the project's progress and managing the programmatic subteam. As mentioned earlier to effectively track the project timeline in our PDR, I created a Gantt chart. The mission is scheduled to last 15 years, from Phase C of the NASA mission lifecycle until Phase F which will mark the official end of the mission duration. Below is a summary of the major milestones for the mission cycle.

I also had a hand in creating the budget utilizing NASA’s instrument cost model as well as the mission concept cost estimate tool. Below is a simplified version of the budget chart created by me and the Program Analyst.

Mechanical Engineer (Secondary)

We designed the rover’s preliminary concept for the Preliminary Design Review on Siemens NX. I designed parts of the rovers such as the sample collection system (not shown), the rocker-bogie system, and the isogrid patterns. The design in NX is shown below.

Mission Assurance Specialist (Secondary)

As the Mission Assurance Specialist, my primary responsibility was managing the mission's risks. So, I organized the mission risks into a risk matrix as displayed below. I detailed the mitigation methods as well for each of the 26 risks in a separate matrix (It is too large to put on this document, so it is not displayed but is available upon request). 

Below is the risk matrix. The green zone means the risks, with their likelihood and potential consequences, are manageable and do not bring significant harm to the mission. The yellow zone means that the risks should be mitigated, but not to a severe level. The red zone means that the risks are critical and need to be analyzed and mitigated right away.

This experience was incredibly valuable, as it was my first time creating a viable NASA mission concept up to the PDR stage. I gained significant experience in team leadership, learned NASA’s practices, and had the opportunity to interact and network with NASA engineers. Although we didn’t achieve the highest score, we were proud to finish in the top 3 among more than 30 teams, making this program a rewarding and fulfilling experience.