The paramount importance of high payload reliability is questioned in the light of payload recoverability in Spacelab and Space Shuttle experiments, and cost effectiveness through less stringent reliability requirements backed up by recovery and reflight of the experiment if necessary is considered. Ground rules and parameters for assessing reliability and recoverability in relation to mission cost effectiveness are advanced. Mission success probability (for one or several flights), experiment hardware cost, design reliability, cost of orbiting the experiment, support system reliability, and other relevant parameters are identified and discussed, and graphs of experimental total cost envelope are plotted. It is proposed that reliability and quality assurance standards be weighed against failure costs and penalties in the case of recoverable space systems.
Choosing reliability level for Shuttle-carried payloads
1976-12-01
Miscellaneous
No indication
English
NTRS | 1977
|Communication with Shuttle payloads
Tema Archive | 1978
|Shuttle entry technology payloads
NTRS | 1975
|Development of shuttle payloads
NTRS | 1977
|Space science payloads for Shuttle
NTRS | 1982
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