SOFIA SSSCProgram Status

Robert Meyer Program ManagerFebruary 18, 2010

Significant Progress!

• Open Door Flights have been highly successful– 100% Open Door Flight completed; December 18, 2009

• The Upper Rigid Door (URD) was opened incrementally to 100% of the Aperture opening, exposing the Cavity to the atmosphere for initial internal airflow and acoustics characterization tests

• Initial observations of the characteristics of the aircraft with the URD open up to 100% were benign, with no acoustics or aircraft handling issues

• Two Door Closed flights completed; January 14-15, 2010

– TA Activation flights successfully completed

– Aircraft Functional Check Flight (FCF), clean-up flight

• Envelope Expansion flight series started with the 23o (lowest) Aperture position on January 29, 2010 and completed Feb 11

– 10%, 40%, 70% and 100% Door Open flight envelope expansion at low altitudes / low speeds nearly completed

(Watch Flight Test Video)

• Landing with door open at 40% completed!2

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Door Open 40 % Landing, Feb. 11, 2010

Challenges

• Actual Schedules have taken longer than planned– Analyzing actual data to adjust plans

• Recent schedule performance has taken about 1.4 times longer than 70% JCL– Flight test objectives have been successful, but taking longer than anticipated

• Weather• Additional flights• Cavity Door Drive (CDDS) anomaly

• Dryden evaluating ideas to shorten path to ISF– Addition of staff needed to shorten Mission Systems installations and checkout– More co-location at the DAOF along with key test assets– Parallelizing appropriate serial tasks– Scrubbing flight test matrix / approach

• Program working mitigation approaches for longer-term schedule– Established a separate Segment 3 planning and schedule development team– Evaluating several shorter downtimes vs. 1 extended downtime in Segment 3

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Parallel Activities to reduce Segment 3 risk

2010 2011 2012

Ongoing Flight Activity

Seg III Planning Activity

Seg II Detailed plan &MCCS Upgrades Activity

Kevin, Dave, & John

John, Ting, Eric

MCCS Tracking

Seg III TrackingPlanning

Mike, Tom

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Challenges – cont’d • Actual Schedules have taken longer than planned

– Analyzing actual data to adjust plans• Recent schedule performance has taken about 1.4 times longer than 70% JCL

– Flight test objectives have been successful, but taking longer than anticipated• Weather• Additional flights• Cavity Door Drive (CDDS) anomaly

• Dryden evaluating ideas to shorten path to ISF– Addition of staff needed to shorten Mission Systems installations and checkout– More co-location at the DAOF along with key test assets– Parallelizing appropriate serial tasks– Scrubbing flight test matrix / approach

• Program working mitigation approaches for longer-term schedule– Established a separate Segment 3 planning and schedule development team– Evaluating several shorter downtimes vs. 1 extended downtime in Segment 3

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1. Cavity Cooling? (finish?)2. AIU (MCCS) ≈ 2 months A3. FMI (MCCS) ≈ 1 month A4. DAS (MCCS) ≈ 3 months A5. Workstations (MCCS) A

7. Cavity Cooling? ≈ 2 months? B 8. Coordinate Transform Updates*9. CDDS upgrades? = 2 months**10. AIU wiring start?11. DAS wiring start?12. MADS upgrades (Alarms/Alerts)

1. Avionics Upgrade ≈ 3 months A2. RVSM 3-4 weeks? A3. TA Upgrades ≈ 2 months A?4. WVM ≈ 2 weeks B5. Insulation ≈ 2 months off a/c C6. Mirror Coating ≈ 2-3 months C

Conceptual Segment 3 downtime re-structure

2011

2012

2012

2013

2013

2014

LOC

FOC

  Observing Flights  Instrument Commissioning  Aircraft maintenance/Observatory upgrade  Platform flights

1. Coordinate Transform Updates2. EPO3. CDDS and CECS upgrades

•Get Science data to the community earlier (SSPC recommendation)•Maintains Program momentum•Provides addition risk margin for downtimes

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Program Status (1of 2)

• Program prioritizing the remaining FY10 reserves to accommodate Platform surge, additional workforce and contract costs

• FORCAST Science Instrument is at DAOF– Initial integration and line ops in early-Spring

• FIFI-LS funding discontinued by Max Planck Institute– DLR/DSI investigating options to provide continuity in funding

• Continuing Phase 1 of EVM implementation / reporting; anticipate having full EVM reporting capability by May Monthly report

• Program will re-run Joint Confidence Level (JCL) analysis to support re-baseline activity with Science Mission Directorate and Agency

• Reviewing SOFIA Science Project Council report received on December 28, 2009– Concern for potential schedule slip to ISF– Minimize extended aircraft downtime– Re-evaluate remaining instrument suite

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Program Status (2 of 2)• Operations Simulations

– Operations Sim 7 slated for Feb 11-12 at DAOF

• Sim 7 is basically a detailed planning session for Sim 8

• Sim 8 will be a subset of FORCAST Line Ops #1

• Data Cycle System– v1.2 – SS archival software and Basic Science call for Proposals

• Testing complete• Report in review• FCA/PCA on v1.2.1 (resolution of any outstanding problem reports) on Feb 26

• SOFIA Science/New Instrument Workshop– Scheduled June 6-8, 2010, Asilomar Conference Center, Pacific Grove, CA– 11 invited speakers (confirmed) who are theorists and/or observational astronomers. Instrumentation presentations

to be given by poster only to provide for a level playing field during the proposal evaluations.

– Electronic registration form has gone live as of today.

• Pipeline status:– Coordinating site visits to some of the major NASA observatory science centers to discuss “best practices and

lessons learned” with the associated pipeline managers.– These discussions should aid in developing the SOFIA pipeline process.

02/04/2010 9

FORCAST at DAOF

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Just Unpacked Loading onto lab stand

FORCAST Instrument Readiness Room

Upcoming Events

Level 1 Delta Systems Requirement Review; February 16-17, 2010 SOFIA Science Steering Committee (SSSC) in Palmdale; February 18, 2010

• Science Instrument Trimester Review (SITR) at Palmdale; February 19, 2010

• OCE Assessment; Week of March 1, 2010

• Standing Review Board; March 22-25, 2010

• Completion of 23-degree Envelope Expansion flights; late-March, 2010

• FORCAST line ops April/May 2010

• SMD Program Management Council; April 14, 2010

• Agency Program Management Council; April 21, 2010

• TA Characterization and first light flight late April or early May

• Initial Science Flight (ISF) fall 2010

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Segment 2 – Tracking dates

TA Characterization

2010TA Characterization/First Light attempt

TA Misalignment

(daytime)

  Science Flight   Platform Flight  TA Flight  Ground Testing  Data Analysis  Contingency Flight

Created 2/11/2010

ISF

Segment 2 – Tracking dates

  Science Flight   Platform Flight  TA Flight  Ground Testing  Data Analysis  Contingency Flight

2011

Created 2/11/2010

Segment 3 – Tracking

2012

2012

2013

2013

2014

2014

LOC

FOC

  Observing Flights  Instrument Commissioning  Aircraft maintenance/Observatory upgrade  Platform flights 14

Created 2/2/2010

Milestone Program

IDTracking Dates 70% JCL Risk Current PCA

Milestone 1st Flight (Aircraft Functional Checks)

L1-03212/09/09

(Completed)11/19/09

 

Segment 3 SRR L1-107 2/16/10 12/16/09  

1st Open Door Flight L1-101 12/18/09 1/28/10  

FORCAST Line Ops L1-102 5/12/10 3/30/10  

First Light Opportunity L1-103 4/23/10 4/29/10  

ISF – Short Science 1 Flights L1-037 10/22/10 10/26/10 8/2009

Envelope Expansion #2 L1-106 12/13/10 12/17/10  

Segment 3 Progress Review L1-108 11/12/10 3/31/11  

GREAT Line Ops L1-104 2/23/11 4/12/11  

Short Science 2 Flights L1-105 3/10/11 5/11/11  

Basic Science Flights L1-046 4/15/11 6/10/11  

FIFI-LS Line Ops L1-110 7/1/11 8/30/11  

FIFI-LS Science Flights L1-109 7/11/11 9/14/11  

TA V&V / Aircraft Performance Flights L1-047 8/8/11 10/6/11  

Open Door Flight Test Complete L1-052 9/2/11 11/10/11 9/2010

Limited Operation Capability (LOC) L1-055 10/24/12 3/18/13  

Full Operational Capability (FOC) L1-056 8/12/14 12/16/14 12/2014

Program Key Milestones

Re-sequenced to moveTA Characterization / First LightEarlier

02/04/2010 15

Level - 2 Waterfall

02/04/2010 16

Level - 3 Waterfall

02/04/2010 17

SOFIA Program Risk Status• Threat Status

– Currently tracking 84 Open Threats• 15 Open Door (18%)

• 41 Early Science (49%)

• 20 Segment 3 (24%)

• 4 LOC (5%)

• 3 FOC (4%)

• 1 Overall (1%)

– Completed Quarterly Threat Review in late December

• Risk Status– Changes since last Quarterly:

• SOF-RSK-003 (Cavity Door System Failure):

– Closed out two mitigations, Reduced RAC from 12 to 8

• SOF-RSK-010 (Unacceptable Cavity Acoustics):

– Closed out two mitigations, Reduced Likelihood from 3 to 2.5 (RAC unchanged)

•  SOF-RSK-015 (Inadequate Segment 2 System Performance):

– Closed out one mitigation, Reduced Likelihood from 3 to 2.75 (RAC unchanged)

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ApproachM - Mitigate

W - Watch

A - Accept

R - Research

Med

High

Low

Criticality L x C Trend

Decreasing (Improving)

Increasing (Worsening)

Unchanged

New Since Last Period

[Risks are identified and trended from last review to current review]

Program Risk Management Matrix

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SOFIA Program Risk Waterfall

* RAC as averaged over the 12 open Program Risks

*

Open Door V&V/FCF/Open Door

Flight Mitigations

Open Door V&V/FCF/Open Door

Flight Mitigations

TA Characterization and First Light

TA Characterization and First Light

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Near-term Program Challenges• Simultaneously conduct flight testing, SI integration and test, and

accomplish re-baseline activity

– Schedule• Establish a realize-able risk-adjusted schedule

– Center near-term recovery effort– More timely and accurate schedule planning

– Implementing EVM and re-running JCL• IMS re-structuring• Update threat integration• Update resources

– Conducting flights in a safe and efficient manner

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Program Summary• Program completed 10% door open flight and 100% door open flight prior to end of 2009

calendar year– Highly successful with no acoustic or aircraft handling issues– Mission Systems operating well

• Program accomplished the TA activation and started Open Door Envelope Expansion flights– Successfully completed door open at 40% landing

• FORCAST arrived at the DAOF, February 8, 2010

• Program is working with Dryden Center Management to achieve longer-term schedule commitments to Initiation of Science (ISF)

• Program considering adding a JCL threat that accounts for the schedule continually being under-planned and increasing the maximum schedule impact of the flight test threat

• Program is in close coordination / contact with DLR and monitoring FIFI-LS funding situation

• Expecting EVM / JCL runs with re-structured IMS in early-March to support the SRB and the Agency re-baseline

• Program considering changing Limited operating capability (LOC) milestone to Initial Operating Capability (IOC)

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