Power and On-Board Propulsion System Benefit Studies at NASA GRC

This paper discusses the value of systems studies that provide unbiased “honest broker” assessments of the quantified benefits afforded by advanced technologies for specific missions. The organization, format and approach used by the NASA Glenn Research Center (GRC) Systems Assessment Team (SAT) to perform system studies for the GRC advanced power and on-board propulsion technology development program is described. Three levels of assessments and a sensitivity analysis are explained and example results are presented. The impact of system studies results and some of the main challenges associated with systems studies are identified. A call for collaboration is made where system studies of all types from all organizations can be reviewed, providing a forum for the widest peer review to ensure accurate and unbiased technical content, and to avoid needless duplication.