Old Dominion University ODU Digital Commons Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Theses & Dissertations Engineering Spring 1996 A Total Systems analysis Method for the Conceptual design of Spacecraft: An application to Remote Sensing Imager Systems Knut I. Oxnevad Old Dominion University Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.odu.edu/emse_etds Part of the Operational Research Commons, Remote Sensing Commons, Structures and Materials Commons, and the Systems Engineering Commons Recommended Citation Oxnevad, Knut I.. "A Total Systems analysis Method for the Conceptual design of Spacecraft: An application to Remote Sensing Imager Systems" (1996). Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Dissertation, Engineering Management & Systems Engineering, Old Dominion University, DOI: 10.25777/ewsb-h718 https://digitalcommons.odu.edu/emse_etds/108 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Engineering Management & Systems Engineering at ODU Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Theses & Dissertations by an authorized administrator of ODU Digital Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. A TOTAL SYSTEMS ANALYSIS METHOD FOR THE CONCEPTUAL DESIGN OF SPACECRAFT: AN APPLICATION TO REMOTE SENSING IMAGER SYSTEMS by Knut I. 0xnevad Sivil0 konom, December 1984, Norges Handelsh 0 yskole A Dissertation submitted to the Faculty of Old Dominion University in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirement for the Degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY ENGINEERING MANAGEMENT OLD DOMINION UNIVERSITY May 1996 Approved by: Laurence D. Richards-(Director) .ftith McRee (Member) Derya A. Jacobs (Member) Frerederick Steier (Member) Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Abstract A TOTAL SYSTEMS ANALYSIS METHOD FOR THE CONCEPTUAL DESIGN OF SPACECRAFT: AN APPLICATION TO REMOTE SENSING IMAGER SYSTEMS Knut I. 0xnevad Old Dominion University, 1996 Director: Dr. Laurence D. Richards Increased emphasis is being placed on improving the performance of space projects, within tighter budgets and shorter development times. This has led to a need for more efficient space system design methods. The research described here represents an effort to develop and evaluate such a method. Systems engineering and concurrent engineering together provide the theoretical foundation for the method. The method, derived from both this theoretical foundation and ideas from experts in the space industry, emphasizes a total systems analysis approach, taking into account given mission requirements, and the mathematical modeling of interactionsbetween system variables and between subsystems. The emphasis makes it possible to apply the method for effectively sizing and configuring the full space project, its subsystems, and its variables. Size and configuration issues are especially important in the early conceptual design stages. The focus of this research and the developed method was, therefore, put on facilitating the design decisions taking place during those design stages. Mass, as a proxy for cost, was selected as the evaluation and optimization criterion. To make the method practical, Lab VIEW was selected for developing the total systems analysis model. LabVIEW is a graphical programming language that is easy to learn, program, modify, and run: and. it has a good user interface. These characteristics make it well suited Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. for rapid model development and for performing the large number of analysis runs required in the early conceptual design stages. The method was demonstrated for a V/IR (Visual/Infrared) space based Earth observation system. The mathematical model describing the interactions in this system was developed in close cooperation with subsystem specialists, primarily at NASA Langley Research Center, making it as realistic as possible. The model includes some 300 variables and 130 equations, and uses 1.7 MB of code. The demonstration, focusing on size and configuration issues, showed how the method and model could be used for better understanding of model dynamics, for evaluating alternative technologies, for detecting technology limits, for performing inter­ subsystem analyses, and for suggesting new technology developments. It is hoped that this research will encourage engineers and project managers in the space sector to apply the developed design method to other types of space projects. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. It is with great pride that I am dedicating this work to my parents and to the memory of a missed and very special physics and science teacher, Berit Skailand. To my parents for encouraging my independent and inquisitive mind and for supporting my many endeavors. To Berit Skailand for being a great teacher and a friend and for nurturing my interests in physics and the sciences. Together they helped me build the foundation from which this research grew. v Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS A number of people and institutions contributed at different levels to making this research a reality. I am deeply grateful to them all: Dr. Pal G. Bergan at Veritas Research for pointing me in the right direction; Bj0m Landmark and Georg Rosenberg at the Norwegian Space Center for sponsoring my involvement with the International Space University (ISU); Alumni and faculty of ISU for being bottomless sources of inspiration; Barney Roberts at the NASA Johnson Spaceflight Center/Futron for supporting my ideas from their early stages; Gary Price and Lee Rich at the NASA Langley Research Center for having the courage to help provide funding for this research. Without their unbending support this research would not have been possible; Eric L. Dahlstrom for providing invaluable input, feedback, and support throughout my research; Edwin B. Dean at the NASA Langley Research Center for encouraging and supporting this research; Jim Johnsen, Dr. Steven S. Katzberg, and George Ganoe at the NASA Langley Research Center for spending numerous hours discussing remote sensing satellite systems; Dr. Larry D. Richards for being my advisor and for spending countless hours discussing, defining, and working through all aspects of this research; Dr. Griffith McRee for his many ideas and for always having an open door and for being interested in my work; and last but not least Dr. Derya A. Jacobs and Dr. Frederick Steier for their many suggestions. vi Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. TABLE OF CONTENTS Page LIST OF FIGURES.................................................................................................................................................................. ix Chapter 1. INTRODUCTION...................................................................................................................................................................1 1.1. B a c k g r o u n d , O b je c t iv e s , a n d L im it a t io n s ...................................................................................................1 1.2. R e s e a r c h P r o b l e m a n d H y p o t h e s e s .....................................................................................................................3 1.3. O v e r v ie w o f C h a p t e r s ..................................................................................................................................................5 2. THEORETICAL FOUNDATION..................................................................................................................................... 7 3. DEFINING THE RESEARCH ....................................................................................................................................... 13 3.1. R a t io n a l e f o r t h e M e t h o d ......................................................................................................................... 13 3.2. Focus of the M ethod .................................................................................................................................................20 3.2.1. Size and Configuration.................................................................................................................................... 20 3.2.2. Subsystem Development within the Total Systems M odel ................................................................. 21 3.2.3. Analysis Capabilities.......................................................................................................................................21 3.2.4. Variable and Subsystem Interactions...........................................................................................................21 3.2.5. Evaluation and Optimization Criterion ...................................................................................................... 21 3.2.6. Graphical Programming Language...............................................................................................................22 3.3. E v a l u a t in g t h e M e t h o d .........................................................................................................................................22 4. DEVELOPING. VALIDATING, AND VERIFYING