2021 Small Spacecraft Virtual Forum - Agenda

March - May 2021

Hosted Virtually over a Series of Dates

Portions of the March 25th opening session were recorded, and pending approval, will be posted at a later time.



 

Questions and Answers from the March 25 Opening Session 


Opening Session

March 25, 2021

9:30AM – 2:30 PM PDT (5.0 hours)
All Times are Pacific Daylight Time


9:30AM - 9:45AM Welcome and Overview

   

Florence W. Tan, Forum Chair
Chair, Small Spacecraft Coordination Group (SSCG)
NASA Headquarters

 

Peter B. Kahn, Forum Co-Chair
Manager, Project Systems Engineering and Formulation Section
SSCG Representative
NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory

 

Bruce D. Yost, Forum Co-Chair
Director, Small Spacecraft Systems Virtual Institute
SSCG Representative
NASA Ames Research Center

 

9:45AM - 11:00AM Organizational Lightning Talks

Science Mission Directorate 

 

Wanda C. Peters, Ph.D
Deputy Associate Administrator for Programs
NASA Headquarters

Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate

 

James O. Norman
Director, Launch Services Office
NASA Headquarters

Science Mission Directorate

 

Aly Mendoza-Hill
Rideshare Lead
NASA Headquarters

Small Spacecraft Coordination Group

 

Florence W. Tan, Forum Chair
Chair, Small Spacecraft Coordination Group
NASA Headquarters

 

CubeSat Launch Initiative

 

Liam J. Cheney
Flight Projects Office, Launch Services Program
NASA Kennedy Space Center

Small Spacecraft Systems Virtual Institute

 

Bruce D. Yost, Forum Co-Chair
Director, Small Spacecraft Systems Virtual Institute
SSCG Representative
NASA Ames Research Center

 

Small Satellite and Special Projects Office

 

David A. Wilcox
Chief, Small Satellite and Special Projects Office
NASA Goddard Space Flight Center/ Wallops Flight Facility

Thomas Johnson
Lead Portfolio Manager for Heliophysics Division/
Astrophysics Division Small Satellites,
NASA-Goddard Space Flight Center/Wallops Flight Facility

 

Space Communications and Navigation (SCaN) Program

 

Gregory W. Heckler
Acting Director, Commercical Services Office
NASA's Space Communications and Navigation Program
NASA Headquarters

 

Space Technology Mission Directorate 

 

Christopher E. Baker
Program Executive,
Small Spacecraft Technology Program and
Flight Opportunities Program
SSCG Representative
NASA Headquarters

 

11:00 AM - 12:00 PM NASA Center Introductions 

NASA Ames Research Center

 

Chad R. Frost
Chief Technologist, Engineering Directorate
SSCG Representative

 

NASA Glenn Research Center

 

Carl E. Sandifer II
Deputy Chief, Space Science Project Office
SSCG Representative

 

NASA Goddard Space Flight Center/
Wallops Flight Facility

 

David A. Wilcox
Chief, Small Satellite and Special Projects Office
SSCG Representative

 

NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory

 

Peter B. Kahn, Forum Co-Chair
Manager, Project Systems Engineering and Formulation Section
SSCG Representative 

NASA Johnson Space Center

 

Samuel M. Pedrotty
Deputy Project Manager
Safe and Precise Landing Integrated Capability
Evolution Project
SSCG Representative

 

NASA Kennedy Space Center

 

Liam J. Cheney
Flight Projects Office, Launch Services Program

NASA Langley Research Center

 

William "Chris" Edwards
Associate Director for Science, Engineering Directorate
SSCG Representative

 

NASA Marshall Space Flight Center

 

Joseph C. Casas
Science, Technology and Exploration Small Missions and DoD Formulation Manager, Partnerships and Formulation Office; Manager, Office of Secretary of Defense, Joint Capability Technology Demonstration, Arctic Collaborative Environment
SSCG Representative

 

12:00 PM - 12:15 PM Break

12:15 PM - 1:15 PM NASA Directorates and Programs - Opportunities 

Advanced Exploration Systems, Human
Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate

 

Andres Martinez
Program Executive
Advanced Exploration Systems

SSCG Representative
NASA Headquarters

 

Planetary Science Division
Science Mission Directorate

 

Carolyn R. Mercer, Ph.D
Program Executive, Small Innovative Missions for Planetary Exploration (SIMPLEx)
NASA Glenn Research Center

 

Astrophysics Division
Science Mission Directorate

 

Michael R. Garcia
SmallSats Program Scientist, Astrophysics Division
NASA Headquarters

 

Heliophysics Division
Science Mission Directorate

 

Amy R. Winebarger
Program Scientist, Heliophysics Division
NASA Marshall Space Flight Center

Earth Science Division
Science Mission Directorate

 

Sachidananda R. Babu
Program Manager, In-Space Validation of Earth Science Technologies 
Earth Science Technology Office
NASA Goddard Space Flight Center

 

Exploration Science Strategy and Integration Office
Science Mission Directorate

 

Jason E. Jenkins
Program Executive
Exploration Science Strategic Integration Office
NASA Headquarters

Small Spacecraft Technology Program
Science Mission Directorate

 

Justin V. Treptow
Element Lead, Small Spacecraft Technology Program and Flight Opportunities Program
NASA Headquarters

 

1:15 PM - 1:30 PM Special Sessions - Introductory Information and Expectations

Introduction to the Special Sessions Framework

  • Organizational overview of the next several weeks of Special Sessions
  • Topics and facilitators
  • Discussion template (how discussion will be organized and captured)
 

Luis H. Santos, Forum Co-Chair
Chief Engineer, Small Satellite Project Office
NASA Goddard Space Flight Center

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1:30 PM - 1:45 PM Break

1:45 PM - 2:30 PM New Principal Investigator-Focused Panel Session

What's Next Now that I've had a Proposal Accepted?

 

Moderator: Therese Moretto Jorgensen, Ph.D
Chief Scientist
NASA Small Spacecraft Systems Virtual Institute

A panel of managers will present their expectations and advice for newly selected mission teams to help enable the best possible start.

 

Reference: 2019 NASA SmallSat Mission Technical Interchange Meeting –

Tutorial Session Presentation

Watch the 2020 Webinar

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Gregory Stover
Program Manager, Earth System Science Pathfinder
NASA Langley Research Center

James J. Cockrell
Chief Technologist
Small Spacecraft Technology Program
NASA Ames Research Center

Ryan P. Nugent
CubeSat Lab Program Lead
California Polytechnic State University

John D. Hudeck
Deputy Portfolio Manager for Heliophysics Division/Astrophysics Division Small Satellites
NASA Goddard Space Flight Center/ Wallops Flight Facility

 

Special Sessions

Thursdays April 1 – April 22, 2021

8:30 AM – 10:30 AM PDT

By invitation

Each special session lasts 2.0 hours and is structured as below
  • 10 Minutes            “All-hands” Session: Introduction to the session and logistics
  • 45 Minutes            Breakout session A: 3-4 concurrent breakout rooms with a specific topic
  • 10 Minutes            Break
  • 45 minutes            Breakout Session B: 3-4 concurrent breakout rooms with a specific topic
  • 10 Minutes            “All-hands” Session: Wrap up to share session highlights

 

Day & Session Title

Breakout Rooms for Session A

Breakout Rooms for Session B

April 1

Pre-Phase A Concept Studies and Proposals

  1. Project Management (reviews, staffing, schedule and budget)
  2. HQ process for AOs (opportunities, timeline)
  3. Systems Engineering (technical budgets, subsystems)
  1. Characteristics of a Winning Proposal (margins, completeness, compelling science, innovative technology or approach)
  2. Safety and Mission Assurance (class D vs. Do No Harm, ODAR, Planetary Protection, LEO lifetime)
  3. Mission Design Tools and Resources (S3VI, NEN, mission design labs, make vs. buy)

April 8

Phase A, B and C Concept/Technology Development, Preliminary/
Final Design and Fabrication

  1. Project Management (CM, reviews, staffing, schedule and budget)
  2. HQ Process (status report, ARC and GSFC/WFF SmallSat Offices roles)
  3. Systems Engineering (technical budgets, subsystems, requirements definitions)
  4. Launch Opportunities (identifying launch opportunities, CSLI vs. commercial)
  1. Mission Documentation (PIP, SEMP, ConOps, Requirements, etc.)
  2. Risk Program (typical practices, risk matrix, reporting)
  3. Analysis/Simulation vs. Testing (early interface testing, no analysis vs. basic checks vs. detailed analysis)
  4. Licensing Process and Encryption (NTIA, FAA, NOAA, when encryption applies, what type of encryption)

April 15

Phase D System Assembly, Integration and Test, Launch

  1. Project Management (CM, reviews, staffing, schedule and budget)
  2. Systems Engineering (technical budgets, subsystems, compliance matrix)
  3. I&T Plan (level of detail, relevant testing)
  1. Day-in-the-life Testing (hardware on the loop, simulation environments, TVAC)
  2. Ground System (government vs. commercial ground stations, ground system software, I&T GSE vs. Flight MOC/GS)
  3. Data Processing System (housekeeping vs. experimental data, post-processing, science products, technology demonstration data products)

April 22

Phase E and F Operations, Sustainment and Closeout

  1. Operations Management (budget, schedule, staffing)
  2. Engineering (data trending, commissioning)
  3. Data Processing (collection, validation, storage, and dissemination)
  1. Extended Operations (funding process, licensing)
  2. On-orbit Anomalies (diagnostics, patching software, troubleshooting)
  3. Closure, Optimizing Impact, Assessing Outcomes (scientific and technical publications, technology and knowledge transfer, next steps, lessons learned reporting)

NASA-Only Session

May 6, 2021

8:30 AM – 10:30 AM PDT (2 hours)

  • 05 Minutes            Introduction
  • 25 Minutes            State of the Art Spacecraft Bus
  • 25 Minutes            State of the Art Propulsion
  • 05 minutes            Break
  • 25 Minutes            State of the Art Communications
  • 25 Minutes            Class-D Mission Assurance Requirements (MAR) (PDF)
  • 10 Minutes            Closing Remarks and Feedback for Additional Day(s)