View this page "Divide and Conquer"

[Richard...@gmail.com]

Click on http://groups.google.com/group/daedalus-space/web/divide-and-conquer?hl=en
- or copy & paste it into your browser's address bar if that doesn't
work.

[JKnoll]

Do you plan on each team being in charge of their own testing, or
should there be a extra test group? Either way would work. I think
the testing organization and planning has a tendancy to get the
backseat of the overall mission planning. Testing should drive
mission planning. Test a scaled down version of X tech. to determine
full-scale performance, costs, feasability, etc. If the test data is
nominal, continue to the next mission event and test that technology,
and so on. This way, you don't end up with a complicated, elegant
mission solution that you've based upon assumptions. If the balloon
group cannot get the technology to perform the way we need it to, in
the N-prize plan, can the rest of the mission even be attempted
without a significant mission plan changes?

Jesse

On Nov 16, 8:07 pm, Richardjhau...@gmail.com wrote:
> Click onhttp://groups.google.com/group/daedalus-space/web/divide-and-conquer?...

[Richard...@gmail.com]

// Testing should drive mission planning. //
I agree, I just called it auditing. Preliminary testing should be
done by individual groups but separate people either need to audit the
testing procedures or completely recreate the testing.
For example the SRB group may be tasked with creating a specific
amount of total impulse given a defined budget of mass and money, they
may return and say that we can't get that thrust without going over
the weight limit. Their results then need to be audited to see if
they missed something or if the project needs to be redesigned for the
changes in spec. The testing procedures and equipment should also be
audited to make sure we are really missing the mark and not just
dealing with a bad reading or un-calibrated equipment.
// If the balloon group cannot get the technology to perform the way

we need it to, in the N-prize plan, can the rest of the mission even

be attempted without a significant mission plan changes?//
Yes, the whole system has a lot of overlap especially if we go re-
usable, but I don't even think that is necessary. The most crucial
piece is the pump if it works well, everything else will have a LOT of
slack. The balloon is the least of my worries. The only challenge
there is sourcing the plastic cheap enough and developing a reliable
heat sealing method for that thickness and type of plastic.

MisterQED
PS Thanks for responding.

[Richard...@gmail.com]

Click on http://groups.google.com/group/daedalus-space/web/divide-and-conquer?hl=en