Limited Print and Electronic Distribution RightsThis document and trademark(s) contained herein are protected by law. This representation of RAND intellectual property is provided for noncommercial use only. Unauthorized posting of this publication online is prohibited. Permission is given to duplicate this document for personal use only, as long as it is unaltered and complete. Permission is required from RAND to reproduce, or reuse in another form, any of its research documents for commercial use. For information on reprint and linking permissions, please visit www.rand.org/pubs/permissions.html.The RAND Corporation is a research organization that develops solutions to public policy challenges to help make communities throughout the world safer and more secure, healthier and more prosperous. RAND is nonprofit, nonpartisan, and committed to the public interest. RAND's publications do not necessarily reflect the opinions of its research clients and sponsors.

EXPANDING FLIGHT RESEARCH Limited Print and Electronic Distribution RightsThis document and trademark(s) contained herein are protected by law. This representation of RAND intellectual property is provided for noncommercial use only. Unauthorized posting of this publication online is prohibited. Permission is given to duplicate this document for personal use only, as long as it is unaltered and complete. Permission is required from RAND to reproduce, or reuse in another form, any of its research documents for commercial use. For information on reprint and linking permissions, please visit www.rand.org/pubs/permissions.The RAND Corporation is a research organization that develops solutions to public policy challenges to help make communities throughout the world safer and more secure, healthier and more prosperous. RAND is nonprofit, nonpartisan, and committed to the public interest.RAND's publications do not necessarily reflect the opinions of its research clients and sponsors.Support RAND Make a tax-deductible charitable contribution at www.rand.org/giving/contribute www.rand.org For more information on this publication, visit www.rand.org/t/RR1361Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available for this publication.ISBN: 978-0-8330-9567-1 Published by the RAND Corporation, Santa Monica, Calif. © Copyright 2016 RAND CorporationR® is a registered trademark.Cover images: NASA photos. Front cover: This schlieren image dramatically displays the shock wave of a supersonic jet flying over the Mojave Desert.Researchers used NASA-developed image processing software to remove the desert background, then combined and averaged multiple frames to produce a clear picture of the shock waves. Back cover: This schlieren image of shock waves created by a T-38C in supersonic flight was captured using the sun's edge as a light source and then processed using NASA-developed code.iii PrefaceThe Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate (ARMD) of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is working to expand flight research activities, with the objective of rapidly advancing new aeronautic concepts by increasing their maturity and demonstrating their practical utility. To inform this strategic shift, NASA ARMD asked the RAND Corporation to assess its flight research needs and capabilities, identify any gaps or excess, and develop management options for expanding flight research. This report summarizes the results of RAND's effort, presenting options and recommendations for ARMD. Beyond ARMD leadership, this report should be of interest to those responsible for managing NASA flight research infrastructure and capabilities, aeronautics researchers, and the broader oversight community in the Office of Management and Budget, the Office of Science and Technology Policy, and Congress.Information for this study was collected from October 2014 through February 2016. This effort was also informed by RAND's strategic assessments of national needs and capabilities for NASA's wind tunnels and propulsion-test faci...

This document and trademark(s) contained herein are protected by law. This representation of RAND intellectual property is provided for noncommercial use only. Unauthorized posting of this publication online is prohibited. Permission is given to duplicate this document for personal use only, as long as it is unaltered and complete. Permission is required from RAND to reproduce, or reuse in another form, any of its research documents for commercial use. For information on reprint and linking permissions, please visit www.rand.org/pubs/permissions.The RAND Corporation is a research organization that develops solutions to public policy challenges to help make communities throughout the world safer and more secure, healthier and more prosperous. RAND is nonprofit, nonpartisan, and committed to the public interest.RAND's publications do not necessarily reflect the opinions of its research clients and sponsors.Support RAND Make a tax-deductible charitable contribution at www.rand.org/giving/contribute www.rand.org For more information on this publication, visit www.rand.org/t/RR1537 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available for this publication. : 978-0-8330-9563-3 Published by the RAND Corporation, Santa Monica, Calif. ISBN © Copyright 2016 RAND CorporationR® is a registered trademark. Cover image: NASA. CubeSats deployed from the International Space Station, May 17, 2016 Cover design by Eileen Delson La Russo iii Preface The StudyThis study was conducted in response to a request from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) to assist in gaining an understanding of how various disparate factors contribute to overall risk associated with NASA-level decisions. The specific mandate was to "provide NASA's Office of Strategy and Plans with one or more risk frameworks that integrate risk factors and risk management approaches tailored to NASA's management, operations, and acquisition structures."NASA confronts a variety of organizational-level risks within its programs. Comparing, contrasting, and mitigating these risks require developing a common lens through which to view the risks. Such an evaluation can provide opportunity to gain an overall understanding of the risks associated with NASA-level decisions. This study developed such a methodology. Specifically, it resulted in the development of a single risk-informed decision support and includes the identification of various techniques for conducting risk assessments and the definition of the seven risk factors identified as being important for NASA-level decision consideration.The report also includes identification of the risk factors, components, indicators, and mitigation strategies for two case studies: (1) cancellation of the Space Shuttle program and commercialization of transport to the International Space Station and (2) the Cislunar Habitat.This report is written for a non-expert audience so that any practitioner or decisionmaker, with any level of training, could make use of the methodology. It therefore does not assum...

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