26 January 1998
The Artemis Society's Office of Space Flight (OSF) is charged with coordinating the volunteers that can contribute to the Artemis Project's goal of placing an permanent, operational base on the Moon early in the next century. OSF operations are managed by a Technical Council, organized by Directorates, and carried out by various technical committees and project teams.
The Technical Council's membership includes the President of Artemis Society International, the Directorate Leads, the Electronic Communications Technical Committee Lead, and an Administrator.
An undertaking the size of the Artemis Project creates many technical questions and problems. The Directorate Leads focus on developing solutions to the project's technical questions. Within each Directorate, there are Technical Committee and Project Team leads who coordinate the various tasks necessary to develop solutions. The Technical Committees (TCs) and Project Teams (PTs) make up the framework of the OSF. An index of the committees and teams are on the World Wide Web.
The Electronic Communications Technical Committee (ECTC) Lead helps coordinate the electronic world-wide reach of the various volunteers working on all phases of the Artemis Project.
The current Technical Council Administrator keeps track of each Directorate's committees and teams. She also helps the volunteers learn to use the tools ASI has created, represents the OSF in the ECTC, and coordinates the Technical Committee Chair and Project Team Leader mailing list. The Configuration Management Data Base Administrator collects information on the configurations of the spacecraft, noting changes in supplies, data, or cost.
The Advanced Programs Directorate concerns itself with the project's "first steps" -- the research of necessary technologies to create an operational base on the Moon. Building from research already performed by government space programs or private industry, this directorate performs follow-on research that includes Lunar Base Planning, Lunar Science, and usage of moon-specific power sources.
The Mission Development Directorate researches the knowledge needed by the Artemis Project Mission to reach the moon successfully. From Ascent, to Rendezvous in Low Earth Orbit, to Lunar Site Selection for the touchdown, these committees also have a previous experience base from which to work. There will be consideration given to lessons learned in earlier missions, and critical analysis of more recent technological advances.
The Spacecraft Systems Design Directorate designs and tests the spacecraft systems needed for a successful mission to the Moon. Designing the spacecraft will begin with the modeling of the various components and running them through simulations for performance data. We will have created an interlocking system including Life Support, Electrical Power, Propulsion, and Navigation components. Then the test and verification of each system's components will assure optimum performance standards.
The Spacecraft Production Directorate controls the production of the actual spacecraft components and directs the "bending metal" phase. Its concerns range from the computer language to use for the software, to implementing the materials and manufacturing processes, and then on to the logistics of producing the spacecraft.
The Spacecraft Development Directorate oversees each project team's efforts for their particular task. These teams bring several technical committees together to do the detail planning for solving inter-committee integration problems, identifying costs, and determining suppliers. From ground support crews, Lunar Transfer Vehicle designers, and the materials to construct the Lunar habitat itself, these project team leaders need good organizational and management skills.
Technical Committees maintain the data base of knowledge regarding their particular discipline. These committees create tutorials, train new members of the committee on how to do analysis in their discipline, and establish standards and guidelines. These guidelines are used for the design, development, test, and evaluation of their systems.
The products of a technical committee are a data base of knowledge in that particular field, documented standards, and a team of confident individuals who are qualified to participate in the Product Teams. This is an on-going effort, and will be for as long the Artemis Project continues.
Project Teams (or Product Teams) produce the products specifically related to the Artemis Project's primary goal of establishing a permanent, self-supporting manned lunar base. They have a more hierarchical structure than the Technical Committees because they have to produce an integrated spacecraft.
The products of the project teams are designs for the spacecraft, the mission, and eventually the hardware. Initially, our goal is to develop conceptual designs with sufficient detail to identify and solve all the technical problems, identify costs, determine who suppliers for off-the-shelf equipment are, develop a preliminary manufacturing plan, develop a preliminary logistics plan (for getting the spaceship parts to the launch site), develop mission plans for each flight, and develop ground support plans with estimates of the required mission support facilities on Earth.
|