The NASA Systems Engineering Handbook provides top-level guidelines for good systems engineering practices. There are six core chapters:
Fundamentals of Systems Engineering NASA program/project life cycles From a Concept to a Design From a Design to a Final Product Crosscutting Management Processes Special Topics in Systems Engineering The SEMP Content Outline in Appendix J provides guidance for constructing a Systems Engineering Management Plan. The topics in Appendix J can be used as a checklist for constructing a SEMP.
The NASA Systems Engineering Handbook provides general guidance on systems engineering and best practices and pitfalls to avoid. This handbook describes systems engineering as it should be applied to the development and implementation of large and small NASA programs and projects.
NASA has defined different life cycles that specifically address the major project categories, or product lines, which are:
Flight Systems and Ground Support (FS&GS) Research and Technology (R&T) Construction of Facilities (CoF) Environmental Compliance and Restoration (ECR) The technical content of the handbook provides systems engineering best practices that should be incorporated into all NASA product lines. For simplicity this handbook uses the FS&GS product line as an example. The specifics of FS&GS can be seen in the description of the life cycle and the details of the milestone reviews.
The engineering of NASA systems requires a systematic and disciplined set of processes that are applied recursively and iteratively for the design, development, operation, maintenance, and closeout of systems throughout the life cycle of the programs and projects.
President Dwight D. Eisenhower established the National Aeronautics and Space Administration in 1958, partially in response to the Soviet Union's launch of the first artificial satellite the previous year. NASA grew out of the National Advisory Committee on Aeronautics (NACA), which had been researching flight technology for more than 40 years. President John F. Kennedy focused NASA and the nation on sending astronauts to the moon by the end of the 1960s. Through the Mercury and Gemini projects, NASA developed the technology and skills it needed for the journey. On July 20, 1969, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin became the first of 12 men to walk on the moon, meeting Kennedy's challenge. Meanwhile, NASA was continuing the aeronautics research pioneered by NACA. It also conducted purely scientific research and worked on developing applications for space technology, combining both pursuits in developing the first weather and communications satellites. After Apollo, NASA focused on creating a reusable ship to provide regular access to space: the space shuttle. First launched in 1981, the space shuttle flew more than 130 successful missions before being retired in 2011. In 2000, the United States and Russia established permanent human presence in space aboard the International Space Station, a multinational project representing the work of 15 nations. NASA also has continued its scientific research. In 1997, Mars Pathfinder became the first in a fleet of spacecraft that have been exploring Mars, as we try to determine whether life ever existed there. The Terra, Aqua and Aura Earth Observing System satellites are flagships of a different fleet, this one in Earth orbit, designed to help us understand how our home world is changing. NASA's aeronautics teams are focused on improving aviation, so it meets the explosive growth in global demand for air services. Throughout its history, NASA has conducted or funded research that has led to numerous improvements to life here on Earth.
