(Georgia Institute of Technology, 2008-06)
Lafleur, Jarret M.; Lantoine, Gregory; Hensley, Andrew L.; Retaureau, Ghislain J.; Kranzusch, Kara M.; Hickman, Joseph W.; Wilson, Marc N.; Schrage, Daniel P.
One of the most critical tasks in the design of a complex system is the initial conversion
of mission or program objectives into a baseline system architecture. Presented in this
paper is a methodology to aid in this process that is frequently used for aerospace
problems at the Georgia Institute of Technology. In this paper, the methodology is
applied to initial concept formulation for the Venus In Situ Explorer (VISE) mission.
Five primary steps are outlined which encompass program objective definition through
evaluation of candidate designs. Tools covered include the Analytic Hierarchy Process
(AHP), Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS), and
morphological matrices. Direction is given for the application of modeling and simulation
as well as for subsequent iterations of the process. The paper covers both theoretical and
practical aspects of the tools and process in the context of the VISE example, and it is
hoped that this methodology may find future use in interplanetary probe design.