Adaptability in Aerospace: A Historic MOSA Perspective from the Space Shuttle Program

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Roush_SciTech2025__MOSA_Shuttle_Study.pdf (3.4 MB)
Author(s)
Roush, Karl
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Daniel Guggenheim School of Aerospace Engineering
The Daniel Guggenheim School of Aeronautics was established in 1931, with a name change in 1962 to the School of Aerospace Engineering
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https://hdl.handle.net/1853/77064
Abstract
This work explores a historical application of the Modular Open Systems Approach (MOSA) within the context of technology reuse and the extended Operations and Sustainment (O&S) phase of aerospace projects, using the Space Shuttle Program (SSP) as a case study. Drawing upon a diverse array of sources including historical accident investigations, command/program media, and interviews/publications from key program contributors, this analysis benchmarks the SSP against established MOSA guidelines, employing a three-point scale of "fully met", "partially met", and "not met" to gauge adherence levels. Notably, a MOSA is primarily applied to new designs, but this is rarely the case for large-scale aerospace programs. The Shuttle’s design integrated both legacy Apollo-era technology and new innovations, over a multi-decade O&S timeline, creating a blend that extends the objectives of MOSA to a more realistic context. Furthermore, the Shuttle’s human spaceflight requirements and associated complexity/cost exceed typical MOSA applications: production-level DOD projects. The findings unveil a spectrum of compliance across the various system levels, catalyzing the development of revisions tailored to enhance the applicability and effectiveness of MOSA best practices for future aerospace programs. These programs, which often leverage heritage technologies and incremental technological advancements, face the challenges of an ever increasing long-duration O&S context, mirroring the complexities encountered by the Space Shuttle Program. Consequently, the findings of refined MOSA principles addressing technology reusage and a longer than expected O&S phase provide pragmatic guidance for future programs, ensuring that systems are designed to meet current needs while remaining flexible in response to evolving technological and operational developments.
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2025-01-06
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