Space station data system analysis/architecture study. Task 2: Options development, DR-5. Volume 2: Design options

The primary objective of Task 2 is the development of an information base that will support the conduct of trade studies and provide sufficient data to make key design/programmatic decisions. This includes: (1) the establishment of option categories that are most likely to influence Space Station Data System (SSDS) definition; (2) the identification of preferred options in each category; and (3) the characterization of these options with respect to performance attributes, constraints, cost and risk. This volume contains the options development for the design category. This category comprises alternative structures, configurations and techniques that can be used to develop designs that are responsive to the SSDS requirements. The specific areas discussed are software, including data base management and distributed operating systems; system architecture, including fault tolerance and system growth/automation/autonomy and system interfaces; time management; and system security/privacy. Also discussed are space communications and local area networking

The Longer Term Effects of Federal Subsidies on Firm Commercialization and Survival:Evidence from the Advanced Technology Program

The goal of this dissertation is to determine the longer term (5-10 year) causal impact of federal R&D subsidies on firms’ survival outcomes and commercialization behavior. The data are small firms which applied to the 1998-2000 Advanced Technology Program (ATP) competitions. A variant of the research design pioneered by Heckman (1979) allows for inherent pre-award differences between awarded and non-awarded firms to be taken into account. This dissertation finds that receiving an ATP award has a positive and significant causal impact on a firm’s survival chances and new product announcements, but not on the more general likelihood of it commercializing any of its research.Doctor of Philosoph