McGuire, Kerry

Urbina, Michelle

English

NASA Technical Reports Server

National Aeronautics and Space Administration
USING SYSTEMS ENGINEERING TO TRANSLATE 
RESEARCH INTO ACTION
Human Research Program
Exploration Medical Capability Element
HRP IWS 
January 2020
“Expanding the Boundaries of Space Medicine and Technology”
Michelle Urbina, M.S.
Kerry McGuire, Ph.D
https://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp?R=20200001308 2020-03-28T18:55:10+00:00Z
Overview
• Background
• ExMC Systems Engineering Research 
• Method
• Action – Current & Future
• Closing
2
Background
• ExMC Systems Engineering (SE): what we do
– This team will enable planning of an integrated crew health and performance system for exploration missions to lunar space and Mars.
It will help to define how NASA plans to do medicine for human spaceflight in the exploration paradigm and what a medical system 
should supply in order to accomplish the medical needs.
• Importance of a Systems Engineering approach for an integrated system design
– establishes a methodical and repeatable process to define, develop, assess, and manage technical medical system design needs for 
future missions
– reinforces looking at the “big picture” and acknowledges a multi-disciplinary approach to a system
– achieves stakeholder functional, physical, and operational performance requirements in the intended use environment over the planned 
life of the system within cost, schedule, and other constraints. (NASA Systems Engineering Handbook, Rev 2) 
3
Implementation (getting it done)
SE Team and associates: 20+ individuals across 4 NASA centers
• Systems Engineers
• Biomedical Engineers
• Software Engineers
• Data Scientists
• Data Programmers
• Mathematicians
• Physicians
• Nurses
• Pharmacists
• Student Interns
• Project Managers and Leads
• Contract Managers
Method (how we should do it)Need (what we need)
Crew Health 
and 
Performance 
System
ExMC Systems Engineering Research 
• Medical System Foundation 
– a starting point for requirements and a candidate system
• Medical System Trade Analysis 
– candidate system compared against other system options
• Research and Technology Prioritization
– method for to focus future efforts on high impact research and technology development
4
ExMC Systems Engineering Research 
• Medical System Foundation – a starting point for requirements and a candidate system
– medical system architecture
– associated functional and non-functional requirements
– requirements rationale
– traces to placeholder upper level requirements
– traces to the current versions of NASA Standards
– traces down to placeholder lower level requirements. 
– relevant documentation (i.e.: Concept of Operations and architecture definitions)
Requirements 
Tree
ConOps System Architecture
Requirements and Rationale
Trace from Requirement to Capability to Condition
Trace from Resource to Capability to Condition
Trace from Capability to Resource
Trace from Condition to Resource
ExMC Systems Engineering Research 
• Medical System Trade Analysis – candidate system compared against other system options
– Definition of trades from the ConOps
– ExMC will characterize the above candidate system from the foundation using a series of trade analysis
• This will help identify the type of resources, mass and volume, amount of power, etc. that a medical system would need in order to 
meet certain risk levels. – what if scenarios…identifies the trade space
– As time passes, and better information is developed (i.e.: better technology, changes in condition incidence rates), the information 
used by the tool suite can be updated, and the analysis performed again
6
There’s always room for negotiation…or is there!
How to avoid this?
Prepare for backing up your stance:
If you settle for 20% less mass/volume, then these are the 
requirements/medical capability the vehicle won’t have
Visual correlation between requirements and candidate system
Make it easy to see/explain/analyze with trades
Why provide medical system trade analysis capabilities:
ExMC Systems Engineering Research 
7
Candidate System Architecture
Candidate System MEL
List of Resources 
Associated Mass and Volume
Information for Decision Makers: 
Conditions that can’t be treated due to 
mass and volume constraints
Requirements that can’t be met due to 
these constraints
Discussions with 
Physicians to 
determine medical 
needs
Trades Analysis
Program sets 
vehicle constraints
1 potential trades scenario 
NASA Systems Engineering Handbook, Rev 2 
ExMC Systems Engineering Research 
• Research and Technology Prioritization - method by which to focus future efforts on high impact 
research and technology development
– The knowledge gained from identifying potential medical systems and performing these trade analyses provides ExMC with support for 
evidence-based prioritization of future projects.
– By focusing research efforts on high impact capabilities, the element can aid in the reduction of risk and the provision of a better 
medical system. 
8
HRP Human Research Roadmap (HRR)
Medical Risk Path to Risk Reduction (PRR)
Medical Risk Reformulation
Example outputs of prioritization & trade tools
Method
• A systems modeling tool and language - a platform for candidate systems
– using systems engineering model language, the systems modeling tool will contain a digital model of the system, thereby allowing the 
SE team to utilize a model-based systems engineering (MBSE) approach to develop the architecture of the medical system and its 
requirements. 
• Tool suite – a platform for system trades
– ability to identify how well a candidate medical system meets a set of medical requirements 
– ability to utilize dynamic medical content repositories
– ability to perform probabilistic risk assessments using Monte Carlo simulation to determine medical risk outcomes
– ability to identify an optimized medical system by setting desired medical risk outcomes, mass, and volume, etc.
9
No Magic’s MagicDraw
https://www.nomagic.com/products/magicdraw
Model Architecture Plan draft
Modeled System Architecture
Meta Model
IMPACT integration diagram
IMPACT ConOps
Action - Current
• ExMC’s recommended medical system foundation as a starting point for future missions
– Drafts of concept of operations, architecture, high level requirements, recommended lunar-like mid-level requirements already completed
– Info sent to Gateway for potential use; embraced idea that Crew Health and Performance has a seat at the table
– Orion use of the methodology for some of the clinical content 
– HLS scoping use of this methodology
• Trades
– Infrastructure and methodology in work for performing trades on the medical system...in the middle of prototype development
– Potentially can be used for HLS
– Targeting missions to Mars
• Research and Technology Prioritization
– An organized architecture already defined and traced to NASA-STD-3001
– Draft Model already in place with traces
– ExMC will be using current pilot capabilities to aid in this year’s PPBE effort
10
Action - Future
• Tool suite is an extensible platform, with additional work, it can be used by non-ExMC groups and 
for non-medical systems
• Multiple Mission Phases
– In addition to pre-mission planning, the systems engineering tools ExMC is developing can also be used throughout various mission 
phases. 
• Multiple Stakeholders
– Potential uses of these products and stakeholders who may benefit from their use.
– ExMC is starting to discuss with SA-CHS any additional requirements they may have as the first external stakeholders
11
Closing
• Where we are currently in these efforts and the forward work we have to compete the efforts will be 
seen in the rest of the Presentation in this session
• Systems Engineering Products for Medical System Design
– Exploration Medical Capability (ExMC) Medical System Requirements Overview and Update
– Trade Study Evaluation Tool Suite (TSETS) an ExMC Decision-support Tool Suite Pilot Project
– Medical Extensible Dynamic Probabilistic Risk Assessment Tool (MEDPRAT)
– Using the Accepted Medical Condition List (AMCL) Process to Scope the Orion Medical System
12
BackUp
13
Definitions per NASA SE Handbook
• At NASA, “systems engineering” is defined as a methodical, multi-disciplinary approach 
for the design, realization, technical management, operations, and retirement of a system.
• A “system” is the combination of elements that function together to produce the capability 
required to meet a need. 
• The elements include all hardware, software, equipment, facilities, personnel, processes, 
and procedures needed for this purpose; that is, all things required to produce system-
level results. 
• The results include system-level qualities, properties, characteristics, functions, behavior, 
and performance.
14
NASA Systems Engineering Handbook, Rev 2 
Approach to Get There
Subsystem 
requirements 
& architecture
Do we have the 
capabilities to meet the 
needs?
Do we fit in allocations?
System 
requirements 
& architecture
Stakeholder 
needs, goals
NASA 
Standards
Program 
requirements 
& architecture
Characterize 
system
Analyze & 
trade
Design 
& Build
Began with DST (Mars transit) to develop 
body of work and using that 
infrastructure for DSG and DST in FY18.
System 
functions & 
behaviors
15
NOT Official – best guess on requirements context
16
HEOMD
Program
Vehicle
PPE Habitat Logistics Airlock
Crew Health & Perf
Medical
Devices Supplies Data System
Structures Power Etc.
Level 0
Level 1
Level 2
Level 3
Level 4
The medical system shall… HRP is 
supporting the 
development of 
these through 
our team
17


Using Systems Engineering to Translate Research into Action

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