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Peter Majewicz

Publications and source records attributed to Peter Majewicz.

At least 19 records
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS2022

Recommendations on the Use of Commercial-Off-The-Shelf (COTS) Electrical, Electronic, and Electromechanical (EEE) Parts for NASA Missions - Phase II

This assessment had two Phases. Phase I captured NASA Centers’ current practices for commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) Electrical, Electronic, and Electromechanical (EEE) parts 1 used in spaceflight systems and ground support equipment (available at https://ntrs.nasa.gov/citations/20205011579) [ref. 1]. The Phase II report provides guidance for selecting and using COTS parts in NASA missions. The approaches proposed in this report differ from current agency practices. This top-level executive summary touches on these new approaches for using COTS parts but does not provide the detailed information that is critical in understanding the rationale behind these new approaches. Readers will need to read the entire report to gain full understanding and effectively use the recommendations herein. NASA’s historical approach to selecting and applying parts has been to define certain parts, primarily specific classes of military specification (MIL-SPEC) parts, as “standard”, leaving all others, including COTS parts, as nonstandard. Standard parts typically are used without further testing (“use-as-is”). Nonstandard parts are subjected to initial screening and subsequent lot acceptance testing of representative samples from each procured lot per MIL-SPEC or similar requirements. Decades later, top-tier commercial part manufacturers have evolved significant manufacturing, statistical control, and technological improvements that can now provide parts as reliable or more reliable than MIL-SPEC parts, when used within their datasheet limits. Concurrently, the space science and exploration community’s needs demand technological advances unavailable with MIL-SPEC parts. This ongoing change necessitates using COTS parts for space missions. Properly selected COTS parts in appropriate applications can offer performance and supply availability advantages compared to MIL-SPEC parts. Their utility and demonstrated reliability result from large volumes and automated production and testing processes. However, careful review and a thorough understanding of their specifications (i.e., datasheet limitations) is needed, and verifying that manufacturer specifications and reliability meet space hardware application needs are necessary. This report recommends MIL-SPEC screening and non-radiation-related lot acceptance testing be reduced or eliminated in cases where evidence of sufficient quality and reliability exists for COTS parts. The extent of NASA's insight into COTS manufacturers and the amount and nature of the needed evidence will differ by mission and will likely be driven by a mission's resources and associated risk posture. To facilitate this goal, two new terminologies have been defined and described: “Industry Leading Parts Manufacturer (ILPM)” and “Established COTS parts.” An ILPM is a COTS manufacturer that produces high quality and reliable parts. Some parts produced by ILPMs, defined as Established COTS parts, do not need any additional MIL-SPEC or NASA screening and lot acceptance testing to be used in space applications. This report provides guidance for selecting, procuring, and applying COTS parts and for performing part-, board-, and system-level COTS parts verification. The recommendation to select Established COTS parts from ILPMs will assure those COTS parts will have comparable quality to corresponding MIL-SPEC parts. Selecting, applying, and verifying Established COTS parts from ILPMs requires a holistic team approach, engaging parts engineers, circuit designers, quality, reliability, and systems engineers, procurement specialists, radiation specialists, avionics leads, and program/project managers. A mission-specific approach tailored to a project’s Mission, Environment, Applications and Lifetime (MEAL) [ref. 2] requirements should be developed and approved by program/project managers. Any associated risks should be clearly identified, quantified, mitigated, and/or accepted. Different approaches are recommended according to program/project Risk Classes A, B, C, and D [ref. 3] and human-rated missions [ref. 4]: 1. Recommend Classes A and B and human-rated missions consider a “MIL-SPEC parts- based design” approach. ”MIL-SPEC parts-based design” approach is one in which most parts are MIL-SPEC parts and Established COTS parts from ILPMs are used only when an equivalent MIL-SPEC part does not meet functional or size, weight, and power (SWaP) or performance requirements, or is not available. 2. Recommend Classes D and Sub-D missions consider a “System of COTS” approach. “System of COTS” approach is one which most parts are Established COTS parts from ILPMs. 3. Recommend Class C missions determine which approach is the best for their projects; that is, use either a “MIL-SPEC parts-based design” approach, “System of COTS” approach, or a combined approach utilizing elements of both. This report intends to provide guidance in using COTS parts for NASA missions with risk classifications of A through D and human-rated missions; but it does not address the costs of using COTS parts. Costs of using COTS parts in different NASA mission classes can vary significantly even if the same parts are used in different risk postures, due to differing verification levels needed. The guidance does not distinguish between critical or non-critical systems, and a given project will need to apply the appropriate guidance based on their risk posture. The intended audience of this report are NASA personnel and commercial practitioners who support NASA’s spaceflight missions, including spaceflight program or project managers, parts engineers, parts manufacturers, radiation engineers, avionics engineers, system engineers, circuit design engineers, reliability engineers, safety and mission assurance (SMA) personnel, and parts procurement specialists. The NEPP Program will perform a pathfinder study to explore implementing the guidance in this NESC report. An ILPM verification process is not the same as conventional vendor qualification processes performed according to military standards and specifications. This NESC report intends to provide guidance in utilizing available parts data from ILPM manufacturers for parts assurance assessments needed for NASA missions. The report also captured the current practices from DoD and Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in Section 10. Note each DoD and FAA report was provided by the corresponding agencies regarding their practices, which are independent from the NESC recommendations in the report.

Commercial-Off-The-Shelf↗
NASA NTRS2021

A Study of Lessons and Experiences of NASA Centers in the Use of Commercial Off the Shelf (COTS) Electronics

The NASA Engineering and Safety Center (NESC) sponsored a Technical Assessment relating to the utilization of commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) electrical, electronic, and electromechanical (EEE) parts in spaceflight systems at NASA Centers. The assessment had two primary goals. The first was to capture each NASA Centers’ current practices, best practices, lessons learned and Center-proposed recommendations on the use of COTS EEE parts and assemblies in critical ground support equipment (GSE). The second was to provide recommendations on the use of COTS, including a set of current best practices based on the Centers’ current and best practices and the NESC team’s discussions. One key achievement made by the assessment team was the characterization of the term Industry Leading Parts Manufacturers (ILPMs) as parts manufacturer with high volume automatic production facilities and which can provide documented proof of the technology, process and product qualification, and its implementation of the best practices for “zero defects” for parts quality, reliability and workmanship. The assessment concluded with numerous findings, takeaways and recommendations that will be discussed during this presentation.

commercial↗
NASA NTRS2021

NASA Electronic Parts & Packaging (NEPP) Program

The purpose of this presentation is to familiarize the people attending the JEDEC work meetings about the NEPP Program, and recent tasks we have undertaken. There is a description of the policy and testing guidelines in development and an explanation of the Government Working Group, a collaboration of several US government space agencies that come together to discuss topics relating to the reliable use of electronics. The presentation also includes a brief description of NASA events such as the landing of the next Mars rover in Feb 2021.

reliability↗
NASA NTRS2020

Recommendations on Use of Commercial-Off-The-Shelf (COTS) Electrical, Electronic, and Electromechanical (EEE) Parts for NASA Missions

The NASA Electronic Parts & Packaging Program Manager, requested a NASA Engineering and Safety Center independent assessment to summarize Commercial Crew Program and NASA Centers’ current and best practices, and lessons learned, on use of commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) for all mission risk classifications, and provide recommendations that could lead to future NASA Electronic Parts and Packaging Program and/or Agency guidance on COTS parts. This document contains the outcome of the assessment.

Commercial-Off-The-Shelf↗
NASA NTRS2020

NASA Electronic Parts & Packaging (NEPP) Program

The purpose of this presentation is to familiarize the people attending the JEDEC work meetings about the NEPP Program, and recent tasks we have undertaken. There is a description of the policy and testing guidelines in development and an explanation of the Government Working Group, a collaboration of several US government space agencies that come together to discuss topics relating to the reliable use of electronics. The presentation also includes a brief description of recent NASA accomplishments such as the launching/splash down of the SpaceX Crew Dragon and the launch of the next Mars rover.

reliability↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

The State of NEPP NASA Electronic Parts & Packaging Program

The presentation is about the NASA Electronic Parts & Packaging (NEPP) Program. The mission statement of NEPP, “Provide NASA’s leadership for developing and maintaining guidance for the screening, qualification, test, and reliable use of EEE parts by NASA, in collaboration with other government agencies and industry” is dissected and explained using examples.

manufacturing↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

MILSPEC Training

Explore the source record for details and available documents.

manufacturing↗