Mission Success Starts With Safety Michael J. Sampson, Program Manager, Workmanship and EEE Parts Assurance NASA GSFC, Greenbelt, MD Code 306, Systems Management Office, Phone: ; Fax: Why Is NASA Interested in the Aerospace Qualified Electronic Component (AQEC)? For the Panel Discussion at CMSE 2004 February 10, 2004

NASA EEE Parts Program 12/18/03 (2) The Short Answer Is: For Commercial-Off-The-Shelf (COTS), Plastic Encapsulated Microcircuits (PEMs) AQEC Would Provide: – Improved ability to manage the risk of using COTS/PEMs in spaceflight systems – Reduced cost and increased effectiveness of required risk mitigation AND NASA Cannot Achieve This Much Without Help

NASA EEE Parts Program 12/18/03 (3) Overview NASA’s Drivers for Change EEE Parts Options – Military/Hi Rel – COTS NASA Risk Matrix COTS Risk Factors Cost Factor The Aerospace Qualified Electronic Component (AQEC) – features – NASA view Conclusions

NASA EEE Parts Program 12/18/03 (4) NASA’s Drivers for Change Cost constrained missions Tight schedules Aggressive science and technology goals COTS frequently seen as a solution to all three COTS can be the ONLY solution where essential technology capability is the driver BUT, The Hidden Costs and Complications of a COTS- based Solution Can Surprise the Uneducated AND NASA Is In A One Strike And You’re Out Game

NASA EEE Parts Program 12/18/03 (5) Two Principal EEE Parts Options Military/Hi Rel Known performance (reliability) Specification driven Controlled/monitored sources Consistent requirements Known traceability Change notification Interchangeability Stability Use-as-is or minor upgrading Older technologies Long lead times High procurement costs Commercial-Off-The-Shelf (COTS ) Unknown performance (and reliability) Commercial market driven Unmonitored sources Variable market driven requts Variable traceability (none?) Limited (none) change notification Vendor specific variations Rapid obsolescence Continuous change Up-grading/rating/screening for assurance Newest technologies Short lead times Low procurement costs

NASA EEE Parts Program 12/18/03 (6) NASA Risk Matrix (Inherent Risk) NPSL - NASA Parts Selection List ESA - European Space Agency JAXA - Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency

NASA EEE Parts Program 12/18/03 (7) Typical COTS Risk Factors Instability Lot-to-lot variation/frequent process and design changes “Lots” can consist of unknown mixes of sub-lots of different origins Integrity of plastic packages difficult to assess Manufacturer reliability data may contain unidentified biases and have limited relevance to procured parts Design margins minimized, considerably less conservative than military Limited operating temperature range Minimal screening determined by primary market needs Rapid obsolescence

NASA EEE Parts Program 12/18/03 (8) Traceability?

NASA EEE Parts Program 12/18/03 (9) Purchase Cost For The NASA Model

NASA EEE Parts Program 12/18/03 (10) Impact Of Lot-by-Lot Upgrading On Parts Costs

NASA EEE Parts Program 12/18/03 (11) Impact of Lot-by-Lot Radiation Assurance, With Upgrading On Parts Costs

NASA EEE Parts Program 12/18/03 (12) The Aerospace Qualified Electronic Component (AQEC) NASA is interested because it addresses some of our concerns about commercial parts AQEC parts are manufactured as part of normal COTS production Several key microcircuit manufacturers are interested It does not require specific testing BUT...

NASA EEE Parts Program 12/18/03 (13) AQEC Features It Does: – extend characterized temp range beyond COTS (some to full military range) And Requires: – reliability assessment methods that are “mutually agreed to” – a stable configuration for “a specified period of time” Some COTS Offerings May Already Go Further

NASA EEE Parts Program 12/18/03 (14) NASA View of Current AQEC Addresses issues of design suitability (temp range) May address lot uniformity, lot-to-lot variation and change control depending on the definitions of “stable configuration” and “period of time” It could reduce the amount of testing NASA does (and thereby cost) by: – reducing or eliminating the need to radiation test every lot – permitting smaller sample sizes for sample based tests – possibly eliminating some screening tests and perhaps qualification, once confidence established  Stocking Program

NASA EEE Parts Program 12/18/03 (15) Conclusions AQEC is a concept that appeals to NASA as a means to reduce the cost of COTS risk mitigation while improving its effectiveness BUT The current version of the definition does not clearly meet NASA’s needs for configuration stability, lot homogeneity or lot traceability, which are needed for: – economic and effective lot acceptance testing – economic procurement of extras or replacements – avoidance of lot-by-lot radiation assurance – problem identification and containment