Form Follows Function: A Pragmatic Approach to Access-To-Space for Space Technology Experiments

The form of access-to-space for NASA space missions is often dictated before they are designed. Typically, solicitations specify the form — i.e., the launch vehicle to be used. The investigator then tries to design a mission within the given form and cost limits. This study adopts a more pragmatic point of view: that the form of access should follow from the function of the mission. Given the function, the form of space access is then optimized. The functions of a broad range of space technology experiments and current forms of space technology experiments and current forms of space access were analyzed. Results show that there might be a more effective approach to access-to-space.