THE NEED FOR KNOWLEDGE SHARING INTRANETS IN TESTING LAUNCH VEHICLE SYSTEMS

摘要

The development of a new launch vehicle requires the integration of many diverse and complicated subsystems, ranging from booster engine propulsion to upper stage pressurization to flight and ground software. The testing of these systems and their integration with each other requires that vast amounts of data and information be communicated among the technical groups from each discipline. On some launch vehicle development programs, this communication is carried out primarily via paper documents, e-mail, voice-mail, meetings, and "through the grapevine." If there is no central, controlled means of sharing information and knowledge, engineers waste time and money searching for the information necessary to execute their tasks. Establishing a unified, knowledge-sharing intranet within the testing process of a launch vehicle development project can be a worthy investment with beneficial returns in budget, schedule, employee morale, and future business. This paper will discuss the need for knowledge-sharing intranets and the benefits derived from them. Also, recommendations will be provided on establishing intranets for the testing phase of launch vehicle systems.