NASA PREFERRED RELIABILITY AND MAINTAINABILITY PRACTICES

This site provides web access to the NASA Preferred Reliability and Maintainability Practices from NASA Technical Memorandum 4322, NASA Reliability Preferred Practices for Design and Test and NASA Technical Memorandum 4628, Recommended Techniques for Effective Maintainability.  Hardcopies of the original issues of these documents are available from the NASA Center for AeroSpace Information (CASI) 7121 Standard Drive Hanover, MD 21076-1320 Phone: (301) 621-0390 E-mail: help@sti.nasa.gov Website: www.sti.nasa.gov.  Note:  Later practices were not incorporated into the hardcopies of these documents as the individual practices were placed on the web in the NASA Lessons Learned Information System (http://search.nasa.gov/offices/oce/llis/home/index.html).

The information presented below represents the “best technical advice” that NASA has to offer on reliability and maintainability design and test practices and techniques.  These practices and techniques should not be interpreted as requirements, but rather as proven technical approaches that can enhance system reliability and maintainability.  Application of the practices, guidelines, and techniques is strongly encouraged, but the final decision regarding applicability resides with the particular program or project.  The information is presented by Preferred Practice number with cross-reference to the corresponding Lessons Learned Information System number.

This section contains Reliability Design Practices that have contributed to the success of previous space flight programs.  The practices include recommended analysis procedures, redundancy considerations, parts selection, environmental requirements considerations, and test requirements and procedures.

Environmental Series

Engineering Design Series

Analysis Series

Test Series

Design and Test Guidelines for Aerospace Systems

This section contains Reliability Design Guidelines.  These guidelines represent technically credible processes that can be applied to ongoing NASA programs/projects.  Unlike a Reliability Design Practice, a guideline lacks specific operational experience or data to indicate that a topic area has contributed to mission success.  However, a guideline does contain information that represents current “best thinking” on a particular topic and is a well thought out approach to resolving a particular issue or problem.

Engineering Design Series

Analysis Series

Test Series

Design and Test Practices for Ground Support Equipment

This section contains design and procedural practices that have contributed to successful ground support of space flight and ground-based aerospace programs.  This material is primarily concerned with design and test techniques, procedures for control of critical items, and control of environmental influences on successful launch.

Ground Support Equipment Practices

Recommended Techniques for Effective Maintainability

Maintainability is a process for assuring the ease by which a system can be restored to operation following a failure.  Designing and operating cost effective, maintainable systems (both on orbit and on the ground) has become a necessity within NASA.  These techniques provides (1) program management considerations – key elements of an effective maintainability effort; (2) design and development considerations; (3) analysis and test considerations – quantitative and qualitative analysis processes and testing techniques; and (4) operations and operational design considerations that address NASA field experience.

Program Management

Design Factors and Engineering

Analysis and Test

Operations and Operational Design Considerations

September 22, 2006