Learning from Small Satellites to Improve Big Science Missions

NASA's small satellite missions have come a long way. They've learned from past failures and now do amazing science at a low cost. Take TEMPEST-D and RAINCube, for instance. Launched just minutes apart in 2018, they helped create the first near-real-time 3D model of storm evolution. Impressed by these successes, NASA decided to see if any lessons from these small missions could help bigger ones. A study found that small, cross-disciplinary teams work well. They communicate quickly and make decisions fast. Big missions often have a "standing army" of people, but small missions use people only when needed. This saves resources. Also, small missions only keep requirements that add value. They use parts that have already flown in space, reducing the need for extra paperwork.

Managers of small missions deal with risks daily. If a problem comes up, they find a quick fix to keep the mission on schedule and within budget. Review boards for small missions help, not criticize. They share advice to make the mission succeed. Big missions often focus on compliance, but support-based review boards could be more helpful. Small missions create only the documents they need. Big missions sometimes create lots of documents that no one reads. By adopting some practices from small missions, big ones could reduce costs while keeping the quality high.

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