Book Review: Hubble Space Telescope SE Case Study

James J. Mattice (SES, Ret.), Hubble Space Telescope SE Case Study, Air Force Institute of Technology, Center for Systems Engineering, 10 Mar 2005
Free Download from the USAF http://www.afit.edu/cse/casedocs/files/Hubble%20SE%20Case%20Study.pdf

This soup-to-nuts look at the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) takes the reader through the programmatics and engineering from 1962 through 2005. The bulk of the reading is focused on the system development efforts from 1977 through the first on-orbit servicing mission (1993) in which corrective optics were installed. Mattice presents a combination of “just the facts, ma'am” passages interspersed with interpretations, captured as learning points for the student.

Beyond the learning points identified by Mattice, several systemic leadership observations can be easily identified. The HST program was plagued with multiple examples of transactional and management-by-exception approaches that are incongruous for such a novel system development. Ultimately, for the optical system contractor, the relationship with the associate-prime contractor and the two NASA centers was very formally by contract, with little to no insight, accountability, nor communication. Ultimately, this arrangement contributed to the optical system flaw that had to be corrected on the 1993 on-orbit service mission. Further, the relationship between the two NASA centers, Goddard and Marshall, was by a very specific set of allocated responsibilities by NASA Headquarters and the U.S. Congress. Mattice gave a compelling example of this in the disconnects between the servicing concept development (Goddard) and the launch design/development (Marshall), which required many redesigns.

However, this development was not only transactional. For example, later in the program (1983), a transformational approach to requirements development and management was attempted by creating the Space Telescope Science Institute. This institute fundamentally changed how the NASA centers and contractors interacted with the scientific community (the primary end users for the HST), and moved the users to discuss the HST at the appropriate level.

This case study is not very long, only 46 pages in the main body, which makes it very approachable and digestible to students of systems engineering and program management. Mattice meets the goals set forth by the Air Force Institute of Technology by describing the technical, political, and programmatic context of the case. Mattice mentioned interviews with the Hubble Program Manager (1981-1986) and the Chief Engineer (1974-1988), although almost no description of these key players is given, which is typical for engineering case studies.

I recommend this case study to acquisition and systems engineering professionals, especially those in the space system development domains. In a couple of hours, a reader can identify and internalize many lessons that are still relevant to systems acquisition today. Read More......