Metric analysis of research activity and technology development has become one of the deciding factors in whether or not the research of potential technologies receives the needed funding or a technology is incorporated into a system. It is difficult to accurately predict the configuration of an ALS system that will transport humans to the surface of Mars and support surface exploration. Determining which ALS research activities will support this effort is a very discretionary process, and there simply is not enough information to accurately make these types of decisions. Requirements change as research develops, and it is very difficult to create a metric that can accurately assess a potential or ongoing research project.
The SSM team of the NJ-NSCORT has developed an internet platform to perform the assessment of potential technologies for the purpose of the development of an ALS system. The platform is called IFA and it has completed validation with current NJ-NSCORT projects. Further validation of the IFA is needed using systems more representative of the configurations expected to be employed in future ALS systems. To perform this validation, data from the LMLSTP, at JSC, was input into the IFA. The LMLSTP data provided a more characteristic view of the needs of an ALS system. By utilizing this information, it was expected that the utility of the IFA methodology could be demonstrated, and valuable information regarding the state of ALS research could be derived.