Attachment TS - 2 PACE V Technical Scenario 2.pdf

Technical Scenario #2: Data Systems

NASA’s legacy data acquisition system is in the process of being upgraded to a next generation system.

The new data system is comprised of Commercial-Off-The-Shelf and custom-developed hardware and software. The software is developed primarily by NASA and provided as a component to you as the Contractor for production use.

There are a total of fifty (50) test facilities, thirty (30) of which are actively performing tests at any given time. You have already upgraded eight (8) of these facilities to the next generation data system and NASA plans to upgrade an additional twenty (20) facilities over the next four (4) years.

Currently, the contractor is upgrading a large test facility, known as Facility A, to the next generation data system which includes upgrading Facility A’s copper and fiber media distribution systems. The next generation data system along with other test-specific systems require these facility media distribution system upgrades.

Four (4) months have been allocated in Facility A’s testing schedule for these upgrades. The upgrade work is planned to take place during first shift. Facility A has scheduled an important test immediately following the upgrade and the new capabilities of the upgraded data system and media distribution system are required for this test.

One of the facilities actively performing tests is the large 10x10 Supersonic Wind Tunnel (SWT) facility.

The 10x10 SWT is still using the legacy data system which includes an analog front-end that was produced by a company that is no longer in business. The Contractor maintains an inventory of spare parts, provided by the Government, for the legacy data system equipment. The 10x10 SWT is running on third shift concurrent with the first shift Facility A upgrade.

First shift 10x10 SWT personnel have contacted you about specific analog front-end channels that are no longer reading correctly. Upon searching the spares inventory, it is discovered that spares are running low.

Personnel from yet another facility, known as Facility B (a medium sized facility), have also just contacted you about disk error messages on their legacy data system.

Given the above, describe the following:

a. The facility service request process

b. The facility servicing model

c. The remedial maintenance process

d. The logistics process (including the return of spare parts)

e. The end-to-end next generation system production and delivery process

f. The impact to the facilities and their customers

g. The communication plan with respect to the Facility Customers and the Government work order management

h. As an additional item, address the impact if the upgrade schedule for Facility A was changed from four months to three months