Government

Decision Support for NASA’s Extravehicular Activity

Zero Point Frontiers is working with NASA’s Extravehicular Activity (EVA) office at Johnson Space Center to develop strategies for the future of EVA. We have used our 3-Gate Method decision process to offer strategic evolution scenarios and affordability roadmaps to the EVA office. This allows NASA to thoroughly examine the massive trade-space of procurement and affordability strategies. The decision tool uses pairwise comparison of Technical Performance Measures (TPMs) to weigh Figures of Merit (FOMs) in areas such as:

• Operations
• Performance
• Programmatics
• Strategy
• Sustainability

The desires of multiple stakeholders are assessed within any system and show decision options that stakeholders hold as most favorable, while identifying the least favorable options for removal from the trade-space.

ZPFC is currently developing a Decision Tool application that will be applicable to almost any critical decision requiring quantitative and qualitative comparisons.

BLAST

ZPFC has partnered with the NASA Johnson Space Center to develop a new approach to high-level space architecture design and analysis. Our BLAST tool couples extensive research in Mass Estimating Relationships (MER) with the ability to assess changes to a mission instantly via simultaneous sensitivity sweeps of several parameters. The tool generates data for human-rated vehicles rapidly, by providing a shareable, repeatable, and rigorous end-to-end framework for multiple in-space elements. Anchored in historical data, the existing MERs have been re-designed to incorporate present-day technologies and space assets. All metadata used to formulate the subsystem MERs is easily accessible within the tools, allowing the user to identify the assumptions behind the data. This novel approach to modeling demonstrates how legacy models may be revised into an enhanced, user-friendly framework, enabling users to develop clearly defined system architectures.

The following pricing is pursuant to a licensing subscription effort, subject to the needs of the customer. For customized versions of BLAST, an engineering estimate of the specialty features would be calculated, and a discount is available for a perpetual license is available, as indicated below.

For a Single User

• 1 Year Subscription = $9,800
• Perpetual License = $34,300

Small Team 5 Users

• 1 Year Subscription = $34,300
• Perpetual License = $120,050

Study Site 25 Users

• 1 Year Subscription = $120,050
• Perpetual License = $420,175

Webinar +1 Architecture Model Setup = $5,600

On-Site Rapid Spin Up Training = $16,500

• Includes 1 week customized architecture setup

Full Up Turn Key 90-Day Study = $175,000

Commercial Projects

Zero Point Frontiers has worked with commercial space flight companies such as Virgin Galactic, Andrews Space, and Firefly Space to provide services such as:

• Strategy development and market analysis
• Initial launch vehicle design, analysis, and concept evaluation
• System engineering and integration
• Physics-based safety and hazard analysis
• Risk assessment and mitigation strategy development
• Affordability analysis, valuse stream mapping, and logistical optimization
• Cost and responsiveness assessments and programmatic goal simulations

Commercial Partnerships News Articles

Virgin Galactic partners with ZPFC

Zero Point Frontiers and Golden Spike

Research & Development

Exploring the realm of 3D Printing…

Whether used to create rapid prototypes, out-of-production space hardware components, or low-cost prosthetics for children, additive manufacturing is becoming a common method for mass production, and is rapidly changing, and breaking new ground each day. 3D Printing allows us to approach design problems from an agile perspective, quickly moving through design iterations. Our in-house capability allows us to rapidly prototype in multiple materials. We have partnered with commercial businesses, universities, and individuals to produce custom designed components.

Zero Point Frontiers used in-house design and 3D Printing capabilities to assist students of the University of Alabama Huntsville and College of Charleston with the rapid prototyping of 2U CubeSat for use in their class project FOCUS (Functional Ocular CubeSat Utilizing a Smartphone). The high altitude balloon travelled to and maintained an altitude of 78,855 ft for over 36 minutes while conducting the students’ experiments.

Using our in-house 3-D printing capabilities and our systems engineering knowledge, ZPFC helped a local two-year old girl by designing and producing a body powered prosthetic hand for her. Often prosthetics for toddlers are cost-prohibitive (typically around $10,000) while our current design costs less than $10 and can easily be scaled to grow with her. Kate’s hand gives us the opportunity to demonstrate the power of 3D printing to solve real-world problems.

We have found 3D-printing to be an invaluable tool in our approach to rapid design cycles allowing us to move through design iterations quickly. Having the capability to make changes to a design, implement upgrades, and test the effectiveness of those alterations within hours, not weeks, allows us to maintain a very agile development environment.

ZPFC is in the process of developing our own 5 axis 3D printer.

 

Zero Point Frontiers Publications and Speaking Appearances

Applications

We have applied our philosophy to help many customers across a wide spectrum of applications. From components to systems, we have a proven track record of success. Here are a few of the applications have developed:

BLAST

ZPFC has partnered with the NASA Johnson Space Center to develop a new approach to high-level space architecture design and analysis. Our BLAST tool couples extensive research in Mass Estimating Relationships (MER) with the ability to assess changes to a mission instantly via simultaneous sensitivity sweeps of several parameters. The tool generates data for human-rated vehicles rapidly, by providing a shareable, repeatable, and rigorous end-to-end framework for multiple in-space elements. Anchored in historical data, the existing MERs have been re-designed to incorporate present-day technologies and space assets. All metadata used to formulate the subsystem MERs is easily accessible within the tools, allowing the user to identify the assumptions behind the data. This novel approach to modeling demonstrates how legacy models may be revised into an enhanced, user-friendly framework, enabling users to develop clearly defined system architectures.

The following pricing is pursuant to a licensing subscription effort, subject to the needs of the customer. For customized versions of BLAST, an engineering estimate of the specialty features would be calculated, and a discount is available for a perpetual license is available, as indicated below.

For a Single User

• 1 Year Subscription = $9,800
• Perpetual License = $34,300

Small Team 5 Users

• 1 Year Subscription = $34,300
• Perpetual License = $120,050

Study Site 25 Users

• 1 Year Subscription = $120,050
• Perpetual License = $420,175

Webinar +1 Architecture Model Setup = $5,600

On-Site Rapid Spin Up Training = $16,500

• Includes 1 week customized architecture setup

Full Up Turn Key 90-Day Study = $175,000

 

The Engineering Launch Vehicle Initial Sizing tool (eLVis) is an internal tool for estimating launch vehicle for desired mission. It shares the performance prediction engine with Instarocket, and allows for large numbers of data value sweeps to find optimum propellant splits between the various stages of the vehicle. Users can quickly set up new concepts and compare them to multiple concepts and existing vehicles.

Instarocket is a public iPad app based on our launch vehicle sizing codes. It is intended to be a learning tool, as well as a good first-order estimator for sizing a launch vehicle in order to get a desired payload to orbit. The user can specify the fuel type, engine performance parameters, and key ratios to calculate the stage masses. Then the user can use interactive slider bars to adjust propellant loads in each stage. The app updates the drawing and performance estimates in real time while the user is adjusting the sizing.It is available for iPad and the AppStore here.

 

The Decision Tool uses pairwise comparison algorithms and a three-gate process to help decision makers decide what is important. Top-level figures of merit are established to identify alignments in order to eliminate the least favorable, or lowest ranking options.