Q1) Should Lee recommend the launch or delay of mars mission?

Provide reason of your

decision

Ans: - After CDR meeting, two major risk of BMSA and Landing site was reduced.

In case of CERR, both the existing risk was not reduced to the safe zone. BMSA was in the
yellow risk zone with a score of 9 whereas LSS was in Red with risk score of 15. The overall
probability was around 80%.

Keeping in mind the recent failures, the reputation of both JSL and NASA was highly
questionable. The future projects for both the organization was highly dependent on the
success of Mars Exploration Project. The total cost of the project was estimated to be
around $745 million but in case of the delay that occurred, the cost could increase by 40% at
the most, leading to an increase of around $298 million in the planned budget of the
project.

However, such a project where the future business of both the projects was at stake, the
probability of required success was around 96%. Therefore, the project shall be delayed by
the next 26 months.

Consequence of delay Benefit of Delay

Increase in project cost
Dent on Reputation of JPL & NASA
Delay in other linked projects
Chance of new risk
Chance of increase in probability
Implementation of new technology in
BMSA might reduce likelihood and risk
score to Green Zone
High Chance of New Orbiter for better
resolution images
Success of the project could lead to
increase in reputation
More time allows to identify any potential
risk and work on it

Q2) What Challenges Lee faced in MBE?

Ans:- With the recent past failures and reputation with taxpayers and congressional, there
was a lot for Lee to do in order to achieve success in the project and mitigating all known &
unknown risk.

MBE consisted of four stages:-

a) Launch
b) Cruise
c) Entry-descent-landing
d) Surface Operations.

The spacecraft cruise was harder because Earth and Mars were both moving relative to each
other in their own orbits around the sun while simultaneously spinining on their axes. Lee
felt, however, that the laws of planetary motion made the cruise-stage risks “known
unknowns”, whereas landing the spacecraft safely on Mars during the entry-descent-landing
(EDL) stage faced “unknown unknowns”

After risk review meeting all risk were plotted in heat map.

The major risks were as follows: -

1. Heat shield
2. Parachute
3. Radar
4. Solar Array
5. BMSA
6. SSSAS

Out of which BMSA & new risk of landing surface survival was still in high risk score.

Q3) Identify principal risk management process in MBE? What role do each play?

Ans: -

1. The creation of a 12-person risk review board, chaired by Lee, comprised of experienced
and renowned technical specialists from JPL, NASA management, and the project's prime
contractor. The members of the board were unrelated to the project and were picked for
their capacity to contribute knowledge and skills to it. The specialists were appointed to the
risk review board because they could make a significant contribution to the mission's
success.
2. The risk review board is an independent committee with the authority to inquire about
the negative consequences of good design.
3. The board took on the role of the devil's advocate, interrogating and criticising project
engineers about their assumptions about how the mission would work.
4. There were three review meetings. The first preliminary mission and systems review
(PMSR) will take place 51 months before the launch date. - The initial risk assessment has
been completed, and resources have been assigned.
5. Critical Design Review (CDR) - 22 months before launch - Risks are assessed and additional
resources are assigned to execute the project on time.
6. Critical Events Readiness Review (CERR) - 7 weeks before launch - Final evolution of
success likelihood is completed. Additional resources for project success will be discussed
further.