scope:

Purpose

This NASA Technical Standard defines the methodologies, practices, and requirements for the conduct of load analyses for payloads and spacecraft and describes accepted engineering practices for NASA programs and projects. This NASA Technical Standard also establishes general NASA requirements for the definition of loads to be used in the design and development of payloads and spacecraft. Guidelines are prescribed to establish consistent practices and facilitate integration at the program and project levels.

Applicability

This NASA Technical Standard applies only to spaceflight payload hardware. Launch vehicles (LV), payloads launched by sounding rockets, aircraft and balloons, and ground support equipment (GSE) are excluded.

This NASA Technical Standard is applicable principally to Classes A, B, and C payloads. Classification of NASA payloads is defined in NPR 8705.4, Risk Classification for NASA Payloads. For Class D or I-E payloads, this NASA Technical Standard is a guidance document. (The I-E payloads classification is defined in JPD 7120.9, Experimental Flight Hardware [Class I-E] Development Policy.) Class D and I-E payloads may utilize tailoring as stated in section 1.3 of this NASA Technical Standard.

This NASA Technical Standard is approved for use by NASA Headquarters and NASA Centers and Facilities, and applicable technical requirements may be cited in contract, program, and other Agency documents. It may also apply to the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) (a Federally Funded Research and Development Center [FFRDC]), other contractors, recipients of grants and cooperative agreements, and parties to other agreements only to the extent specified or referenced in applicable contracts, grants, or agreements.

Verifiable requirement statements are designated by the acronym LAR (Loads Analysis Requirement), numbered, and indicated by the word "shall"; this NASA Technical Standard contains 63 requirements. Explanatory or guidance text is indicated in italics beginning in section 4. Statements containing the verb "may" express permission or optional activities; formal verification is not required, and these statements are not subject to audits or inspection by NASA. Statements containing the verb "will" or "to be" indicate a declaration of fact, descriptive material, or an agreement on expected outcomes; formal verification is not required, although these statements remain subject to audits or inspection by NASA based upon the Program's risk management assessments. To facilitate requirements selection and verification by NASA programs and projects, a Requirements Compliance Matrix is provided in Appendix A.

Tailoring

Document tailoring of the requirements in this NASA Technical Standard for application to a specific program or project as part of program or project requirements and obtain formal approval by the delegated Technical Authority in accordance with NPR 7120.5, NASA Space Flight Program and Project Management Requirements. NASA Technical Standard tailoring is addressed in NPR 7120.10, Technical Standards for NASA Programs and Projects.