scope:

This standard establishes structural strength design and test factors, as well as service life factors to be used for spaceflight hardware development and verification. It is intended to reduce space project costs and schedules by enhancing the commonalty of use of hardware designs between NASA flight projects, Centers, and their contractors. While it is true that structural designs are sometimes governed by criteria other than strength, the criteria in this document are to be considered as minimum acceptable values unless adequate engineering risk assessment is provided which justifies the use of lower values.