FY10 Call for OSMA SARP Research Initiative Proposals is now open. The NASA IV&V Facility has two primary research avenues. The first is our Office of Safety and Mission Assurance (OSMA)-sponsored Software Assurance Research Program (SARP). The second is our highly proactive Facility Initiative Program, which is funded internally by the NASA IV&V Facility.
OSMA SARP The Office of Safety and Mission Assurance (OSMA) assures the safety and enhances the success of all NASA activities through the development, implementation, and oversight of Agency-wide safety, reliability, maintainability, and quality assurance (SRM&QA) policies and procedures. The focus of OSMA includes:
- Establishing and assuring compliance with NASA safety and mission assurance (SMA) strategies, policies, and standards.
- Fostering early integration and life-cycle implementation of SRM&QA into NASA's programs and operations.
- Improving methodologies for risk identification and assessment, and providing recommendations for risk mitigation and acceptance.
- Performing independent safety and mission assurance (SMA) assessments and process verification reviews.
- Providing analysis and recommendations for critical Agency safety decisions.
- Sponsoring the innovation and rapid transfer of SRM&QA technologies, processes, and techniques to improve safety and reliability and reduce the cost of mission success.
The OSMA SARP performs leading-edge research that improves software assurance methods, practices, and tools, and directly supports OSMA’s charge and NASA’s missions. The NASA IV&V Facility is the delegated manager for the OSMA SARP.
University Initiatives The NASA IV&V Facility has a longstanding research agreement with West Virginia University (WVU). The OSMA designates a part of the annual SARP budget to support new and ongoing software assurance research at WVU. SARP initiatives at WVU are termed University Initiatives (UIs). With concurrence from OSMA, WVU submits a list of potential UIs annually and the NASA IV&V Facility then selects and manages UIs from that list.
Center Initiatives Research initiatives funded by OSMA SARP are termed Center Initiatives (CIs). CIs address Agency-level software assurance and/or software improvement needs, and can be conducted by NASA Centers, the NASA IV&V Facility, or other government agencies. CIs are generally research projects, but other projects may be termed CIs on a case-by-case basis. CIs may also employ the services of support contractors.
Facility Initiative Program The second major research avenue at the NASA IV&V Facility consists of our internally funded research initiatives. Research initiatives funded by the NASA IV&V Facility are referred to as Facility Initiatives (FIs). The mission of the NASA IV&V Facility requires it to keep pace with developing technology and to find more effective ways to conduct IV&V. This results in a need for newer and better IV&V tools and practices. Many, but not all, of these research needs are addressed in the SARP.
Technology Transfer ProgramThe NASA IV&V Facility's Technology Transfer Program seeks to transfer products, services, and best practices to other NASA Centers, other government agencies, private companies, local governments and communities, and appropriate professional organizations. The mission of the Technology Transfer Program includes strategies to move applied research into a production environment, as well as to communicate research results to government, business, academia, and the research community. The mission of the Technology Transfer Program is critical to accomplishing the overall vision and mission of the NASA IV&V Facility.
Research Infusion Initiative The Research Infusion Initiative transitions promising, mature software engineering research-derived technologies into practice by NASA and its contractors. The Research Infusion Team surveys technologies relevant to NASA's missions and then publicizes survey results to NASA developers, both civil service employees and contractors, using WebEx, the NASA IV&V Facility web site, and other means.
