National Aeronautics and Space Administration

FY 2019 Annual Performance Report

FY 2020 Annual Performance Plan Update

FY 2021 Annual Performance Plan

VOLUME OF INTEGRATED

FY 2021 PERFORMANCE

www.nasa.gov
NASA’s FY 2021 Volume of Integrated Performance i

Letter from the Chief Financial Officer

Letter from the 

Chief Financial Officer

By now I know you have heard the news and seen the videos. NASA has a new program, Artemis, that will 

land the next man and the first woman on the Moon by 2024. Together with our commercial partners, we 

will test new space systems, gain new capabilities, and with what we learn on and around the Moon, we will 

take the next giant leap—sending astronauts to Mars. NASA is getting back into its main line of business—

space exploration. We are going.

You will see this commitment to exploration throughout NASA’s FY 2021 Volume of Integrated Performance. 

The performance results for FY 2019, and plans for fiscal years 2020 and 2021, show foundational elements of human and robotic exploration deliberately and thoughtfully woven throughout the Agency’s work. 

You will see it in obvious places, like our milestones for building rockets and spacecraft, and in somewhat 

less obvious places, like ensuring a skilled and diverse workforce today and in the future. Our activities for 

FY 2019 and beyond show that we will continue building on our successful history of missions to explore 

other planets, the Sun, Earth, and deep space. We continue to use the International Space Station as a 

platform for learning how to live and work in the space environment, and we are building the next generation of exploration-enabling rockets, spacecraft, and systems. 

When it comes to technologies like propulsion, energy storage, navigation, and communication, the current 

state-of-the-art levels will not be enough to allow us to reach our full potential. During FY 2019, NASA continued to mature game-changing technologies vital to space exploration, and we continued to collaborate 

with entrepreneurs, researchers, and innovators to develop new technologies and capabilities, from space 

robotics to habitation systems.

NASA has also kept an eye toward its commitment to advance America’s leading role in aeronautics. To 

that end, we continue to make air travel safer and more efficient by improving how airports manage the 

complex flow of aircraft arrivals and departures. In FY 2019, we looked at ways to incorporate new urban 

air mobility options—from package-delivery drones to passenger-carrying air taxis—safely into America’s 

airspace. We also began the final build stage for the Low Boom Flight Demonstrator aircraft, the X-59 

QueSST, which promises to produce a sonic “thud” instead of a sonic boom, making overland supersonic 

flight possible. 
NASA’s FY 2021 Volume of Integrated Performance ii

Letter from the Chief Financial Officer

One thing we are going to need for sure: a continuous stream of young minds, with the training, skills, and 

passion to make U.S. space exploration a reality. We will need engineers and scientists, statisticians and 

accountants, human resources and procurement professionals, IT developers, and support specialists. Our 

needs are and will be great and varied. So NASA is sowing the seeds of interest and nurturing ability that 

we will need in our future workforce. We are engaging people and igniting interest in our missions through 

social media, hands-on activities and challenges, citizen science, and in our educational opportunities. 

In this report, you will see highlights of what NASA accomplished in FY 2019. You will also see that our 

performance ratings are not perfect, but if they were, maybe we aren’t pushing ourselves hard enough. To 

take the next giant leap or make the next great discovery, we have to be ambitious and set challenging 

goals. We continually have to evaluate how we manage our projects, operations, and people. Starting this 

year, we are stepping up our efforts to assess performance and evaluate our strategies and outcomes. We 

are increasing our capability and capacity to build and use evidence to better inform future decisions. We 

are always striving to improve our performance, so we have been pursuing the implementation of corrective actions that will lead to improved program performance and increased transparency for our external 

stakeholders. This is an important element in our exploration commitment to the Nation—to do our best to 

make each dollar count, to make the best effort, and to ensure that successes are meaningful. 

This revitalized emphasis on Artemis and exploration promises exciting times for NASA and the Nation. We 

invite you to become a part of it, and I present to you a plan of what we will do and how we will do it. We 

promise to do it thoughtfully, creatively, inclusively, and transparently. With that, I will begin to make good 

on those promises through this report, NASA’s FY 2021 Volume of Integrated Performance.

Jeff DeWit

Chief Financial Officer
Table of Contents

NASA’s FY 2021 Volume of Integrated Performance iii

Table of Contents

Part 1: Performance Management at NASA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  

NASA Performance Foundations .

Strategic Plan Framework 

Performance Management in Action 

Oversight and Accountability 

Evidence and Evaluation . 

Strategies for Improvement . 

High Risk Areas Identified by the GAO . 

Management Challenges Identified by the OIG  .

Part 2: Performance Planning and Reporting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  2

Strategic Goal 1: Expand human knowledge through new scientific discoveries. . . 22

Strategic Objective 1.1: Understand the Sun, Earth, solar system, and universe. . 

Strategic Objective 1.2: Understand the responses of physical and biological systems 

to spaceflight. . 

Above: Commercial Crew Program astronauts Mike Fincke (front), Nicole Mann (left), and Barry “Butch” Wilmore (right) conduct 

free flyer track and capture simulation training in the Systems Engineering Simulator Alpha Cupola at the Johnson Space Center 

on February 20, 2019. The simulator allows crews to test the interaction of new vehicle systems with existing vehicle systems (for 

example, one of the new commercial crew capsules with the International Space Station). Photo credit: NASA/David DeHoyos
Table of Contents

NASA’s FY 2021 Volume of Integrated Performance iv

Strategic Goal 2: Extend human presence deeper into space and to 

the Moon for sustainable long-term exploration and utilization. . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Strategic Objective 2.1: Lay the foundation for America to maintain a constant 

human presence in low Earth orbit enabled by a commercial market. . 

Strategic Objective 2.2: Conduct human exploration in deep space, including 

to the surface of the Moon. . 

Strategic Goal 3: Address national challenges and catalyze economic growth. . . 6

Strategic Objective 3.1: Develop and transfer revolutionary technologies to enable 

exploration capabilities for NASA and the Nation. . 

Strategic Objective 3.2: Transform aviation through revolutionary technology 

research, development, and transfer. . 

Strategic Objective 3.3: Inspire and engage the public in aeronautics, space, and science. . 

Strategic Goal 4: Optimize capabilities and operations. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

Strategic Objective 4.1: Engage in partnership strategies. . 

Strategic Objective 4.2: Enable space access and services. . .

Strategic Objective 4.3: Assure safety and mission success. . .

Strategic Objective 4.4: Manage human capital. . .

Strategic Objective 4.5: Ensure enterprise protection. . .

Strategic Objective 4.6: Sustain infrastructure capabilities and operations. . .
The Sun rises as NASA’s crawler-transporter 2, carrying the mobile launcher, arrives at the NASA Kennedy Space Center’s Launch 

Complex 39B on June 28, 2019. The mobile launcher underwent final testing and checkout during the summer in preparation for the 

launch of Artemis 1. Photo credit: NASA/Ben Smegelsky

PART 1

Performance Management at NASA
NASA Performance Foundations

NASA’s FY 2021 Volume of Integrated Performance 2

Above: NASA astronaut Jessica Meir 

waves at the camera during a spacewalk 

with fellow NASA astronaut Christina 

Koch (out of frame) on October 18, 2019. 

The more-than seven-hour spacewalk, to 

swap a failed battery charge-discharge 

unit, was the first all-woman spacewalk. 

Photo credit: NASA

For six decades, NASA has led the peaceful exploration of space, 

advancing knowledge of Earth, while making discoveries about 

the furthest reaches of the universe. NASA research has advanced 

aeronautics, helped develop the commercial space industry, and 

strengthened the U.S. economy.

NASA’s continued success is predicated on a solid foundation of

performance. The Agency uses common business and development practices to proactively establish expectations and assess 

and improve performance on an ongoing basis. These practices are 

strengthened by the Agency’s diversity in technical and operational 

expertise. NASA uses data and evidence to inform investment decisions at all levels, from day-to-day operations to selecting major missions and establishing the necessary infrastructure to pursue goals 

that may take a generation, or longer, to realize.

NASA is transparent in these efforts, complying fully with requirements on performance reporting and accountability, in accordance with the Government Performance and Results Act (GPRA) 

Modernization Act of 2010. NASA’s commitment to performance 

reaches further than compliance. The Agency has an ingrained culture of self-evaluation and continuous improvement, using findings 

from these studies and assessments to improve the Agency in the

short term, and position NASA for long-term success.

The NASA 2018 Strategic Plan outlines NASA’s plans for the future, 

provides a clear and unified direction for all of its activities, and sets 

Vision

To discover and expand knowledge for the benefit of humanity.

Mission

Lead an innovative and sustainable program of exploration with 

commercial and international partners to enable human expansion 

across the solar system and bring 

new knowledge and opportunities 

back to Earth. Support growth of

the Nation’s economy in space 

and aeronautics, increase understanding of the universe and our 

place in it, work with industry to 

improve America’s aerospace 

technologies, and advance American leadership

NASA Performance Foundations
NASA Performance Foundations

NASA’s FY 2021 Volume of Integrated Performance 3

the foundation on which the Agency can build and 

measure the success of its programs and projects. This direction is captured in NASA’s Vision 

and Mission statements—why NASA exists, what it 

aspires to achieve, and how it expects to make a 

difference that benefits all Americans.

The information reported in this document is 

aligned with the NASA 2018 Strategic Plan and the 

FY 2021 Budget Estimates, in accordance with the 

requirements of the GPRA Modernization Act.

Strategic Plan Framework

The NASA 2018 Strategic Plan created a framework that consists of NASA’s priorities, top-level 

objectives, and strategies for making progress 

toward these priorities at varying levels throughout the Agency (see the table below). At the top 

of the framework are strategic goals that describe 

NASA’s Mission. Strategic objectives present the 

strategies for achieving these goals. Progress 

towards these strategic objectives is measured 

through performance goals and annual performance indicators.

Themes and Strategic Goals

Discover

Expand human knowledge through new 

scientific discoveries.

Explore

Extend human presence deeper into space 

and to the Moon for sustainable long-term 

exploration and utilization.

Develop

Address national challenges and catalyze 

economic growth.

Enable

Optimize capabilities and operations.

NASA’s 2018 Strategic Plan Framework

Set in the Quadrienniel Strategic Plan Set in the Annual Performance Plan

Framework 

Level 

Name

Strategic Goal Strategic Objective Performance Goal1 Annual Performance 

Indicator

Approach Strategic Strategic Outcome-Oriented Tactical

Description

What NASA wants to 

achieve to advance its 

Mission and address 

national needs and 

challenges

How NASA will pursue a 

strategic goal

What NASA will do within 

a near-term timeframe 

to achieve a strategic 

objective

What incremental step 

must be completed or 

how performance is 

shown to achieve a nearterm outcome

Length Timeless 10 or more years 2 to 5 years 1 year

Review 

Cycle Reviewed; not rated Annual 3rd and 4th quarters 3rd and 4th quarters

Sets strategic direction Informs decision-making

1 Performance goals include agency priority goals that reflect NASA’s top near-term performance improvement priorities and 

cross-agency priority goals addressing Government-wide performance management. Progress toward achieving agency priority 

goals and cross-agency priority goals is reviewed quarterly and reported to stakeholders through Performance.gov.
NASA Performance Foundations

NASA’s FY 2021 Volume of Integrated Performance 4

Annual Performance Plan

The Annual Performance Plan consists of performance goals and measurable targets that align to 

NASA’s budget and communicate desired outcomes. The plan is released to the public concurrently with the full budget request document. Part 2

of this Volume of Integrated Performance includes 

the FY 2021 Annual Performance Plan. 

Annual Performance Plan Update

In addition to performance planning for the budget year, NASA also reevaluates and updates the 

performance goals and targets released the previous year. The Annual Performance Plan Update 

ensures that the plan still accurately reflects the 

budget, priorities, and programmatic plans. This 

is an opportunity for NASA to revise performance 

measure descriptions, add new measures, or 

delete unneeded measures due to strategic, 

budgetary, or programmatic changes that have 

occurred since the plan was originally submitted 

the year before. 

NASA revised the reporting structure for performance goals starting with the FY 2020 Annual 

Performance Plan. Previously, NASA reported 

performance goals and the annual performance 

indicators as separate measured units. The new 

reporting structure incorporates the annual performance indicator into the performance goal. Each 

multiyear performance goal will have a measurement statement and annual targets. This change 

to the reporting increases data transparency and 

clarity of the outcomes the Agency is planning to 

achieve. NASA has updated all of the performance 

goals for FY 2020 to reflect this new reporting 

structure; these are in Part 2.

NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine talks via satellite with Andrea Mosie, Apollo sample laboratory 

manager (on screen, left), and NASA astronaut Stan 

Love (on screen right) from NASA’s Johnson Space 

Center during an event held at NASA Headquarters 

on November 29, 2018, to announce that nine U.S. 

companies were eligible to bid on NASA delivery services to the lunar surface through Commercial Lunar 

Payload Services (CLPS) contracts. Through CLPS 

contracts, companies will be able to deliver science 

and technology payloads for NASA, including payload 

integration and operations, launching from Earth, and 

landing on the surface of the Moon. NASA expects to 

be one of many customers that will use these commercial landing services. Photo Credit: NASA/Bill Ingalls

Cross-Agency Priority Goals

The President’s Management Agenda, released 

on March 20, 2018, set a plan for modernizing 

and reforming the Federal Government. It consists of 14 cross-agency performance goals centered around three key areas for improvement: 

modern information technology; data, accountability, and transparency; and the workforce 

for the 21st century. Cross-agency priority goals

drive cross-government collaboration to implement the President’s Management Agenda and 

address these three key areas

Per the GPRA Modernization Act requirement 

to address cross-agency priority goals in the 

Agency Strategic Plan, Annual Performance 

Plan, and Annual Performance Report, please 

refer to Performance.gov for NASA’s contributions to those goals and progress, where applicable. NASA currently contributes to all 14

cross-agency performance goals, save for the 

Modernize Infrastructure Permitting effort
NASA Performance Foundations

NASA’s FY 2021 Volume of Integrated Performance 5

Agency Priority Goals

Agency priority goals are comprised of a subset of performance goals, selected by NASA leadership, that 

highlight the high priority activities the Agency will focus on within a two-year timeframe. Below is a performance summary for NASA’s five FY 2018–2019 agency priority goals. The ratings provided are final for the 

FY 2018–2019 reporting cycle. NASA has identified four new agency priority goals for the FY 2020–2021 

reporting cycle. Detailed information for the FY 2018–2019 and FY 2020–2021 agency priority goals is 

provided in Part 2.

FY 2018–2019 Agency Priority Goals

Agency Priority Goals and Statements Responsible Program Final Rating

Discover

1.1.5: Launch the James Webb Space Telescope.

Revolutionize humankind’s understanding of the Cosmos and humanity’s place in it. The James Webb Space Telescope (Webb) 

will study every phase in the history of our universe, ranging from 

the first luminous glows after the Big Bang, to the formation of 

other stellar systems capable of supporting life on planets like 

Earth, to the evolution of our own solar system. By September 

30, 2019, NASA will initiate on-orbit commissioning of Webb after 

launch.

James Webb Space 

Telescope Program, 

Science Mission 

Directorate (SMD)

Red

Not achieved. 

Launch date 

rescheduled to 

2021. Replanned 

FY 2019 milestones 

achieved.

1.1.15: Deliver the Mars 2020 instrument payload for spacecraft 

integration.

Explore a habitable environment, search for potential biosignatures of past life, collect and document a cache of scientifically 

compelling samples for eventual return to Earth, and contribute to 

future human exploration of Mars. By August 5, 2020, NASA will 

launch the Mars 2020 rover. To enable this launch date, NASA 

will deliver the instrument payload for spacecraft integration by 

September 30, 2019.

Mars Exploration 

Program, SMD

Green

Achieved. 

Instrument payload 

delivered in July 

2019.

Explore

2.2.1: Achieve critical milestones in development of new systems 

for the human exploration of deep space.

By September 30, 2019, NASA will conduct the Ascent Abort-2 

test of the Orion Launch Abort System, perform the green run hotfire test of the Space Launch System’s Core Stage at the Stennis 

Space Center, and roll the Mobile Launcher to the Vehicle 

Assembly Building to support the start of Exploration Mission-1 

stacking operations.

Exploration Systems 

Development, Human 

Exploration and 

Operations Mission 

Directorate (HEOMD)

Red

Not achieved. 

Ascent Abort-2 

test and Mobile 

Launcher roll out 

completed. Green 

run hot-fire test 

delayed.

2.2.3: Use the International Space Station (ISS) as a testbed to 

demonstrate the critical systems necessary for long-duration missions. Between October 1, 2017, and September 30, 2019, NASA 

will initiate at least eight in-space demonstrations of technology 

critical to enable human exploration in deep space.

International Space 

Station Program, 

HEOMD

Green

Achieved. NASA 

initiated 8 in-space 

demonstrations.

Enable

4.2.2: Facilitate the development of and certify U.S. industry-based 

crew transportation systems while maintaining competition.

By September 30, 2019, the Commercial Crew Program, along 

with its industry partners, will complete at least one Certification 

Review, following un-crewed and crewed test flights to the ISS.

Commercial Crew 

Program, HEOMD

Red

Not achieved. 

Neither partner completed a crewed test 

flight to ISS.
NASA Performance Foundations

NASA’s FY 2021 Volume of Integrated Performance 6

FY 2020–2021 Agency Priority Goals

Agency Priority Goals and Statements Responsible Program

Discover

1.1.11: Conduct on-orbit commissioning of the James Webb Space Telescope after 

launch.

Revolutionize humankind’s understanding of the cosmos and humanity’s place in 

it. The James Webb Space Telescope will study every phase in the history of our 

universe, ranging from the first luminous glows after the Big Bang, to the formation of other stellar systems capable of supporting life on planets like Earth, to the 

evolution of our own solar system. By September 30, 2021, NASA will launch the 

James Webb Space Telescope, complete on-orbit checkout, and initiate observatory 

commissioning.

James Webb Space 

Telescope Program, 

Science Mission 

Directorate (SMD)

Explore

2.1.2: Enable a robust commercial low Earth orbit economy in which transportation, habitation, and on-orbit services are available for purchase by NASA and other customers.

Enable a robust commercial low Earth orbit economy in which transportation, habitation, and on-orbit services are available for purchase by NASA and other customers. 

By September 30, 2021, NASA will support the development of commercial services, 

including through releasing new business opportunities, supporting demonstration 

flights, beginning certification activities, and demonstrating commercial capabilities.

Commercial Spaceflight 

Development and 

International Space 

Station, Human 

Exploration and 

Operations Mission 

Directorate (HEOMD)

2.2.1: Advance America’s goal to land the first woman and the next man on the Moon by 

2024 by demonstrating the necessary capabilities that advance lunar exploration.

Advance America’s goal to land the first woman and the next man on the Moon by 

2024 and pursue a sustainable program of exploration by demonstrating capabilities 

that advance lunar exploration. By September 30, 2021, NASA will launch Artemis 

I and make significant progress for Artemis II, and have multiple companies under 

contract to develop systems to land humans on the Moon.

Exploration Systems 

Development and 

Advanced Exploration 

Systems, HEOMD

2.2.2: Commence lunar surface science investigations, technology, and exploration 

demonstrations to enable a sustainable lunar surface exploration strategy.

Commence lunar surface science investigations, technology, and exploration demonstrations to enable a sustainable lunar surface exploration strategy. By September 30, 

2021, deliver NASA science and technology payloads to the awarded Commercial 

Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) provider(s) for delivery to the surface of the Moon.

Space Technology 

Mission Directorate 

(STMD), SMD, HEOMD

More information on NASA’s agency priority goals is available at Performance.gov.

Performance Management in 

Action

NASA is committed to remaining a good steward 

of the taxpayer’s numerous investments entrusted 

to its care. This includes maintaining a culture of 

data-driven performance management that continually improves its performance management systems, increasing accountability, transparency, and 

oversight. This approach leads to more consistent 

performance reporting across NASA’s missions, 

and ensures the optimal use of Agency resources.

NASA plans and evaluates its performance in a 

continuous cycle, spanning fiscal years, in conjunction with the annual planning, programming, 

budgeting, and execution process used to ensure 

that resource alignment supports mission and 

operational needs. This ongoing feedback loop 

ensures that plans reflect performance expectations, and, in return, those performance results 

inform decisions on planning.

Annual Strategic Reviews

The annual Strategic Review process encompasses a comprehensive analysis of each of 

NASA’s strategic objectives. Agency leaders 

assess progress on executing the strategies and 

goals stated in the NASA 2018 Strategic Plan. 
NASA Performance Foundations

NASA’s FY 2021 Volume of Integrated Performance 7

The assessment considers different indicators the 

Agency tracks for each strategic objective, as well 

as challenges, risks, external factors, and other 

events that may have affected the outcomes. The 

review also looks at what current or future evaluations or evidence-building activities are needed to 

make better assessments of the Agency’s progress. 

Based on this self-assessment, NASA determines 

that each strategic objective demonstrates noteworthy progress, satisfactory performance, or 

is a focus area for improvement. NASA’s Chief 

Operating Officer reviews the summary of the 

self-assessments and the crosscutting assessment, then decides on final ratings for the strategic 

objectives and next steps for the Agency. NASA 

uses Strategic Review inputs, findings, and results 

throughout the Agency’s budget process and 

as an input to the annual performance planning 

process. A summary of progress and assessment 

results for each strategic objective is included in 

Part 2.

Annual Performance Assessments

During the third and fourth quarters of each fiscal 

year, program officials assess progress towards 

achieving the performance goals listed in the 

Annual Performance Plan. They determine whether 

targets or milestones were met as anticipated, 

assign the appropriate color rating, and provide 

an explanation to support the rating. NASA’s 

Chief Operating Officer and the Performance 

Improvement Officer review the performance 

assessment results and provide feedback, determine final ratings when needed, and recommend 

course corrections. 

NASA publishes a summary of preliminary fiscal 

year performance ratings in the annual Agency 

Financial Report in accordance with Circular 

A-136 guidance, released every November, using 

available fourth quarter data. NASA publishes the 

final fiscal year performance ratings in the Annual 

Performance Report, which becomes part of the 

Volume of Integrated Performance. 

Below are the performance goal and annual 

performance indicator ratings for FY 2014 through 

FY 2019. Part 2 presents the individual FY 2019 ratings, organized by NASA’s 13 strategic objectives 

and with supporting performance explanations. 

Summary of Performance Results for Performance Goals (PGs) and Annual Performance Indicators (APIs), FY 2014–2019

White

Measure canceled 

or postponed

Red

Significantly below 

target or behind 

schedule

Yellow

Slightly below 

target or behind 

schedule

Green

Achieved or on 

track to achieve
NASA Performance Foundations

NASA’s FY 2021 Volume of Integrated Performance 8

FY 2021 Budget Request

The 13 strategic objectives are mapped to NASA’s 

FY 2021 President’s Budget Request. The table 

below provides the FY 2021 budget request for 

each strategic objective. Detailed budget tables, 

provided in Part 2, include the FY 2019 actual, 

FY 2020 enacted, and outyear budget numbers 

through FY 2025. The budget numbers for FY 2019 

and FY 2020 represent actual budget authority and 

the budget numbers for FY 2021 through FY 2025 

are based on the requested budget. The funding 

lines combine multiple programs and projects that 

support the strategic objective. The budget numbers are rounded and will not add up to NASA’s 

total budget request. Funds for the Office of 

Inspector General are not included in any strategic 

objective funding line.

FY 2021 Budget Request by Strategic Objective ($M)

Strategic Objective Requested

1.1 $6,306.5

1.2 $350.9

2.1 $1,139.7

2.1 $8,761.7

3.1 $1,578.3

3.2 $819.0

3.3 $197.3

4.1 $121.0

4.2 $2,696.7

4.3 $184.0

4.4 $176.1

4.5 $549.5

4.6 $2,321.1

Enterprise Risk Management

The enterprise risk management2 process provides 

insights on how to effectively prioritize and manage risks to mission delivery while also providing 

an enterprise-wide, strategically aligned portfolio view of organizational risks, challenges, and 

opportunities. NASA’s governing councils serve 

as the Agency’s risk management platform and 

the Chief Operating Officer serves as the senior 

official accountable for risk management. While 

NASA cannot mitigate all risks related to achieving 

2 NASA implements enterprise risk management in accordance with the updates to the Office of Management and Budget’s Circular A-123, released in Memoranda M-16-17 and M-18-16, and Circular A-11, Part 6.

its strategic goals and objectives, the Agency is 

using these risk-management strategies to identify, 

measure, and assess challenges related to mission 

delivery to the greatest extent possible. Enterprise 

risk management is integrated with the Strategic 

Review process to provide an analysis of the risks 

and opportunities NASA faces in achieving its strategic objectives.

Using Evidence for Decision-Making

NASA uses evidence to inform investment decisions at all levels, from day-to-day operations to 

selecting major missions and establishing the 

necessary infrastructure to pursue goals that may 

take a generation, or longer, to realize. This evidence takes several forms. Evaluations, conducted 

by internal, external, and independent parties, 

help inform research strategies and priorities. In 

assessing outcomes, these independent experts 

help NASA to determine if the Agency has accomplished what it set out to do. 

The Foundations for Evidence-Based Policymaking 

Act of 2018 (Evidence Act) formalized requirements for agencies to utilize evidence, evaluation, 

and data as a planning tool for policy and decision making. As part of the phase I roll out of the 

Evidence Act, conducted during FY 2019, NASA 

named an Evaluation Officer, Chief Statistical 

Official, and Chief Data Officer and has since 

established a working group to support the 

requirements and implementation plans for the 

Evidence Act. 

Program and Project Management 

for Executive Agencies

The Program Management Improvement 

Accountability Act of 2016 (PMIAA) formalized 

requirements to strengthen program and project management within Federal agencies. As a 

research and development agency, NASA uses 

the core concept of cost, schedule, and program 

and project management to assess performance 

during the development phase. NASA established 

a Program Management Improvement Officer and 

a permanent program management working group 

to address PMIAA requirements and develop 

implementation plans. NASA is currently carrying 
NASA Performance Foundations

NASA’s FY 2021 Volume of Integrated Performance 9

out a five-year PMIAA strategic implementation 

plan, that includes performing periodic portfolio 

assessments to examine and determine focused 

improvements to the Agency’s program management practices, guidance, and trainings that strive 

to improve performance overall. 

Oversight and Accountability

In setting goals and establishing plans to achieve 

mission success, NASA leaders rely on information from multiple sources. Rigorous independent assessments, both internal and external to 

the Agency, are an essential tool in ensuring the 

integrity of data necessary to make well-informed 

investment decisions. Independent verification and 

validation in planning and executing work provides 

greater confidence in performance during development and execution, and improves expected 

outcomes. In many cases, these assessments 

include a routine measure of progress against a 

predetermined set of indicators or other targets 

that effectively establish an “early warning system” 

so that deviations can be more quickly and easily 

addressed.

Governance Councils

NASA has four Agency-level councils that establish strategic direction and provide oversight of 

Agency activities. The Executive Council focuses 

on major Agency-wide decisions by providing strategic guidance and top-level planning. The Mission 

Support Council is a functional council focused 

on mission-enabling decisions, threshold operational decisions, internal controls, and liability. The 

Program Management Council is an integral part 

of NASA’s program and mission decisions, ensuring programs and projects maintain acceptable 

performance as they progress through the phases 

of their life cycle. The Acquisition Strategy Council 

supports obtaining, or advancing the development 

of, the systems, research, services, construction, 

and supplies to fulfill the Agency’s mission. The 

Senior Management Council, a fifth council comprised of NASA senior leaders, provides advice 

and counsel to the Executive Council on Agency 

issues and input on the formulation of Agency 

strategy.

Technical Authorities

The technical authority process is part of NASA’s 

system of checks among key organizations to 

ensure that decisions have the benefit of different points of view and are not made in isolation. Selected senior officials, called technical 

authorities, have direct lines of reporting to the 

Administrator, ensuring work on critical performance areas adheres to Agency policy and 

performance standards. NASA’s technical authorities are responsible for safety and mission assurance, engineering, and health and medical issues. 

Approval from NASA’s technical authorities is 

required at each phase of major mission development or project implementation.

Baseline Performance Reviews

The Chief Operating Officer conducts a monthly 

internal assessment and reporting forum where 

NASA’s leadership tracks and assesses performance of the Agency’s work against established 

plans. The baseline performance review is a 

bottom-up review of how well the Agency has 

performed against its strategic goals and other 

performance metrics, such as cost and schedule 

estimates, contract commitments, and technical 

objectives. Periodically, each mission directorate 

More than a million gallons of water per minute pours onto the 

Pad B flame deflector at Launch Complex 39 during a test conducted of the sound suppression system on September 13, 2019. 

The water flow test was a milestone for the mobile launcher, 

which will be used for the launch of the Space Launch System 

(SLS) for the Artemis 1 mission. As the engines on SLS ramp 

up to full power, the hot exhaust creates pressure waves that 

could send potentially damaging vibrations through the mobile 

launcher or the rocket. The cascade of water act as a dampener, 

reducing the pressure wave. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett
NASA Performance Foundations

NASA’s FY 2021 Volume of Integrated Performance 10

provides a performance assessment of the activity it oversees. Analysts outside of the performing 

organization provide independent assessments. 

NASA’s technical authorities provide oversight and 

an additional level of control.

Technology Readiness Reviews and 

Investment Reviews

Experts in technology development use technology readiness levels—a set of progressively 

sophisticated criteria and milestones—to assess 

the maturation of a technology or capability, from 

early concept, through testing, to integration and 

use. NASA conducts routine progress reviews to 

measure the advancement of the work, but also to 

ensure that the technology or capability remains 

relevant and beneficial to its missions. NASA 

conducts an annual assessment of its technology 

development portfolio to ensure that investments 

continue to align to future Agency needs and that 

a balance of desirable technologies remain in the 

pipeline.

Program and Project Key Decision 

Point Reviews

As stated above, NASA requires internal independent assessments on the progress of programs 

and projects through their life cycles. Senior 

leaders convene a series of formal gatekeeping 

key decision point reviews, requiring managers 

to provide assessments of how the programs and 

projects are performing in key areas. Such key 

decision points are specific milestones at which 

managers must provide Agency leadership with 

information about the program’s maturity and readiness to progress to the next stage of the life cycle 

(see the figure above).

The mandatory reviews at key decision point milestones focus on the program or project’s assessment of status, as well as that of the Standing 

Review Board or mission directorate independent 

review team. Multiple stakeholder organizations 

also have the opportunity to weigh in on the information presented. Other reviews may be schedNASA Flight Project Lifecycle Phases, Key Decision Points, and Milestones3

3 Project lifecycle phases, key decision points, and milestones are established by and defined in NASA Space Flight Program and 

Project Management Requirements (NASA Procedural Requirements 7120.5E) and NASA Research and Technology Program and 

Project Management Requirements (NASA Procedural Requirements 7120.8A).
NASA Performance Foundations

NASA’s FY 2021 Volume of Integrated Performance 11

uled, in accordance with the lifecycle schedule 

of that project and depending on the formulation, 

development implementation, or construction 

plan. Additionally, NASA senior leaders monitor 

overall performance monthly through the Baseline 

Performance Review. NASA provides Congress, 

the Office of Management and Budget, and the 

Government Accountability Office with cost and 

schedule updates for major projects with an estimated lifecycle cost of $250 million or greater. 

NASA Office of Inspector General 

and the Government Accountability 

Office

Two independent organizations, the NASA 

Office of Inspector General and the Government 

Accountability Office, conduct both broadly- and 

narrowly-focused evaluations of how well the 

Agency is achieving outcomes and performing to 

expectations. Evaluations cross all types of NASA 

work, from planning new initiatives, managing 

major programs, implementing necessary infrastructure modernization, to the potential impact 

of legislation and policy. The Office of Inspector 

General and contracted independent auditors are 

also employed to review the Agency’s financial 

record keeping systems, compliance with requirements, and financial controls. NASA reviews the 

resulting reports and provides feedback on how 

the Agency will improve on identified management 

challenges. 

Evidence and Evaluation

NASA leaders rely on data from numerous sources 

as they establish plans and make decisions. NASA 

actively promotes a strong culture of achieving 

results through reliance on data, analysis, evidence-building, and evaluations from both internal 

and external sources. 

Internal but Independent Cost and 

Schedule Estimating

NASA’s independent analysts help mission managers craft and manage to realistic cost and 

schedule estimates. They also provide an independent perspective in establishing project cost 

and schedule baselines and meeting stakeholder 

expectations. Other NASA analysts use earned 

value management expertise to help mission planners establish meaningful performance milestones 

for acquired products and technology.

External Independent Verification and 

Validation of Flight Software

Independent verification and validation are part 

of an Agency-wide strategy to provide the highest 

Members of the NASA Mars Helicopter team for the Mars 2020 mission (left photo) attach a thermal film to the exterior of the Mars Helicopter on February 1, 2019. 

In August, the Mars Helicopter was attached to the belly of the Mars 2020 rover. The Mars Helicopter will demonstrate the viability and potential of heavier-than-air 

vehicles for exploring locations not reachable by ground travel. In June 2019, NASA announced that it had selected the Dragonfly mission, which will explore Saturn’s 

icy moon, Titan, to be the next New Frontiers mission. The Dragonfly rotorcraft lander (right image) will fly from site to site, searching for the chemical signs of life. The 

vehicle’s design will allow it to traverse the varied terrain quicker and further than a rover. Left photo credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech. Right image credit: NASA/JHU-APL
NASA Performance Foundations

NASA’s FY 2021 Volume of Integrated Performance 12

achievable levels of safety and cost-effectiveness 

for mission critical software. Overseen by NASA’s 

Office of Safety and Mission Assurance, the 

Independent Verification and Validation Program 

applies system and software engineering best 

practices to evaluate the quality of critical and 

complex software systems throughout the software’s system life cycle.

Peer and Subject Matter Expert 

Community Review

NASA relies on evaluations by external communities with expertise in areas of major scientific 

and academic disciplines. The Agency uses 

external peer review panels to objectively assess 

and evaluate proposals for new work in science, 

technology, and education. The Science Mission 

Directorate also draws from external senior scientist reviews when determining either operational 

extension or closeout for a science mission that 

has completed its objectives. Papers from NASAsupported research undergo independent peer 

review for publication in professional journals. 

NASA often leverages internal and external evaluators to assess specific initiatives for benefit, cost, 

and overall impact.

External Advisors

The NASA Advisory Council provides the NASA 

Administrator with recommendations on major 

issues related to programs, policies, plans, financial controls, proposed associate administrators, and other matters pertinent to the Agency’s 

responsibilities. 

NASA’s goals reflect broad scientific, exploration, 

and technology objectives. To measure progress 

toward achieving these goals, NASA’s mission 

directorates use the NASA Advisory Council’s 

discipline committees, managed under the Federal 

Advisory Committee Act of 1972, to evaluate progress in achieving these goals. The committees are 

comprised of subject matter experts in each discipline. Among other duties, the committees assess 

mission results, published peer-reviewed science, 

and progress on mission development to recommend performance ratings to NASA management.

The Aerospace Safety Advisory Panel evaluates 

NASA’s safety performance and advises the 

Agency on ways to improve performance. The 

panel bases its advice on direct observation of 

NASA operations and decision-making.

NASA receives independent expert advice from 

the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, 

and Medicine, which guides planning and helps 

ensure that the Agency’s research and development priorities align with the needs of the exploration and science communities. The National 

Academies lead a series of decadal surveys and 

other analyses that help inform Agency decisions on the balance and direction of the Science 

Mission Directorate’s investment portfolio. The 

National Academies also provides independent 

expert advice to NASA through ad hoc studies on 

areas such as aerospace technologies and capabilities, space biology and physics, and aeronautics. Resulting decisions are reflected in the Annual 

Performance Plan. 

NASA’s Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate

enlists experts in the aeronautics community to 

assess progress along six major research thrusts, 

ensuring that NASA is developing and maturing 

the technologies and capabilities according to the 

Agency’s aviation research agenda. See the NASA 

Aeronautics Strategic Implementation Plan 2017 

Update for more information.

On September 5, 2019, teams in NASA’s Neutral Buoyancy 

Laboratory (NBL) move and set up habitats, collect samples, 

and deploy experiments as they will on the Moon beginning with 

Artemis III. NASA astronauts, including Drew Feustel and Don 

Pettit, wore weighted vests and backpacks to simulate walking 

on the Moon, which has one-sixth the gravity of Earth. The NBL 

is 202 feel long, 102 feet wide, and 40 feet deep—large enough 

to hold full-scale training mockups. Photo credit: NASA
Strategies for Improvement

NASA’s FY 2020 Volume of Integrated Performance 13

Strategies for Improvement

Above: Technicians extend the solar array on NASA’s Ionospheric Connection Explorer (ICON) during a deployment test at Vandenberg 

Air Force Base in California on August 10, 2019. ICON’s development was completed on schedule, but the launch, originally scheduled for June 2017, was delayed. On October 10, 2019, ICON was launched from a Northrup Grumman Pegasus XL rocket, attached 

beneath an aircraft, from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. Photo credit: NASA/Dan Quinajon

NASA’s commitment to good governance and stewardship of taxpayer funds requires that the Agency 

routinely conducts internal assessments and evaluations to aid in maintaining, managing, and improving 

operations. In addition, periodic external assessments focus management attention on areas of high risk or 

potential difficulty. The Government Accountability Office (GAO) and the NASA Office of Inspector General 

(OIG) conduct such external assessments, identifying trouble spots and recommending how to address 

them. Issues raised by the GAO and OIG represent high-priority areas for management attention.

High Risk Areas Identified by the GAO

The GAO assesses management activities across the Federal Government and identifies practices and 

vulnerabilities that put agencies at risk of fraud, waste, abuse, and mismanagement. The GAO’s High Risk 

List, updated every two years, has included NASA’s acquisition management since the list was established 

in 1990. To assist in corrective action planning, The GAO established five criteria that, if addressed, would 

substantively improve operations and clear the GAO’s concern about high-risk activity:

• A demonstrated strong commitment to, and top leadership support for, addressing problems;

• The capacity to address problems;

• A corrective action plan;

• A program to monitor corrective measures; and

• Demonstrated progress in implementing corrective measures and resolving high-risk areas.
Strategies for Improvement

NASA’s FY 2020 Volume of Integrated Performance 14

As part of the 2019 update, High-Risk Series: 

Substantial Efforts Needed to Achieve Greater 

Progress on High-Risk Areas (GAO-19-157SP), the 

GAO included a scorecard detailing which of these 

criteria for improving acquisition management 

have been met, partially met, or have not been 

met. NASA has fully met the criterion for a corrective action plan and has partially met the criteria 

for leadership, monitoring, capacity, and demonstrated progress. 

NASA’s responses to these challenges have 

yielded more credible cost and schedule baselines, and both the GAO and OIG have observed 

that NASA’s management of its small- and medium-class major flight projects has improved. The 

effectiveness of these tools is particularly evident 

for the smaller (under $1 billion lifecycle cost) projects. However, NASA needs to improve manage of 

its larger, more complex projects, which typically 

involve the development of a significant number 

of new technologies, greater risk, and early cost 

and schedule estimation challenges. The GAO 

observed that risks remain for NASA’s largest and 

flagship-type projects, such as the James Webb 

Space Telescope (Webb) (see Agency Priority 

Goal 1.1.5), the Space Launch System (SLS), and 

Orion (see Agency Priority Goal 2.2.1).

A Corrective Action Plan for Program 

Management

In 2018, NASA established a new high-risk corrective action plan to accomplish two principal 

objectives: 1) strengthen the Agency’s cutting-edge program and project management 

efforts across the board and improve transparency 

to stakeholders; and 2) improve the Agency’s 

surveillance of contractors through appropriate 

insight and oversight. In December 2018, the 

Agency Program Management Council approved 

the proposed plan, Corrective Action Plan: In 

Response to Recent Programmatic Performance 

and NASA’s Designation on GAO’s High Risk List. 

Recommendations and strategies informing the 

plan included previous GAO high-risk reports, 

the GAO’s 2018 priority recommendations letter, reports issued by the GAO during its annual 

programmatic reviews of NASA’s major projects, 

and numerous internal analyses conducted by 

the Agency. Direction from senior leadership, 

the advice of subject matter experts drawn from 

across NASA, and feedback from GAO were also 

considered.

The NASA Associate Administrator assumes 

ownership of the corrective action plan. The Office 

of the Chief Financial Officer is responsible for 

maintaining documentation, tracking, and reporting progress against the plan on an annual basis. 

Mission directorates and mission support offices 

are responsible for executing the plan and reporting progress.

Several initiatives are anticipated to strengthen 

Agency acquisition management. The initiatives 

are categorized by the following actions.

• Implement: Initiatives that NASA has determined should proceed and become part of 

regular Agency business cadence. Any actions 

taken to support execution of the described 

initiatives will follow all established Agency 

control and oversight boards, as applicable, 

to ensure no unintended consequences are 

experienced.

• Pilot: Initiatives that NASA has determined 

show promise to provide value related to 

Agency program management, but will initially 

be executed to a limited degree in scope and 

time until the Agency assesses and reaffirms 

continued execution.

• Research: Initiatives that are less conceptually mature but warrant dedicated effort to 

explore and develop with respect to generating 

value for Agency program management. 

Each initiative in the corrective action plan includes 

a history and current state (as of plan publication); 

near-term (two-year) anticipated next steps; output 

and outcome measurements by which progress 

can be assessed; and recognition of challenges, 

interdependencies, and required resources that 

must be actively managed by NASA leadership. 

The lead organization(s) identified for each initiative will pursue the objectives outlined in the plan. 

Assessments will occur on an annual or biennial 

basis; results of these assessments may result in 

goal or initiative addition, revision, or resolution. 

Lead organizations are accountable to the NASA 

Associate Administrator, and NASA will share 

results and progress with GAO annually at a minimum, and more often when possible. NASA will 

keep this corrective action plan current and up to 

date until the GAO removes the High Risk designation for the Agency.
Strategies for Improvement

NASA’s FY 2020 Volume of Integrated Performance 15

Management Challenges 

Identified by the OIG

Each fiscal year, NASA’s OIG issues a letter summarizing what the Inspector General considers to 

be NASA’s most serious management and performance challenges, as well as a brief assessment 

regarding the Agency’s progress in addressing 

those challenges. NASA leverages the results of 

OIG audits to improve the overall efficiency and 

effectiveness of the Agency’s programs, projects, 

and functional activities. NASA is also committed to 

ensuring timely and responsive final management 

decisions, along with timely and complete final 

management action on all audit recommendations 

issued by the NASA OIG. 

To this end, NASA has implemented a comprehensive program of audit follow-up, intended to ensure 

that audit recommendations issued by the OIG 

are resolved and implemented in a timely, responsive, and effective manner. NASA’s audit follow-up 

program is a key element in improving the overall 

efficiency and effectiveness of NASA’s programs, 

projects, and operations. The requirements for 

managing OIG’s recommendations are detailed in 

NASA’s FY 2019 Agency Financial Report.

The OIG’s 2019 Report on NASA’s Top 

Management and Performance Challenges retains 

the six 2018 findings and includes a new challenge, “Landing Humans on the Moon by 2024.” 

Landing Humans on the Moon by 

2024

The OIG expresses concerns that achieving the 

goal of landing humans on the Moon by 2024 will 

require strong, consistent, and sustained leadership by the President, Congress, and NASA. The 

OIG notes that NASA’s development of a deepspace human exploration capability to reach the 

Moon and then Mars is the Agency’s most ambitious and costliest ongoing activity and currently 

includes three flagship programs (SLS, Orion, 

and Exploration Ground Systems) with more in the 

future. NASA has experienced a series of setbacks 

caused by technical challenges, cost increases, 

and schedule delays in each of the programs. 

Returning humans to the Moon by 2024 clearly will 

be NASA’s top management challenge for at least 

the next five years.

The OIG recognizes some forward movement in 

that NASA has begun to develop or purchase 

the additional capabilities needed for a crewed 

lunar landing. The Agency awarded a contract to 

develop power, propulsion, and communications 

capabilities for the Gateway, and is pursuing a 

contract to develop and deliver the Gateway’s habitation module. In August 2019, NASA announced 

plans for Marshall Space Flight Center to lead the 

development of the Human Landing System (HLS) 

program with Johnson Space Center responsible 

for developing the lunar ascent vehicle.

See Strategic Objective 2.2: Conduct human 

exploration in deep space, including to the surface 

of the Moon, to find out more about NASA’s efforts 

to land humans on the Moon by 2024.

Improving Management of Major 

Projects

The OIG states that it has identified several factors that affect NASA’s ability to complete major 

projects within planned cost and schedule, but 

focuses on three: a culture of optimism; underestimating technical complexity; and funding instability. A culture of optimism prevents managers 

from making critical assessments of requirements, 

budgets, and schedules and determining what can 

be realistically accomplished within established 

constraints. The OIG notes that a “too big to fail” 

mentality may exist as few projects have been 

cancelled due to poor cost and schedule performance. NASA has a history of underestimating 

technical complexity and the level of effort needed 

to develop, mature, and integrate one-of-a-kind, 

first-of-their-kind technologies, instruments, and 

spacecraft, as well as account for the extensive 

pre-launch testing required to reduce risk. 

Funding instability, whether budget authority is less 

than requested or out of phase with requirements, 

means the Agency must defer critical tasks, or 

de-scope or discontinue lower priority tasks, to 

keep project costs within a revised budget profile. 

The OIG reiterates prior year concerns that cost 

increases and schedule slippage with major ongoing projects can have a cascading effect across 

other NASA projects. The OIG notes the Agency’s 

progress in recognizing and moving to improved 

cost and schedule performance. The OIG also 

looks favorably on the corrective action plan to 

strengthen the Agency’s project management 
Strategies for Improvement

NASA’s FY 2020 Volume of Integrated Performance 16

effort, improve transparency, and monitor contractors. Finally, the OIG is complimentary of the 

independent review board that investigated Webb 

cost and schedule problems.

See Strategic Objective 1.1: Understand the Sun, 

Earth, solar system, and universe and Strategic 

Objective 2.2: Conduct human exploration in deep 

space, including to the surface of the Moon, to find 

out more about NASA’s efforts to improve management of major projects.

Attracting and Retaining a Highly 

Skilled Workforce

The OIG cites recent OIG and GAO project reports 

that found challenges in not having enough staff 

or staff with the right skills. Experts have identified 

a nationwide shortage of workers for jobs requiring science, technology, engineering, arts, and 

mathematics that is impacting the entire aerospace 

community. As such, the Agency must compete 

with other government agencies, private industry, 

and academia for skilled workers. This increases 

the risk that a tight supply of aerospace workers 

combined with sharp increases in demand will 

result in more pronounced staffing shortages in 

NASA’s critical skill areas. The OIG identifies an 

additional risk in NASA’s aging workforce and 

potential retirement wave. The OIG believes the 

challenges to workforce capacity will only increase 

as the Agency pursues the Artemis program.

The OIG recognizes positive steps that NASA has 

taken to improve workforce planning across the 

Agency. Agency-wide reviews of the operating 

model have helped to assess, invest in, consolidate, or eliminate duplicative workforce capabilities 

based on current and future mission requirements. 

NASA is in the first year of formulating a new fiveyear workforce master plan, but GAO believes 

ideal workforce master plans look 10, even 20 

years into the future. 

See Strategic Objective 4.4: Manage human capital, to find out more about NASA’s efforts to attract 

and retain a highly skilled workforce.

Sustaining a Human Presence in Low 

Earth Orbit 

OIG begins by referencing long-held concerns about the high cost of maintaining the 

International Space Station (ISS), using nearly half 

of the Agency’s human spaceflight budget. OIG 

describes NASA’s plan to reduce costs by supporting a U.S. commercial space in which NASA 

is one of many customers for industry-owned and 

operated platforms in low Earth orbit. The OIG 

continues to question the ability of the Agency 

to conduct necessary research and technology 

demonstration aboard the ISS, given delays in 

the development of a robust commercial space 

transportation industry. Forecasts cited from NASA 

show that at least 8 of 20 human health risks and 

4 of 37 technology gaps will not be completed 

by 2024, the current ISS retirement date. The 

OIG asserts that commercial entities have not 

developed profit-generating business cases, thus 

commercial activity will not sustain ISS operations 

past the proposed 2025 Federal funding cutoff. 

OIG also recommends NASA develop metrics that 

will help the Agency assess its success in fostering 

the new space industry. Success of the Center for 

the Advancement of Science in Space (CASIS) 

in developing new commercial ISS research has 

been limited. OIG states that stronger NASA oversight is necessary; NASA has since initiated an 

independent review of CASIS activities. 

The report acknowledges ISS successes over 

the past twenty years, and that many advances 

have been made, specifically in addressing risk to 

human health, but also in varied technical disciplines. To further commercialization, NASA has 

announced a pricing policy for ISS research and 

an announcement of opportunity for commercial 

technology development. Commercial partners are 

currently transporting cargo to the ISS, but OIG 

believes that a crewed commercial capability by 

2020 is unrealistic.

See Strategic Objective 2.1: Lay the foundation for 

America to maintain a constant human presence 

in low Earth orbit enabled by a commercial market, 

to find out more about NASA’s efforts to sustain a 

human presence in low Earth orbit.

Improving Oversight of Contracts, 

Grants, and Cooperative Agreements 

The OIG has consistently reported on NASA’s 

acquisition management challenges for the past 

13 years, and GAO has kept NASA acquisition 

management on its high-risk activity list since 

1990. In 2018, NASA spent about $19.2 billion of 
Strategies for Improvement

NASA’s FY 2020 Volume of Integrated Performance 17

its approximately $23.4 billion on external procurements (contracts, cooperative agreements, 

grants), yet the Agency must improve its efforts to 

ensure it receives good value for its investments 

and that recipients spend NASA funds appropriately to accomplish agreed-upon goals. Previous 

OIG reports have provided recommendations on 

contract oversight and controls that would improve 

security, streamline activity, improve transparency, 

and reduce costs. NASA continues to fail in these 

areas, with several missed opportunities cited, with 

instances ranging from consulting services to work 

on the Agency’s major projects. 

The OIG asserts that improper oversight also 

applies to grants and cooperative agreements. 

The report provides instances in which NASA 

failed to administer and manage grants, leading 

to improper application of grant funding for unapproved purposes. The OIG reiterates prior year 

concerns about oversight needed on small business awards, an area particularly vulnerable to 

fraud and compromise of NASA’s mission. 

See Strategic Objective 4.1: Engage in partnership 

strategies, to find out more about NASA’s efforts to 

improve oversight of contracts, grants, and cooperative agreements. 

Addressing Long-standing IT 

Governance and Security Concerns 

The OIG continues to express concern about the 

governance and security of NASA’s IT investments 

and data, despite spending over $2 billion across 

the Agency in FY 2018. The OIG states that the 

Agency Chief Information Officer and IT security 

officials have limited oversight and influence over 

IT purchases and security decisions, and NASA’s 

culture of autonomy further hinders IT governance. 

The OIG both recognizes and challenges the 

Agency’s efforts to improve governance and 

oversight. NASA has established boards and 

better-defined roles and responsibilities, but the 

authority of the Chief Information Officer has been 

unstable and was weakened (and subsequently 

reversed) during recent enterprise realignments. 

The OIG recommends NASA increase collaboration between all Agency stakeholder organizations, 

including increased efforts in strategic workforce 

planning to better identify and close skill gaps. 

NASA must achieve full compliance with Federal 

laws and regulations related to managing its IT 

resources and portfolio.

See Strategic Objective 4.5: Ensure enterprise 

protection, to find out more about NASA’s efforts to 

address long-standing IT security concerns. 

Sustaining Infrastructure and Facilities 

The OIG notes some positive management actions 

in the management of the Agency’s infrastructure, 

but the work ahead is significant. NASA controls 

$39 billion in real property assets, including 5,000 

buildings. However, about 75 percent of facilities 

are 50 years or older and beyond their useful life. 

The OIG estimates NASA’s 2019 deferred maintenance backlog to be “huge” at $2.65 billion, 

and resulting costs of unscheduled maintenance 

and repairs are a significant drain on resources. 

The OIG states that this must be addressed. The 

Agency also has significant liability in its abandoned facilities and environmental cleanup, which 

must also be addressed. 

The OIG observes that the Agency is focusing its 

efforts on modernizing the Agency’s infrastructure 

into fewer, more sustainable facilities and repairing 

failing infrastructure to reduce overall maintenance 

costs. Several older facilities are being refurbished to accommodate Artemis and other mission 

requirements. Overall, the OIG urges NASA to 

improve its assessment and decision making on 

infrastructure investment, divestment, and consolidation, though it acknowledges that the Agency is 

subject to political pressure to retain unnecessary 

capabilities and facilities in certain locations. 

See Strategic Objective 4.2: Enable space access 

and services. (Performance Goal 4.2.6: Maximize 

the availability of the Space Environment Testing 

Management Office (SETMO) portfolio of assets to 

meet NASA’s current and future test facility needs) 

and Strategic Objective 4.6: Sustain infrastructure 

capabilities and operations (Performance Goal 

4.6.3: Demonstrate increased facility reliability) to 

find out more about NASA’s efforts for sustaining 

infrastructure and facilities.
Organized for Success and Sustainability

NASA’s FY 2021 Volume of Integrated Performance 18

Organized for Success and Sustainability

Above: NASA’s Pegasus barge arrives at the Launch Complex 39 turn basin wharf at Kennedy Space Center, Florida, on September 27, 

2019, to make its first delivery in support of the Artemis missions. The 310-foot-long barge arrived with the 212-foot-long Space Launch 

System rocket core stage pathfinder, a full-scale mock-up of the rocket’s core stage. The pathfinder will be used by the Exploration 

Ground Systems Program and their contractor to practice offloading, moving and stacking maneuvers, using important ground support 

equipment to train employees and certify all the equipment works properly. Photo credit: NASA/Mike Downs

NASA is organized for success, with a leadership model that optimizes strategic direction at the Agency 

level, facilitates management at the functional levels in the mission directorates and mission support 

offices, and enables a wide range of activities at centers and facilities. The distributed and diverse nature 

of NASA’s work is unified by an integrated performance culture that engages employees and stakeholders 

at all levels.

The innovative, responsive, and dynamic nature of NASA’s work benefits from the Agency’s highly leveraged relationships within and between mission directorates, mission support offices, and centers. This 

organizational model ensures that Agency leaders can take both a holistic and more narrowly focused 

approach to programmatic, operational, business, and safety management.

The NASA workforce of about 16,500 civil servants in 2019 is distributed among its centers, facilities, and 

Headquarters. NASA’s centers and facilities manage and execute the mission work—engineering, operations, science, and technology development—and mission-enabling activities. Each location is supported 

by a contractor workforce providing technical and business operations services.

The Administrator and senior officials lead the Agency by providing top-level strategy, policy, and direction. 

Headquarters offices lead the Agency’s budget development, execution, and organization-wide performance management activities. Mission directorates and mission support offices at Headquarters manage decisions on programmatic investments and guide operations of the centers. NASA’s organizational 
Organized for Success and Sustainability

NASA’s FY 2021 Volume of Integrated Performance 19

structure is set in NASA Policy Directive 1000.3E. 

Provided below are brief descriptions of NASA’s 

mission directorates and select offices.

• The Administrator’s Staff Offices lead the 

Agency by providing guidance and direction 

that cuts across all of NASA’s work. These 

offices represent the Administrator with respect 

to safety and mission assurance, managing 

the workforce and its diversity, overseeing the 

acquisition and use of information technology, 

conducting financial and procurement operations, as well as coordinating STEM [science, 

technology, engineering, and mathematics] 

engagement activities, international partnerships, and legislative affairs.

• The Aeronautics Research Mission 

Directorate (ARMD) designs, develops, and 

tests advanced technologies that will make 

aviation much more environmentally friendly, 

maintain safety in increasingly crowded skies, 

and ultimately transform the way the United 

States, air passengers, and these world-wide, 

travel between destinations. Research conducted by ARMD directly benefits today’s air 

transportation system, the aviation industry, 

and the passengers and businesses who rely 

on aviation every day.

• The Human Exploration and Operations 

Mission Directorate (HEOMD) leads and manages NASA space operations related to human 

exploration in and beyond low Earth orbit. 

HEOMD oversees requirements development, 

policy, and programmatic oversight across 

its numerous programs. HEOMD’s activities 

include the International Space Station (ISS), 

commercial space transportation, low Earth 

orbit spaceflight operations, deep space exploration systems, launch services, and space 

communications.

• The Science Mission Directorate (SMD) conducts scientific exploration enabled by observatories that view Earth from space, observe 

and visit other bodies in the solar system, and 

gaze out into the galaxy and beyond. NASA’s 

science programs focus on three interdisciplinary objectives: discovering the secrets of the 

universe, searching for life in the solar system 

and beyond, and safeguarding and improving 

life on Earth.

• The Space Technology Mission Directorate 

(STMD) invests in transformational technologies that may offset future mission risk, reduce 

cost, and advance capabilities that enable 

exploration. STMD has used merit-based 

NASA’s Centers and Facilities
Organized for Success and Sustainability

NASA’s FY 2021 Volume of Integrated Performance 20

competition to identify and promote research 

and technology development, demonstrate 

applicability, and infuse these technologies into 

NASA’s exploration missions.

• The Mission Support Directorate (MSD)

enables the Agency’s missions by managing 

institutional services and capabilities. MSD is 

actively reducing institutional risk to NASA’s 

current and future missions by improving processes, stimulating efficiency, and providing 

consistency and uniformity across institutional 

standards and practices.

• NASA’s Office of Inspector General (OIG)

promotes economy, effectiveness, and efficiency within the Agency by conducting independent and objective audits, investigations, 

and evaluations of Agency programs and operations. The OIG safeguards taxpayer dollars 

and the integrity of the Agency by detecting 

and preventing fraud, waste, and abuse.

NASA’s best asset for achieving mission success 

is a diverse, multidisciplinary, and skilled workforce across all centers and facilities. NASA’s 

approach to performance management is based 

on that each team member brings unique experience and important expertise to projects. NASA is 

committed to nurturing an organizational culture in 

which individuals make full use of their time, talent, 

and opportunities to pursue the highest standards 

in engineering, research, operations, and management. 

Chief Financial 

Officer

Chief Information 

Officer Inspector General

Advisory Groups—

NAC & ASAP

Diversity & Equal 

Opportunity

STEM Engagement

International 

& Interagency 

Relations

Legislative & 

Intergovernmental 

Affairs

Communications

Small Business 

Programs

General Counsel

Mission Support 

Directorate

Aeronatics Research 

Mission Directorate

Science Mission 

Directorate

Human Exploration & 

Operations Mission 

Directorate

Space Technology 

Mission Directorate

Chief Scientist

Chief Technologist

Chief Engineer Chief, Safety & 

Mission Assurance

Chief, Health & 

Medical Officer

Ames Research 

Center

Armstrong Flight 

Research Center

Glenn Research 

Center

Goddard Flight 

Research Center

Johnson Space 

Center

Kennedy Space 

Center

Langley Research 

Center

Marshall Space 

Flight Center

Stennis Space Center

Office of Strategic 

Engagement & 

Assessments

Office of Agency 

Council Staff

Administrator

Deputy Administrator

Associate Administrator

Deputy Associate Administrator

Chief of Staff

Associate Administrator for Strategic 

Engagement & Assessments

 Chief Human Capital Officer

 Strategic Infrastructure

 Procurement

 Protective Services

 NASA Shared Services Center

 Headquarters Operations

 Jet Propulsion Laboratory**

 NASA Management Office*

NASA Organization

Reporting Structure

Administrator Deputy Associate Administrator

Associate Administrator AA for Strategic Engagement 

& Assessments

Note: Administrator may delegate reporting to Deputy Administrator

*NASA Management Office oversees the Jet Propulsion Laboratory contract

**Programmatic reporting to the Science Mission Directorate Associate Administrator
PART 2

Performance Planning and Reporting

The last of four liquid oxygen tank structural test articles for the Space Launch System (SLS) is loaded onto the Pegasus barge at NASA’s 

Michoud Assembly Facility, in New Orleans, Louisiana, on June 26, 2019. The barge carried the SLS test article from Michoud to the Marshall 

Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, for structural testing. Photo credit: NASA/Jude Guidry
STRATEGIC GOAL 1

Expand human knowledge through new 

scientific discoveries.

DISCOVER

This view of Jupiter’s Great Red Spot and turbulent southern hemisphere was captured by NASA’s Juno spacecraft as it performed a close pass 

of the gas giant planet on February 12, 2019. The Juno mission has made the first definitive detection beyond Earth of an internal magnetic field 

that changes over time, a phenomenon called secular variation. Juno determined the gas giant’s secular variation is most likely driven by the 

planet’s deep atmospheric winds. Characterizing the magnetic field of a planet requires close-up measurements. The new model was based on 

data collected during Juno’s first eight science passes of Jupiter. Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/SwRI/MSSS/Kevin M. Gill
Part 2—Strategic Goal 1 

NASA’s FY 2021 Volume of Integrated Performance 23

Discover

LEAD OFFICE

Science Mission Directorate (SMD), with 

support from the Human Exploration 

and Operations Mission Directorate

GOAL LEADER

Karen Flynn, Deputy Associate 

Administrator for Management, SMD

Budget

FY $M

Actual 2019 $6,886.6

Enacted 2020 $7,068.9

Requested 2021 $6,306.5

Outyear

2022 $6,553.5

2023 $6,575.7

2024 $6,705.2

2025 $6,766.9

Since NASA’s inception, scientific discovery regarding Earth, the 

Sun, the solar system and the universe beyond has been an enduring purpose of the Agency. NASA conducts scientific exploration 

enabled by observatories that view Earth from space, observe and 

visit other bodies in the solar system, and gaze out into the galaxy 

and beyond. NASA’s science programs focus on three interdisciplinary objectives: 

• Discovering the secrets of the universe. 

• Searching for life in the solar system and beyond.

• Protecting and improving life on Earth.

NASA uses the recommendations of the National Academies’ 

decadal surveys as an important input in planning and prioritizing 

the future of its science programs. For almost 50 years, decadal 

surveys have proven vital in establishing a broad consensus within 

the national science community on the state of science, the highest priority science questions to address, and actions that can be 

undertaken to answer those questions. NASA uses these recommendations to prioritize future flight missions, as well as technology 

development and proposals for theoretical and suborbital supporting 

research. In determining the content of the science portfolio, NASA 

Strategic Objective 1.1: Understand the Sun, Earth, 

solar system, and universe.

Above: In late 2018, California battled two major brush fires, including the Camp Fire in Northern California’s Butte County, viewed here 

from the Landsat 8 satellite on November 8. NASA provided daily maps and damage assessments to help disaster managers and sent 

a research aircraft to the Los Angeles area to support teams battling the Woolsey Fire. The aircraft carried sensors to map the fire scar 

and search for areas at risk of mudslides during winter rains. Image credit: USGS/NASA/Joshua Stevens
Part 2—Strategic Goal 1 Discover

NASA’s FY 2021 Volume of Integrated Performance 24

also considers national priorities and policies, 

actual budgets, existing technological capabilities, 

partnership opportunities, and other programmatic 

factors. 

In spring 2019, NASA found that it continued 

to make satisfactory progress toward Strategic 

Objective 1.1, with clear strategies for achievement. The flight program was prolific, with three 

launches during the calendar year (Parker Solar 

Probe, Ice, Cloud, and Land Elevation Satellite 

(ICESat)-2, and the Transiting Exoplanet Survey 

Satellite (TESS)), the landing of the Interior 

Exploration using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy 

and Heat Transport (InSIGHT) spacecraft on Mars, 

and more achievements described in the following 

performance goal explanations. 

However, NASA faced continued technical, schedule, and cost challenges for the James Webb 

Space Telescope (Webb). NASA replanned the 

Webb project to address technical issues and 

schedule delays, with launch now planned for 

2021. The Mars 2020 rover project also addressed 

technical issues, and while it remains on track for 

the 2020 launch, it has led to increased cost.

FY 2019 Performance Summary for Strategic Objective 1.1

Performance Goals (PGs) Annual Performance 

Indicators (APIs)

Summary of Performance for PGs and APIs Contributing to Strategic Objective 1.1, FY 2014–2019

Note: FY 2018 and FY 2019 contribute to Strategic Objective 1.1, as established by the NASA 2018 Strategic Plan. For FY 2014 through 

FY 2017, individual PGs and APIs were assigned to a strategic objective based on contributing work.
Part 2—Strategic Goal 1 Discover

NASA’s FY 2021 Volume of Integrated Performance 25

Performance Goal 1.1.1: Demonstrate progress in exploring the physical processes in the space environment from the Sun to Earth and throughout the sola

system

2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019

Green Green Green Green Green Green

FY 2019 Annual Performance Indicator

HE-19-1: As determined by the Heliophysics 

Advisory Committee (HPAC), demonstrate 

planned progress in exploring the physical processes in the space environment from the Sun to 

Earth and throughout the solar system.

Green

FY 2020–2021 Performance Plan

No performance goal after FY 2019. New performance goals for Strategic Objective 1.1 are on 

page 49.

FY 2019 Performance Progress

The Heliophysics Advisory Committee determined 

in October 2019 that NASA remained on track in its 

annual performance towards achieving this performance goal. Below are examples of the scientific 

progress reported in FY 2019. 

The outermost region of the Sun’s atmosphere, the 

corona, is over 200 times hotter than the rest of the 

Sun’s surface. Scientists have been trying to figure 

out why the corona becomes superheated and 

how solar flares, large explosions on the surface of 

the Sun, develop in the solar atmosphere. NASA’s 

Interface Region Imaging Spectrograph (IRIS)

revealed how plasma turbulence plays a vital role 

in converting magnetic energy to heat, challenging 

the current model stating that particles are simply 

transported along the Sun’s magnetic field.

The Time History of Events and Macroscale 

Interactions during Substorms (THEMIS) spacecraft provided the first direct evidence that Earth’s 

dayside magnetosphere vibrates like a drum when 

the outer part of the magnetosphere, known as the 

magnetopause, is struck by plasma jets from the 

Sun. The THEMIS satellites were ideally located to 

observe as a plasma jet struck Earth’s magnetosphere, sending oscillations to the magnetic poles 

and back again and creating a standing wave 

pattern. These observations confirm the existence 

of long-hypothesized, but never demonstrated, 

magnetopause surface waves. 

Closer to Earth, the Solar Occultation for Ice 

Experiment (SOFIE) on the Aeronomy of Ice in the 

Mesosphere (AIM) Explorer observed nitric oxide 

oscillations in the upper atmosphere. Although 

nitric oxide makes up a tiny part of the atmosphere, 

it radiates heat away and helps to cool Earth’s 

upper atmosphere after solar storms. AIM’s new 

observations show that the nitric oxide layer oscillates in the upper atmosphere driven by heating in 

the lower atmosphere. They also show that current 

models of the upper atmosphere overestimate 

nitric oxide abundances. Refining current models 

based on these observations will increase scientific 

knowledge about the processes that shape Earth’s 

upper atmosphere and also enable better predictions of ionospheric structures that are important to 

navigation and communication technologies.

An image from the IRIS spacecraft shows a tadpole-shaped jet 

containing a pseudo-shock streaking out from the Sun. Image 

credit: Abhishek Srivastava IIT (BHU)/Joy Ng, NASA

The Heliophysics Division, part of the Science 

Mission Directorate, studies the nature of the Sun 

and how it influences the nature of space and, in turn, 

the atmospheres of planets and the technologies that 

exist there
Part 2—Strategic Goal 1 Discover

NASA’s FY 2021 Volume of Integrated Performance 26

Performance Goal 1.1.2: Demonstrate progress in advancing understanding 

of the connections that link the Sun, Earth, and planetary space environments, 

and the outer reaches of the solar system

2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019

Green Green Green Green Green Green

FY 2019 Annual Performance Indicators

HE-19-2: As determined by the Heliophysics 

Advisory Committee (HPAC), demonstrate 

planned progress in advancing understanding 

of the connections that link the Sun, Earth, and 

planetary space environments, and the outer 

reaches of the solar system.

Green

HE-19-8: Based on NASA Research 

Announcement selections, establish 

Heliophysics Science Centers (HSCs) to tackle 

the key science problems of solar and space 

physics that require multidisciplinary teams of 

theorists, observers, modelers, and computer 

scientists.

Yellow

FY 2020–2021 Performance Plan

No performance goal after FY 2019. New performance goals for Strategic Objective 1.1 are on 

page 49.

FY 2019 Performance Progress

The Heliophysics Advisory Committee determined 

in October 2019 that NASA remained on track in its 

annual performance towards achieving this performance goal. Below are examples of the scientific 

progress reported in FY 2019.

Measurements from NASA’s two Van Allen Probes

and the Japanese Arase, or ERG, mission showed 

that spatially localized waves, generated by a 

weak geomagnetic storm, on Earth’s magnetic field 

significantly reduced the number of charged particles in the electron radiation belts on time scales 

as short as 10 minutes. 

Ground and space-based observations from 

NASA’s Time History of Events and Macroscale 

Interactions during Substorms (THEMIS) spacecraft found the likely source of the phenomenon 

known as STEVE, or Strong Thermal Emission 

Velocity Enhancement, a narrow feature of auroral lights that was recently discovered by citizen 

scientists. Most auroras are the result of substorms 

pushing charged particles into the ionosphere from 

above. The observations showed that STEVE is 

due to enhanced motion of charged particles in the 

ionosphere. 

Another example of progress is from NASA’s 

Interstellar Boundary Explorer (IBEX), which 

observed the response of the outer boundary 

of the solar system (the heliosphere) to a large 

increase in the strength of the solar wind that 

began in 2014. IBEX observes high energy neutral 

atoms (ENAs) formed when a high energy charged 

particle from interstellar space captures an electron from a cold neutral particle at the solar system 

boundary. The signatures are consistent with the 

heliosphere being shaped by a balance between 

the outflowing solar wind and the flow and magnetic fields of the interstellar medium.

The Heliophysics Division, part of the Science 

Mission Directorate, studies the nature of the Sun 

and how it influences the nature of space and, in turn, 

the atmospheres of planets and the technologies that 

exist there
Part 2—Strategic Goal 1 Discover

NASA’s FY 2021 Volume of Integrated Performance 27

Performance Goal 1.1.3: Demonstrate progress in developing the knowledge 

and capability to detect and predict extreme conditions in space to protect life 

and society and to safeguard human and robotic explorers beyond Earth

2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019

Green Green Green Green Green Green

FY 2019 Annual Performance Indicator

HE-19-3: As determined by the Heliophysics 

Advisory Committee (HPAC), demonstrate 

planned progress in developing the knowledge 

and capability to detect and predict extreme 

conditions in space to protect life and society 

and to safeguard human and robotic explorers 

beyond Earth.

Green

FY 2020–2021 Performance Plan

No performance goal after FY 2019. New performance goals for Strategic Objective 1.1 are on 

page 49.

FY 2019 Performance Progress

The Heliophysics Advisory Committee determined 

in October 2019 that NASA remained on track in its 

annual performance towards achieving this performance goal. NASA missions from all Heliophysics 

disciplines were used to advance understanding 

of extreme space weather phenomena, as well as 

conditions capable of adversely impacting technology systems and human and robotic explorers. 

Below are examples of the scientific progress 

reported in FY 2019.

Observations from the Global-Scale Observations 

of the Limb and Disk (GOLD) mission showed 

that severe ionospheric plasma depletions, called 

“bubbles,” near the equator can occur 10 times 

more often than previously measured during solar 

minimum, when the Sun has the least solar flare 

activity. Communication and navigation signals 

can be disrupted when they encounter a bubble. 

More reliable functioning of these critical communication and navigation systems will be possible, 

and will have wide societal impacts, when better 

forecasts of space weather are available. The 

GOLD mission’s observations enable advances in 

the modeling and understanding that is necessary 

for such forecasting.

On September 10, 2017, the Sun emitted a 

significant solar flare and a fast, wide coronal mass ejection. The space weather was 

observed from multiple locations, including at 

Earth by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration’s Geostationary Operational 

Environmental Satellites (GOES), Mars by 

NASA’s Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution 

(MAVEN) spacecraft, and the Sun by NASA’s Solar 

Terrestrial Relations Observatory (STEREO)-A 

spacecraft. This event provided an excellent 

example of the power of a distributed heliospheric 

observatory for diagnosing space weather events 

at remote locations in the solar system, including 

Mars, where humans will one day travel.

The Heliophysics Division, part of the Science 

Mission Directorate, studies the nature of the Sun 

and how it influences the nature of space and, in turn, 

the atmospheres of planets and the technologies that 

exist there

The intense solar activity in September 2017 sparked global 

aurora on Mars more than 25 times brighter than any previously observed by NASA’s MAVEN spacecraft. The purple-white 

colors show the intensity of ultraviolet light on Mars’ night side 

before (left) and during (right) the event. See how other spacecraft observed the event. Image credit: NASA/GSFC/Univ. of 

Colorado/LASP/Joy Ng
Part 2—Strategic Goal 1 Discover

NASA’s FY 2021 Volume of Integrated Performance 28

Performance Goal 1.1.4: By December 2019, launch one mission in support o

Heliophysics

2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019

Green Green Yellow Green Green Green

FY 2019 Annual Performance Indicators

HE-19-6: Complete the 2016 Heliophysics Small 

Explorer (SMEX) Announcement of Opportunity 

down-select.

Green

HE-19-7: Deliver Science and Technology 

Definition Team (STDT) report. Green

FY 2020–2021 Performance Plan

No performance goal after FY 2019. New performance goals for Strategic Objective 1.1 are on 

page 49.

FY 2019 Performance Progress

NASA achieved this performance goal in FY 2018 

by launching the Parker Solar Probe on August 

12, 2018. In FY 2019, NASA continued to work on 

projects that support Heliophysics.

On June 20, 2019, NASA announced the selection 

of two investigations for the 2016 Heliophysics 

SMEX Announcement of Opportunity. The 

Polarimeter to Unify the Corona and Heliosphere, 

or PUNCH, mission will focus directly on the Sun’s 

outer atmosphere, the corona, and how it generates the solar wind. Composed of four suitcase-sized satellites, PUNCH will image and track 

the solar wind as it leaves the Sun. The spacecraft 

will also track coronal mass ejections—large eruptions of solar material that can drive large space 

weather events near Earth—to better understand 

their evolution and develop new techniques for 

predicting such eruptions. The second mission is 

Tandem Reconnection and Cusp Electrodynamics 

Reconnaissance Satellites, or TRACERS. The 

TRACERS investigation was partially selected as 

a NASA-launched rideshare mission, meaning it 

will be launched as a secondary payload. NASA’s 

Science Mission Directorate is emphasizing 

secondary payload missions as a way to obtain 

greater science return. TRACERS will study how 

magnetic fields around Earth interact with those 

from the Sun. Its unique measurements will assist 

NASA’s mission to safeguard our technology and 

astronauts in space.

The Geospace Dynamics Constellation STDT 

delivered its report to the chairperson of NASA’s 

Heliophysics Advisory Committee on September 

13, 2019. The report is an overview of a multi-satellite system that would observe the boundary 

between Earth’s atmosphere and space. This 

poorly understood region is where low Earth orbit 

satellites reside and also where critical space 

weather processes that affect human society take 

place.

The Heliophysics Division, part of the Science 

Mission Directorate, studies the nature of the Sun 

and how it influences the nature of space and, in turn, 

the atmospheres of planets and the technologies that 

exist there

The Parker Solar Probe launches aboard a United Launch 

Alliance Delta IV Heavy rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force 

Station, Florida, on August 12, 2018. Photo credit: NASA/Bill 

Ingalls
Part 2—Strategic Goal 1 Discover

NASA’s FY 2021 Volume of Integrated Performance 29

Performance Goal 1.1.5: Conduct on-orbit commissioning of the James Web

Space Telescope after launch. (Agency Priority Goal

2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019

Green Green Green Yellow Red Red

FY 2019 Annual Performance Indicator

JWST-19-1: Complete spacecraft element thermal vacuum testing. Green

FY 2020–2021 Performance Plan

1.1.11: Launch the James Webb Space Telescope

complete on-orbit checkout, and initiate observatory 

commissioning. (Agency Priority Goal

Complete development milestone

Fiscal Year 2020 2021

Target 4 4

Development milestones for FY 2020

1. Complete second sunshield membrane deployment 

and folding.

2. Complete deployment #2 of telescope deployable 

tower assembly.

3. Complete observatory pre-environmental test review.

4. Complete observatory vibration and acoustics testing.

Development milestones for FY 2021

1. Complete final comprehensive system test.

2. Launch observatory.

3. Complete on-orbit checkout.

4. Initiate observatory commissioning.

FY 2019 Performance Progress

Although NASA has completed major milestones 

planned for FY 2019, NASA will not achieve this 

agency priority goal, which, when established 

in 2017, assumed that the James Webb Space 

Telescope (Webb) would launch no later than 

September 2019. 

After the project experienced significant technical difficulties and delays in early FY 2018, NASA 

established an Independent Review Board to 

assess the schedule, work needed to complete 

the telescope, and underlying causes of schedule 

erosion. Based on the board’s findings and recommendations, NASA set a new Webb launch readiness date of March 2021.

In FY 2019, Webb successfully cleared critical 

testing milestones with the completion of acoustic, vibration, and thermal vacuum testing of the 

Spacecraft Element, which includes the spacecraft bus and the sunshield. With the latest thermal vacuum test, all of Webb’s components have 

been exposed to the varied conditions that they 

will encounter during launch and in space. In July, 

technicians and engineers tested the key and 

extremely choreographed series of extensions and 

movements that deploy the support structure that 

holds Webb’s secondary mirror in place.

The fully assembled observatory will complete a 

final round of deployments, testing, and evaluation over the next year, prior to shipment to the 

launch site in French Guiana. The James Webb 

Space Telescope is an infrared observatory that 

will enable scientists to peer back to the beginning 

of the universe to study the first stars and galaxies 

that formed.

The Astrophysics Division, part of the Science 

Mission Directorate, studies how the universe works 

and explores the origin and evolution of the galaxies, 

stars, and planets that make up the universe. It also 

searches for and studies planets around other stars and 

explores whether those planets could harbor life

Integration team members use a crane to slowly lift Webb telescope into place above the Spacecraft Element. Engineers then 

connected the two halves of the telescope, completing a major 

milestone. Watch the team join the two halves. Photo credit: 

NASA/Chris Gunn
Part 2—Strategic Goal 1 Discover

NASA’s FY 2021 Volume of Integrated Performance 30

Performance Goal 1.1.6: Demonstrate progress in probing the origin and destiny of the universe, including the nature of black holes, dark energy, dark matter, and gravit

2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019

Green Green Green Green Green Green

FY 2019 Annual Performance Indicator

AS-19-1: As determined by the Astrophysics 

Advisory Committee (APAC), demonstrate 

planned progress in probing the origin and destiny of the universe, including the nature of black 

holes, dark energy, dark matter, and gravity.

Green

FY 2020–2021 Performance Plan

No performance goal after FY 2019. New performance goals for Strategic Objective 1.1 are on 

page 49.

FY 2019 Performance Progress

A panel of external experts determined in August 

2019 that NASA remained on track in the science 

areas contributing to the achievement of this performance goal. Below are examples of the scientific progress reported in FY 2019. 

NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory (Chandra), 

Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array (NuSTAR), 

and Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory participated 

in coordinated observations of the black hole at 

the core of the galaxy M87. At the same time, the 

international Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) captured the historic first image of a black hole and 

its shadow. Chandra and NuSTAR measured the 

X-ray brightness of M87’s jet and provided a critical anchor point for the theoretical models of the 

jet and disk around the black hole that was used to 

interpret the EHT observations.

NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope and the 

European Space Agency’s Gaia observatory

provided complementary views of near and distant 

globular clusters across the Milky Way, leading to 

a precise measurement of the galaxy’s total mass. 

The new data suggests that the Milky Way’s total 

mass is about 1.5 trillion times the mass of the Sun. 

Only a small percentage of this is attributed to the 

approximately 200 billion stars and the supermassive black hole at the Milky Way’s center. The rest 

of the mass is comprised of dark matter.

The Astrophysics Division, part of the Science 

Mission Directorate, studies how the universe works 

and explores the origin and evolution of the galaxies, 

stars, and planets that make up the universe. It also 

searches for and studies planets around other stars and 

explores whether those planets could harbor life

The large image, provided by Chandra, shows a close up of the 

core of the M87 galaxy. The box encloses the location of a black 

hole at the galaxy’s core. While Chandra is unable to see the 

black hole, its field of view can observe the full length of the jet 

of high-energy particles propelled outward by the intense gravitational and magnetic fields around the black hole, visible in the 

as the line jutting out to the right in the highlighted section. Using 

the EHT, scientists obtained an image of the black hole (bottom 

left inset), outlined by emission from hot gas swirling around the 

influence of strong gravity near its event horizon. Credit, large 

image: NASA/CXC/Villanova University/J. Neilsen; inset: EHT 

collaboration et al
Part 2—Strategic Goal 1 Discover

NASA’s FY 2021 Volume of Integrated Performance 31

Performance Goal 1.1.7: Demonstrate progress in exploring the origin and evolution of the galaxies, stars, and planets that make up the universe.

2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019

Green Green Green Green Green Green

FY 2019 Annual Performance Indicators

AS-19-2: As determined by the Astrophysics 

Advisory Committee (APAC), demonstrate 

planned progress in exploring the origin and 

evolution of the galaxies, stars, and planets that 

make up the universe.

Green

Deliver Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared 

Astronomy (SOFIA) third-generation High 

Resolution Mid-Infrared Spectrometer (HIRMES) 

instrument.

Red

FY 2020–2021 Performance Plan

No performance goal after FY 2019. New performance goals for Strategic Objective 1.1 are on 

page 49.

FY 2019 Performance Progress

A panel of external experts determined in August 

2019 that NASA remained on track in the science 

areas contributing to the achievement of this performance goal. Below are examples of the scientific progress reported in FY 2019.

NASA’s SOFIA discovered the signature of helium 

hydride in a planetary nebula, a remnant of what 

was once a Sun-like star. Scientists believe that 

around 100,000 years after the big bang, helium 

and hydrogen combined to make helium hydride. 

This molecule should be present in the modern 

universe but has never been detected in space 

until now. The discovery confirms a key part of scientists’ basic understanding of the dawn of chemistry in the early universe, providing insight into its 

evolution over billions of years into the complex 

chemistry of today. 

Scientists analyzing NASA’s Spitzer Space 

Telescope deep fields, complemented by Hubble 

Space Telescope archival data, have found that 

some of the universe’s earliest galaxies were 

brighter than expected. The excess light is a 

byproduct of the galaxies releasing high amounts 

of ionizing radiation. The finding offers clues to 

the cause of the Epoch of Reionization, a period 

in history when the universe was transformed from 

being mostly opaque to the brilliant starscape seen 

today. The researchers report on observations of 

some of the first galaxies to form in the universe, 

less than one billion years after the Big Bang.

The Astrophysics Division, part of the Science 

Mission Directorate, studies how the universe works 

and explores the origin and evolution of the galaxies, 

stars, and planets that make up the universe. It also 

searches for and studies planets around other stars and 

explores whether those planets could harbor life

This deep-field view of the sky, taken by NASA’s Spitzer Space 

Telescope, is dominated by galaxies, including some very 

faint and distant ones, circled in red. The bottom right inset 

shows one of those distant galaxies, made visible thanks to 

a long-duration observation by Spitzer. Image credit: NASA/

JPL-Caltech/ESA/Spitzer/P. Oesch/S. De Barros/I.Labbe
Part 2—Strategic Goal 1 Discover

NASA’s FY 2021 Volume of Integrated Performance 32

Performance Goal 1.1.8: Demonstrate progress in discovering and studying 

planets around other stars and exploring whether they could harbor life

2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019

Green Green Green Green Green Green

FY 2019 Annual Performance Indicator

AS-19-4: As determined by the Astrophysics 

Advisory Committee (APAC), demonstrate 

planned progress in discovering and studying 

planets around other stars and exploring whether 

they could harbor life.

Green

FY 2020–2021 Performance Plan

No performance goal after FY 2019. New performance goals for Strategic Objective 1.1 are on 

page 49.

FY 2019 Performance Progress

A panel of external experts determined in August 

2019 that NASA remained on track in the science 

areas contributing to the achievement of this performance goal. Below are examples of the scientific progress reported in FY 2019. 

NASA’s Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite 

(TESS) discovered its first crop of small, rocky 

worlds called the L98-59 system, as well as its first 

Earth-sized planet, named HD 21749c. While these 

planets do not lie within their stars’ “habitable 

zone,” the range of distances from the star where 

liquid water could exist on the planets’ surfaces, 

these small worlds help astronomers learn about 

the equivalents of terrestrial planets, like Mars, 

Venus, and Mercury, in distant planetary systems.

Observations made by NASA’s Spitzer and Hubble

space telescopes have been used to develop 

a theoretical study to explain why water vapor 

appears to be missing from “ultra-hot Jupiters.” 

These gas giant planets orbit extremely close to 

their stars, with one side permanently facing the 

star and reaching temperatures between 3,600°F 

and 5,400°F. According to the new data, such 

planets possess the ingredients for water, but due 

to the strong irradiation on their day sides, temperatures there get so intense that water molecules 

are completely torn apart. Fierce winds may blow 

the sundered water molecules from the hot day 

side to the cool night side, where the atoms recombine into molecules and condense into clouds, all 

before drifting back into the day side to be splintered again.

The Astrophysics Division, part of the Science 

Mission Directorate, studies how the universe works 

and explores the origin and evolution of the galaxies, 

stars, and planets that make up the universe. It also 

searches for and studies planets around other stars and 

explores whether those planets could harbor life

TESS has discovered three planets orbiting a bright, cool nearby star. The smallest planet, L 98-59b, is between the sizes of Mars and 

Earth. The other two planets in the system, L 98-59c and L 98-59d, are respectively around 1.4 and 1.6 times Earth’s size. As shown 

in a NASA video, all could occupy the range of distances from the star where a Venus-like atmosphere is possible. Image credit: NASA
Part 2—Strategic Goal 1 Discover

NASA’s FY 2021 Volume of Integrated Performance 33

Performance Goal 1.1.9: By December 2021, launch at least one mission i

support of Astrophysics

2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019

Green Green Green Green Green Green

FY 2019 Annual Performance Indicator

AS-19-6: Complete the 2016 Astrophysics 

Medium Explorer (MIDEX) Announcement of 

Opportunity down-select.

Green

FY 2020–2021 Performance Plan

No performance goal after FY 2019. New performance goals for Strategic Objective 1.1 are on 

page 49.

FY 2019 Performance Progress

NASA remains on track to achieve this performance goal by launching the Imaging X-ray 

Polarimetry Explorer (IXPE) by December 2021. 

During FY 2019, the IXPE mission was confirmed 

for development and successfully completed its 

Critical Design Review, which determined that the 

integrated design was ready to complete design 

and fabrication. The IXPE mission will allow astronomers to explore, for the first time, the hidden 

details of some of the most extreme and exotic 

astronomical objects, such as stellar and supermassive black holes, neutron stars and pulsars.

On February 13, NASA announced the selection

of the Spectro-Photometer for the History of the 

Universe, Epoch of Reionization and Ices Explorer 

(SPHEREx) mission for the 2016 Astrophysics 

MIDEX Announcement of Opportunity. SPHEREx 

will survey the sky in optical and near-infrared light, 

searching for organic molecules essential for life in 

stellar nurseries and the disks around stars where 

new planets could be forming. SPHEREx is targeted to launch in 2023.

The Astrophysics Division, part of the Science 

Mission Directorate, studies how the universe works 

and explores the origin and evolution of the galaxies, 

stars, and planets that make up the universe. It also 

searches for and studies planets around other stars and 

explores whether those planets could harbor life
Part 2—Strategic Goal 1 Discover

NASA’s FY 2021 Volume of Integrated Performance 34

Performance Goal 1.1.10: Demonstrate progress in advancing the understanding of how the chemical and physical processes in the solar system operate, 

interact, and evolve.

2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019

Green Green Green Green Green Green

FY 2019 Annual Performance Indicator

PS-19-1: As determined by the Planetary 

Science Advisory Committee (PAC), demonstrate planned progress in advancing the 

understanding of how the chemical and physical 

processes in the solar system operate, interact, 

and evolve.

Green

FY 2020–2021 Performance Plan

No performance goal after FY 2019. New performance goals for Strategic Objective 1.1 are on 

page 49.

FY 2019 Performance Progress

The Planetary Science Advisory Committee determined in September 2019 that NASA has remained 

on track toward achievement of this performance 

goal. Below are examples of scientific progress 

reported in FY 2019. 

After three years orbiting Jupiter, the Juno mission

confirmed minute but distinct changes in Jupiter’s 

internal magnetic field over time. It is the first 

observation of this phenomenon, called secular 

variation, outside of Earth. The variation is best 

explained by Jupiter’s deep atmospheric winds, 

which extend from the gas giant planet’s surface to 

over 1,860 miles deep, where the planet’s interior 

begins changing from gas to highly conductive 

liquid metal. Scientists believe that the winds shear 

the magnetic fields as they pull electrically conductive hydrogen around the planet. Improving the 

understanding of Jupiter has important implications 

for studying and anticipating changes in Earth’s 

magnetic field.

The latest analysis of data from the Lunar 

Atmosphere and Dust Environment Explorer 

(LADEE) revealed that meteoroid bombardments 

eject water from the Moon’s surface. These results 

indicate that meteoroid strikes likely contribute 

to polar ice deposits found in “cold traps” on the 

Moon, improving understanding of a critical lunar 

resource for future robotic and human exploration.

Since landing on Mars in 2012, the Curiosity rover

has consistently detected low levels of methane 

in the atmosphere at Gale Crater. The methane 

concentration varies seasonally and is occasionally 

punctuated by transient spikes. This year, Curiosity 

detected the largest spike to date, which peaked 

at 30 times above normal. The origin of transient 

methane on Mars is still unknown, but the science 

community is aware of both geological and biological processes that could potentially produce these 

spikes. Repeated observations of this phenomenon 

will continue to produce insight into Mars’ methane 

climate.

The Planetary Science Division, part of the 

Science Mission Directorate, studies and explores 

the solar system to better understand its history, composition, and the distribution of life within it. The division 

also identifies and characterizes objects in the solar 

system that pose threats to Earth or offer resources for 

human exploration

New findings from the LADEE mission show meteoroids excavate 50 to 200 tons of lunar water annually and that ejected water 

is partially lost into space and partially redeposited into lunar soil. 

In this artist’s concept, LADEE (shown on the left) observes trace 

amounts of water escaping the Moon’s surface during bombardment by micrometeoroids. Watch a video about these findings. 

Image credit: NASA/Conceptual Image Lab
Part 2—Strategic Goal 1 Discover

NASA’s FY 2021 Volume of Integrated Performance 35

Performance Goal 1.1.11: Demonstrate progress in exploring and observing 

the objects in the solar system to understand how they formed and evolve.

2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019

Green Green Green Green Green Green

FY 2019 Annual Performance Indicators

PS-19-2: As determined by the Planetary 

Science Advisory Committee (PAC), demonstrate planned progress in exploring and 

observing the objects in the solar system to 

understand how they formed and evolve.

Green

PS-19-3: Complete New Horizons’ first-ever flyby 

of a Kuiper Belt Object (2014MU69). Green

FY 2020–2021 Performance Plan

No performance goal after FY 2019. New performance goals for Strategic Objective 1.1 are on 

page 49.

FY 2019 Performance Progress

The Planetary Science Advisory Committee determined in September 2019 that NASA has remained 

on track toward achievement of this performance 

goal. Below are examples of scientific progress 

reported in FY 2019. 

The first ever “marsquakes” were detected 

by NASA’s Interior Exploration using Seismic 

Investigations, Geodesy and Heat Transport 

(InSIGHT) lander, marking the beginning of Martian 

seismology, and providing clues about the interior 

structure and formation of Mars. The events were 

similar in magnitude and duration to signals measured by seismometers on the Moon between 1969 

and 1977. This supports the hypothesis that Mars 

does not have tectonic plates and, instead, experiences seismic activity caused by a cooling and 

contracting crust. However, initial analysis suggests that marsquakes also share some similarity 

with earthquakes. Watch a video about this finding.

Analyses of data gathered during the Cassini 

spacecraft’s Ring Grazing Orbits and Grand Finale

revealed unprecedented detail in the structure of 

Saturn’s rings. Three distinct textures with clearly 

defined boundaries have been identified and, 

unusually, weak water-ice bands were detected 

in the outermost part of the A ring. These data will 

allow researchers to build more detailed models of 

Saturn’s ring evolution, which is closely related to 

planetary formation.

A sample of lunar regolith returned by Apollo 14 

was analyzed using new techniques for identifying impactor fragments. It was shown to contain a 

two-gram fragment of rock with a mineral composition that closely matched early Earth and would 

have been extremely rare on the Moon. The crystal 

structure revealed it likely formed over four billion 

years ago, identifying it as the first known sample 

from the Hadean period on Earth. Researchers 

expect to identify more Hadean Earth samples with 

this technique, which may provide insight into the 

evolutionary conditions of the Earth–Moon system.

The Planetary Science Division, part of the 

Science Mission Directorate, studies and explores 

the solar system to better understand its history, composition, and the distribution of life within it. The division 

also identifies and characterizes objects in the solar 

system that pose threats to Earth or offer resources for 

human exploration

After 20 years in space, the Cassini spacecraft 

(shown here in an artist’s concept during its final 

days) had a Grand Finale—22 dives between 

Saturn and its rings, followed by a final plunge into 

Saturn itself. Watch a video following Cassini’s 

long journey, from its 1997 launch through to the 

Grand Finale. Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
Part 2—Strategic Goal 1 Discover

NASA’s FY 2021 Volume of Integrated Performance 36

Performance Goal 1.1.12: Demonstrate progress in exploring and finding locations where life could have existed or could exist toda

2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019

Green Green Green Green Green Green

FY 2019 Annual Performance Indicator

PS-19-4: As determined by the Planetary 

Science Advisory Committee (PAC), demonstrate planned progress in exploring and finding 

locations where life could have existed or could 

exist today.

Green

FY 2020–2021 Performance Plan

No performance goal after FY 2019. New performance goals for Strategic Objective 1.1 are on 

page 49.

FY 2019 Performance Progress

The Planetary Science Advisory Committee determined in September 2019 that NASA has remained 

on track toward achievement of this performance 

goal. Below are examples of the scientific progress 

reported in FY 2019. 

A recent comparison of Martian mudstone geochemistry to basaltic terrestrial sediments from 

southwest Iceland and northwest Idaho, United 

States, provide new constraints for the temperature 

and aridity of ancient Gale Crater and thus new 

insight into the habitability of ancient Mars. Using 

data collected by the Curiosity rover at the Murray 

and Yellowknife Bay regions on Mars as compared 

to terrestrial samples, results indicate that during 

the formation of Yellowknife Bay, paleoclimate conditions could have been as cold as modern-day 

Antarctica, and as wet as Svalbard. The measurements of the Murray Formation samples suggest 

that during their formation, a warmer and wetter, 

Icelandic-like environment prevailed. It is possible 

that future observations by Curiosity will provide 

evidence for even more warm and wet climates in 

ancient Gale crater, and thus aid the search for 

signs of past and present life on Mars.

The simultaneous presence of oxygen and methane in an exoplanet’s atmosphere is an especially 

strong biosignature. New computer simulations 

show that the atmosphere of a planet orbiting a 

lower mass K-type star, also known as an orange 

dwarf star, can support an order of magnitude 

more methane in the presence of oxygen compared to a planet orbiting a G-type star (like the 

Sun), and that exoplanets orbiting K-type stars 

may offer a “biosignature advantage” in the search 

for life elsewhere in the universe. The identification 

of K-type stars as good targets for future biosignature searches is an important step in narrowing 

down the billions of potential targets for exoplanet 

observation. 

The Planetary Science Division, part of the 

Science Mission Directorate, studies and explores 

the solar system to better understand its history, composition, and the distribution of life within it. The division 

also identifies and characterizes objects in the solar 

system that pose threats to Earth or offer resources for 

human exploration
Part 2—Strategic Goal 1 Discover

NASA’s FY 2021 Volume of Integrated Performance 37

Performance Goal 1.1.13: Demonstrate progress in improving understanding of 

the origin and evolution of life on Earth to guide the search for life elsewhere.

2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019

Green Green Green Green Green Green

FY 2019 Annual Performance Indicator

PS-19-5: As determined by the Planetary 

Science Advisory Committee (PAC), demonstrate planned progress in improving understanding of the origin and evolution of life on 

Earth to guide the search for life elsewhere.

Green

FY 2020–2021 Performance Plan

No performance goal after FY 2019. New performance goals for Strategic Objective 1.1 are on 

page 49.

FY 2019 Performance Progress

The Planetary Science Advisory Committee determined in September 2019 that NASA has remained 

on track toward achieving this performance goal. 

Below are examples of the scientific progress 

reported in FY 2019. 

Drawing from lessons learned from previous extraterrestrial life detection efforts, as well as from our 

current understanding of the evolution of life on 

Earth, researchers developed the “Ladder of Life 

Detection” to guide future identification of indigenous life. The “rungs” of the Ladder represent the 

features of known life, sorted by their likelihood 

of indicating extant or historic life. This work is 

a starting point to provide a high-level, guiding 

framework for future research on the characteristics of life, what constitutes a biosignature, and the 

means to measure them.

A recent study proposes that prior to the development of photosynthesis, early life-forms on 

Earth may have been able to generate metabolic 

energy from sunlight using a purple-pigmented 

molecule called retinal. A number of pigments that 

absorb light contain the retinal molecule, including 

one called bacteriorhodopsin, which has been 

observed in early haloarchaeal life forms. The 

strong absorption peak of retinal is different from 

but complementary to that of the green chlorophyll pigment and may create unique spectral 

signatures on exoplanets that could be remotely 

detected by telescopes. Expanding the categories 

of surface signatures to include light-harvesting 

life that use pigments other than chlorophyll is an 

important step in life-detection efforts.

The Planetary Science Division, part of the 

Science Mission Directorate, studies and explores 

the solar system to better understand its history, composition, and the distribution of life within it. The division 

also identifies and characterizes objects in the solar 

system that pose threats to Earth or offer resources for 

human exploration
Part 2—Strategic Goal 1 Discover

NASA’s FY 2021 Volume of Integrated Performance 38

Performance Goal 1.1.14: Demonstrate progress in identifying and characterizing objects in the solar system that pose threats to Earth or offer resources fo

human exploration

2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019

Green Green Green Green Green Green

FY 2019 Annual Performance Indicators

PS-19-6: As determined by the Planetary 

Science Advisory Committee (PAC), demonstrate planned progress in identifying and characterizing objects in the solar system that pose 

threats to Earth or offer resources for human 

exploration.

Green

PS-19-12: Conduct research, involving both U.S. 

interagency and international cooperation and 

partnerships, into mitigation techniques and 

technologies to address the anticipated threat of 

small body impacts to life on Earth.

Green

PS-19-13: Identify and catalog a cumulative 

8,900 of the estimated 25,000 near-Earth asteroids (NEAs) 140 meters or larger.

Yellow

FY 2020–2021 Performance Plan

No performance goal after FY 2019. New performance goals for Strategic Objective 1.1 are on 

page 49.

FY 2019 Performance Progress

The Planetary Science Advisory Committee determined in September 2019 that NASA has remained 

on track toward achieving this performance goal. 

Below are examples of the scientific progress 

reported in FY 2019. 

Since October 1, 2018, asteroid search teams 

funded by NASA’s Near-Earth Object Observations 

Program found another six asteroids larger than 

one kilometer in size and 2,179 asteroids less than 

one kilometer in size. This brings the total known 

population of near-Earth asteroids to 20,944 as of 

September 30, 2019. 

The 2018-2019 Antarctic Search for Meteorites 

(ANSMET) field season recovered 865 meteorites, 

which are being classified by the Smithsonian 

Institution. More than a dozen of those found were 

achondrites, meteorites that have undergone 

melting and recrystallization to varying degrees 

within their parent bodies. This helps scientists to 

understand the thermal and collisional history of 

the asteroid belt, as well as the timing of formation 

of major planets in the solar system. A total of 471 

newly classified meteorites from Antarctica were 

announced in the spring and summer of 2019, 

and they have been made available to request for 

study.

The distinction between cometary and asteroid 

impact craters on Mars has been historically difficult to determine, but computational simulations 

and laboratory experiments by researchers have 

produced additional insight into this problem. 

The research showed that impacts from comets 

produce radial, thermal wind streaks due to their 

higher speed and volatile content and concluded 

that approximately one percent of the craters on 

Mars formed in the last two billion years are due to 

Long-Period cometary impacts. This finding was 

then extrapolated to the Earth–Moon system, and 

after including the Jupiter-family and Haley-type 

comets, the model predicted that a higher percentage than previously thought of all terrestrial 

impacts could be cometary. While more research 

is still needed, this study has important implications for understanding both the past impact 

environment of Mars and future impact hazards for 

Earth.

The Planetary Science Division, part of the 

Science Mission Directorate, studies and explores 

the solar system to better understand its history, composition, and the distribution of life within it. The division 

also identifies and characterizes objects in the solar 

system that pose threats to Earth or offer resources for 

human exploration
Part 2—Strategic Goal 1 Discover

NASA’s FY 2021 Volume of Integrated Performance 39

Performance Goal 1.1.15: Deliver the Mars 2020 instrument payload for 

spacecraft integration. (Agency Priority Goal

2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019

None before FY 2018 Green Green

FY 2019 Annual Performance Indicator

PS-19-7: Deliver Mars 2020 instrument payload 

to Assembly, Test, and Launch Operations 

(ATLO).

Green

FY 2020–2021 Performance Plan

No performance goal after FY 2019. New performance goals for Strategic Objective 1.1 are on 

page 49.

FY 2019 Performance Progress

NASA achieved both the FY 2019 milestone and 

the FY 2018–2019 agency priority goal for the 

Mars 2020 mission. The mission is on schedule to 

launch in summer 2020, sending a rover to Mars to 

search for habitable conditions and signs of past 

microbial life.

On July 1, 2019, the instrument payload flight 

models were delivered to the Jet Propulsion 

Laboratory in Pasadena, California. By the end 

of the fiscal year, all of the instruments had been 

integrated into the Mars 2020 rover and testing was completed. Instruments included the 

SuperCam camera, laser, and spectrometers; the 

Scanning Habitable Environments with Raman 

and Luminescence for Organics and Chemicals 

(SHERLOC) science instrument; the Planetary 

Instrument for X-ray Lithochemistry (PIXL); and a 

percussive drill and coring mechanism.

During the fiscal year, Mars 2020 also received 

other critical components. In June, engineers 

attached the remote sensing mast. The mast will 

provide a high perch for the several instruments, 

including SuperCam. The rover’s suspension and 

wheels (watch a video), as well as a seven-foot 

robotic arm (watch a video), also were added in 

June. In late August, the twin-rotor, solar-powered 

Mars Helicopter was attached to the belly of the 

rover.

The Planetary Science Division, part of the 

Science Mission Directorate, studies and explores 

the solar system to better understand its history, composition, and the distribution of life within it. The division 

also identifies and characterizes objects in the solar 

system that pose threats to Earth or offer resources for 

human exploration

Engineers at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory 

attach the bit carousel, which lies at the heart 

of the Mars 2020’s Sample Caching System, 

to the front end of the rover on August 5, 2019. 

The carousel contains the tools that the coring 

drill will use to sample the Martian surface and 

is the gateway through which the samples will 

enter the rover for assessment and processing. 

Photo credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
Part 2—Strategic Goal 1 Discover

NASA’s FY 2021 Volume of Integrated Performance 40

Performance Goal 1.1.16: By December 2021, launch at least two missions i

support of Planetary Science

2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019

Green Green Green Green Green Green

FY 2019 Annual Performance Indicators

PS-19-8: Complete Europa Clipper Key Decision 

Point (KDP)-C. Green

PS-19-9: Complete New Frontiers 4 down-select. Green

PS-19-10: Complete the Lucy mission Key 

Decision Point (KDP)-C. Green

PS-19-11: Complete the Psyche mission 

Preliminary Design Review (PDR). Green

PS-19-14: Complete the Double Asteroid 

Redirection Test (DART) Preliminary Design 

Review (PDR).

Green

PS-19-15: Conduct close-orbit global mapping for sample site identification and evaluation for the Origins, Spectral Interpretation, 

Resource Identification, and Security-Regolith 

Explorer (OSIRIS-REx) mission asteroid sample 

collection.

Green

FY 2020–2021 Performance Plan

No performance goal after FY 2019. New performance goals for Strategic Objective 1.1 are on 

page 49.

FY 2019 Performance Progress

NASA remained on track to achieve this performance goal by December 2021 by achieving six 

FY 2019 milestones and moving those missions 

closer to launch.

In October 2018, NASA completed the Key 

Decision Point-C review for the Lucy mission, 

which will be the first mission to fly by six of 

Jupiter’s Trojan asteroids. This major review establishes the baseline for the mission, including the 

design of the spacecraft, the science to be conducted, the schedule, and the estimated cost for 

building, testing, and operating the mission. The 

Europa Clipper mission, which will orbit Jupiter’s 

icy moon, Europa, passed its Key Decision Point-C 

reviews in July and August 2019.

In March 2019, NASA completed the Preliminary 

Design Review for the Psyche mission, which will 

orbit a unique metal asteroid known as 16 Psyche. 

The Preliminary Design Review assesses whether 

the preliminary design and plans meet all requirements for the mission with acceptable risk and 

within the planned cost and schedule. This was the 

last major review before Key Decision Point-C in 

May 2019, which the Psyche mission also successfully completed. In June, NASA completed the 

Critical Design Review for the DART mission, which 

will test technologies to prevent an asteroid from 

impacting Earth. This review demonstrates that the 

mission’s design is ready to proceed to fabrication, 

assembly, integration, and test. In June, NASA 

selected Dragonfly to be the next New Frontiers 

program mission. Dragonfly will use a multi-rotor 

vehicle to explore Saturn’s icy moon, Titan.

The Planetary Science Division, part of the 

Science Mission Directorate, studies and explores 

the solar system to better understand its history, composition, and the distribution of life within it. The division 

also identifies and characterizes objects in the solar 

system that pose threats to Earth or offer resources for 

human exploration

The OSIRIS-REx mission, shown here in an artist’s concept of 

the spacecraft entering orbit around asteroid Bennu, performed 

close-orbit global mapping of Bennu in 2019. During these orbits, 

the spacecraft gathered images and lidar data to help scientists 

model the shape and spin of the asteroid, to better understand 

particles being ejected from its surface, and to assess potential 

sample sites. With this data, the mission team was able to select 

primary and backup sample sites in December 2019. Image 

credit: U. of Arizona
Part 2—Strategic Goal 1 Discover

NASA’s FY 2021 Volume of Integrated Performance 41

Performance Goal 1.1.17: Demonstrate progress in advancing the understanding of changes in Earth’s radiation balance, air quality, and the ozone layer 

that result from changes in atmospheric composition

2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019

Green Green Green Green Green Green

FY 2019 Annual Performance Indicators

ES-19-1: As determined by the Earth Science 

Advisory Committee (ESAC), demonstrate 

planned progress in advancing the understanding of changes in Earth’s radiation balance, 

air quality, and the ozone layer that result from 

changes in atmospheric composition.

Green

FY 2020–2021 Performance Plan

No performance goal after FY 2019. New performance goals for Strategic Objective 1.1 are on 

page 49.

FY 2019 Performance Progress

The Earth Science Advisory Committee determined 

in November 2019 that NASA remained on track to 

achieve this performance goal. Below are examples of the progress reported in FY 2019.

A comprehensive analysis of carbon dioxide 

emissions in Boston and surrounding regions 

established the template for monitoring and measuring fossil fuel emission from large urbanized 

areas by combining extensive data from sensors 

on the ground, in aircraft, and from satellites with 

inverse modeling. It introduced new “big-data” 

approaches to determine actual emissions in an 

urban area, including spatial and temporal distributions. The analysis lays the groundwork for Orbiting 

Carbon Observatory (OCO)-3 measurements of 

urban emissions.

A recent report estimated the number of asthma 

emergency room visits and new onset asthma 

cases globally attributable to fine particulate matter, ozone, and nitrogen dioxide concentrations. 

Estimates of global 2015 surface nitrogen dioxide were derived from Aura satellite observations 

and the Goddard Space Flight Center’s chemical transport model. The authors estimated that 

between 9 and 23 million asthma emergency room 

visits globally in 2015 were attributable to ozone 

and between 5 and 10 million were attributable to 

particulate matter.

A study combined satellite-based emissions of 

sulfur dioxide for large sources with a bottom-up 

inventory derived from reported fossil fuel combustion for smaller sources to construct a new 

“merged” inventory. This new merged emission 

database can be used on its own to capture the 

spatial and temporal variations in sulfur dioxide 

emissions and to support climate and air quality 

modeling.

The Earth Science Division, part of NASA’s Science 

Mission Directorate, delivers the technology, expertise, and global observations that help researchers 

map the connections between Earth’s vital processes 

and the effects of ongoing natural and human-caused 

changes
Part 2—Strategic Goal 1 Discover

NASA’s FY 2021 Volume of Integrated Performance 42

Performance Goal 1.1.18: Demonstrate progress in improving the capability to 

predict weather and extreme weather events.

2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019

Green Green Green Green Green Green

FY 2019 Annual Performance Indicators

ES-19-2: As determined by the Earth Science 

Advisory Committee (ESAC), demonstrate 

planned progress in improving the capability to 

predict weather and extreme weather events.

Green

FY 2020–2021 Performance Plan

No performance goal after FY 2019. New performance goals for Strategic Objective 1.1 are on 

page 49.

FY 2019 Performance Progress

The Earth Science Advisory Committee determined 

in November 2019 that NASA remained on track to 

achieve this performance goal. Below are examples of the progress reported in FY 2019.

The international Global Precipitation Measurement 

(GPM) satellite mission, which completed five 

years on orbit in February 2019, has become the 

main source of precipitation data since the end 

of NASA’s Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission 

(TRMM) in 2015. Researchers evaluated the 

performance of six commonly used precipitation 

products, including the Integrated Multi-satellite 

Retrievals for GPM (IMERG) and TRMM products, 

in several heavy-rain-producing atmospheric river 

events in California in January and February 2017. 

They found that IMERG correlated best with rain 

gauge observations for both the detection and 

quantification of precipitation.

A recent study assessed the impact of assimilating 

GPM Microwave Imager (GMI) clear-sky radiance 

on the track and intensity forecasts of two Atlantic 

hurricanes during the 2015 and 2016 hurricane 

seasons using the Hurricane Weather Research 

and Forecasting (HWRF) model. Resulting data 

show that assimilating GMI clear-sky radiance, 

when it does not overlap with overpasses of other 

microwave sounders, can improve forecasts of 

both temperature, humidity, geopotential height, 

and wind field, which in turn lead to a more realistic 

hurricane inner-core structure and better forecasts 

of the hurricane path.

NASA’s Short-term Prediction Research and 

Transition (SPoRT) Center, which seeks to improve 

short-term regional weather forecasts by transitioning observations and capabilities to the operational 

weather community, has incorporated retrieved soil 

moisture observations from NASA’s Soil Moisture 

Active/Passive (SMAP) mission into an offline 

version of the NASA Land Information System 

(LIS). They continue to tune the model to improve 

impacts. The SPoRT team also began developing 

an Alaska-based scheme to understand soil moisture variability during the wildfire season to aid the 

Alaska Fire Service and their partners.

The Earth Science Division, part of NASA’s Science 

Mission Directorate, delivers the technology, expertise, and global observations that help researchers 

map the connections between Earth’s vital processes 

and the effects of ongoing natural and human-caused 

changes
Part 2—Strategic Goal 1 Discover

NASA’s FY 2021 Volume of Integrated Performance 43

Performance Goal 1.1.19: Demonstrate progress in detecting and predictin

changes in Earth’s ecosystems and biogeochemical cycles, including land cover, biodiversity, and the global carbon cycle.

2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019

Green Green Green Green Green Green

FY 2019 Annual Performance Indicators

ES-19-3: As determined by the Earth Science 

Advisory Committee (ESAC), demonstrate 

planned progress in detecting and predicting 

changes in Earth’s ecosystems and biogeochemical cycles, including land cover, biodiversity, and the global carbon cycle.

Green

FY 2020–2021 Performance Plan

No performance goal after FY 2019. New performance goals for Strategic Objective 1.1 are on 

page 49.

FY 2019 Performance Progress

The Earth Science Advisory Committee determined 

in November 2019 that NASA remained on track to 

achieve this performance goal. Below are examples of the progress reported in FY 2019.

Researchers used airborne lidar data to map forest 

aboveground biomass at high spatial resolution 

over Maryland, Pennsylvania, and Delaware (with 

a total area of 157,865 square kilometers) by 

linking airborne lidar and field data with machine 

learning algorithms. The lidar-derived biomass 

maps provided an estimate of total aboveground 

biomass (approximately 680 teragrams of carbon) 

over this region. These data were integrated into 

an ecological modeling framework to estimate 

the carbon sequestration potential (the ability to 

remove carbon from the atmosphere and store it) 

across the state of Maryland. They estimated the 

forest above-ground carbon sequestration potential of Maryland to be 204.1 teragrams of carbon, 

nearly double the current stock in the state. The 

time needed to reach this potential was estimated 

to be 228 years, with 50 percent of the gap being 

realized in 80 years. These results imply a large 

statewide potential for future carbon sequestration 

from afforestation and reforestation activities in 

Maryland.

Researchers used tree cover information from 

Landsat and the Moderate Resolution Imaging 

Spectroradiometer (MODIS), as well as topography from the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission 

(SRTM), to model the distribution and vulnerability of more than 19,000 species of amphibians, 

mammals, and birds across the globe. These 

relationships enabled prediction of future extinction 

risk using a range of land-use change scenarios 

derived from the Shared Socioeconomic Pathways 

and Representative Concentration Pathways 

scenarios to the year 2070. Substantial declines in 

suitable habitat were identified for species worldwide, with approximately 1,700 species expected 

to become imperiled due to land-use change 

alone.

The Earth Science Division, part of NASA’s Science 

Mission Directorate, delivers the technology, expertise, and global observations that help researchers 

map the connections between Earth’s vital processes 

and the effects of ongoing natural and human-caused 

changes
Part 2—Strategic Goal 1 Discover

NASA’s FY 2021 Volume of Integrated Performance 44

Performance Goal 1.1.20: Demonstrate progress in enabling better assessmen

and management of water quality and quantity to accurately predict how the 

global water cycle evolves in response to climate change.

2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019

Green Green Green Green Green Green

FY 2019 Annual Performance Indicators

ES-19-4: As determined by the Earth Science 

Advisory Committee (ESAC), demonstrate 

planned progress in enabling better assessment 

and management of water quality and quantity 

to accurately predict how the global water cycle 

evolves in response to climate change.

Green

FY 2020–2021 Performance Plan

No performance goal after FY 2019. New performance goals for Strategic Objective 1.1 are on 

page 49.

FY 2019 Performance Progress

The Earth Science Advisory Committee determined 

in November 2019 that NASA remained on track to 

achieve this performance goal. Below are examples of the progress reported in FY 2019.

Data from the Gravity Recovery and Climate 

Experiment (GRACE) mission has been unveiling 

Earth’s changing freshwater landscape, which has 

implications for food security. Global estimates of 

GRACE trends suggest increasing water storage 

in high and low latitudes, with decreased storage 

in mid-latitudes. Of the world’s 37 largest aquifer 

systems, 13 were found to be suffering critical 

depletion during the GRACE observational period, 

with many linked to anthropogenic activities. 

Additionally, the integration of GRACE total water 

storage data within a land-data assimilation system has enabled improvement in the accuracy of 

drought tools, such as the U.S. Drought Monitor. 

Convective clouds produce a significant proportion of the global precipitation and play an 

important role in the energy and water cycles. 

Using observational evidence from CloudSat

and Cloud-Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder 

Satellite Observation (CALIPSO) mission, researchers showed that aerosols can inhibit or invigorate 

convection, depending on aerosol type and concentration. On average, elevated smoke aerosol 

tends to suppress convection and results in lower 

cloud altitudes than clean clouds. In a light smoke 

environment, aerosols suppress deep convection, producing lower cloud altitudes. If there is 

a lot of smoke, shallow convection can be totally 

shut down, but subsequent deep convection can 

become even stronger due to the unconsumed 

convective available potential energy, or CAPE. 

The reverse is true for aerosols from human-made 

pollution, in which lightly polluted air invigorates 

convection and promotes higher cloud altitudes. 

Dust aerosol effects differ from place to place in 

South America, Central Africa, and Southeast Asia. 

The Earth Science Division, part of NASA’s Science 

Mission Directorate, delivers the technology, expertise, and global observations that help researchers 

map the connections between Earth’s vital processes 

and the effects of ongoing natural and human-caused 

changes
Part 2—Strategic Goal 1 Discover

NASA’s FY 2021 Volume of Integrated Performance 45

Performance Goal 1.1.21: Demonstrate progress in improving the ability to predict climate changes by better understanding the roles and interactions of the 

ocean, atmosphere, land, and ice in the climate system

2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019

Green Green Green Green Green Green

FY 2019 Annual Performance Indicators

ES-19-5: As determined by the Earth Science 

Advisory Committee (ESAC), demonstrate 

planned progress in improving the ability to predict climate changes by better understanding 

the roles and interactions of the ocean, atmosphere, land, and ice in the climate system.

Green

FY 2020–2021 Performance Plan

No performance goal after FY 2019. New performance goals for Strategic Objective 1.1 are on 

page 49.

FY 2019 Performance Progress

The Earth Science Advisory Committee determined 

in November 2019 that NASA remained on track to 

achieve this performance goal. Below are examples of the progress reported in FY 2019.

Scientists analyzed a “marine heatwave” between 

2013 and 2015 over the northeast Pacific Ocean, 

characterized by the highest surface temperatures 

ever recorded in a swath from near the Gulf of 

Alaska to off the coast of Baja California. Satellite 

data show that the heatwave was associated with 

a record decrease in the typically high cloudiness 

over an area of the Pacific off Baja California that 

is roughly half the size of the contiguous United 

States. Such a deficit in cloud cover coincided 

with a large increase in the amount of sunlight 

absorbed by the ocean surface, resulting in 

extremely warm temperatures. 

Researchers extended the Arctic sea ice thickness, volume, and multiyear ice records by 

comparing the pre-satellite submarine data from 

1958–1976 to the recent Cryosat-2 measurements 

from 2011–2018. The results show that sea ice 

thickness at the end of the melt season decreased 

by 66 percent over the six-decade period. 

Between 1999 and 2017, multiyear ice cover has 

decreased by 50 percent and now covers less 

than one third of the Arctic Ocean. Another study 

highlighted the dramatic reversal in Antarctic sea 

ice extent trends seen from 2014 to 2017. Previous 

to 2014, Antarctic sea ice extent had substantial 

interannual variability and overall small positive 

trend. From 2014 to 2017, Antarctic sea ice extent 

decreased to record low values and a minimum 

was reached in 2017. The rate of change during 

the four-year period exceeds the rate of change 

in any other four-year period from 1978 to 2018 in 

either the Arctic or the Southern Ocean.

The Earth Science Division, part of NASA’s Science 

Mission Directorate, delivers the technology, expertise, and global observations that help researchers 

map the connections between Earth’s vital processes 

and the effects of ongoing natural and human-caused 

changes
Part 2—Strategic Goal 1 Discover

NASA’s FY 2021 Volume of Integrated Performance 46

Performance Goal 1.1.22: Demonstrate progress in characterizing the dynamics of Earth’s surface and interior, improving the capability to assess an

respond to natural hazards and extreme events.

2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019

Green Green Green Green Green Green

FY 2019 Annual Performance Indicators

ES-19-6: As determined by the Earth Science 

Advisory Committee (ESAC), demonstrate 

planned progress in characterizing the dynamics of Earth’s surface and interior, improving 

the capability to assess and respond to natural 

hazards and extreme events.

Green

FY 2020–2021 Performance Plan

No performance goal after FY 2019. New performance goals for Strategic Objective 1.1 are on 

page 49.

FY 2019 Performance Progress

The Earth Science Advisory Committee determined 

in November 2019 that NASA remained on track to 

achieve this performance goal. Below are examples of the progress reported in FY 2019.

A study integrated satellite-detections of ground 

deformation, sulfur dioxide emissions, and thermal features, of which each contributed unique 

detections, validating a multi-sensor approach. 

The study found that most volcanic eruptions in the 

past few decades were measurable from satellites, 

and those not detected were associated with low 

volcano explosivity index eruptions and occurred 

in the earlier decades of remote sensing (pre2000) when detection thresholds were high.

Researchers used interferometric synthetic aperture radar, or InSAR (a radar technique used to 

map ground deformation) and a simple hydrological model to characterize eight years of stable 

sliding of the Mud Creek landslide in California 

prior to its rapid acceleration and catastrophic 

failure on May 20, 2017. Their results suggest a 

large increase in pore-fluid pressure (the pressure 

created by groundwater held in the tiny pores in 

rock or between particles of soil) occurred during 

a shift from historic drought to record rainfall that 

triggered a large increase in velocity and drove 

slip localization, overcoming the stabilizing mechanisms that had previously prevented landslides. 

Following the magnitude 8.1 Samoa–Tonga 

earthquake in September 2009, investigators 

used Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment 

(GRACE) mission and Global Positioning System 

(GPS) data to detect large‐scale gravity increases 

and ongoing subsidence (8–16 millimeters a 

year). The greatest post-seismic subsidence 

was observed for American Samoa, resulting in a 

relative sea level rise rate about five times faster 

than the global average sea level rise, which was 

3.4 millimeters per year.

The Earth Science Division, part of NASA’s Science 

Mission Directorate, delivers the technology, expertise, and global observations that help researchers 

map the connections between Earth’s vital processes 

and the effects of ongoing natural and human-caused 

changes
Part 2—Strategic Goal 1 Discover

NASA’s FY 2021 Volume of Integrated Performance 47

Performance Goal 1.1.23: Further the use of Earth system science research t

inform decisions and provide benefits to society.

2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019

Green Green Green Green Green Green

FY 2019 Annual Performance Indicators

ES-19-7: Advance at least 40 percent of Earth 

science applications projects one Applications 

Readiness Level.

Green

ES-19-8: Maintain a high level of customer satisfaction, as measured by exceeding the most 

recently available Federal Government average 

rating of the American Customer Satisfaction 

Index.

Green

FY 2020–2021 Performance Plan

No performance goal after FY 2019. New performance goals for Strategic Objective 1.1 are on 

page 49.

FY 2019 Performance Progress

NASA remained on track to achieve this performance goal. Advanced uses of NASA data made 

possible by Earth Science applications projects 

improved decisions, economic growth, and quality of life. Below are examples of the progress 

reported in FY 2019.

• RTI International and partners have assimilated Global Precipitation Measurement 

(GPM) mission and other satellite data 

to deploy and operationalize a forecast 

system, which provides improved water 

supply forecasts for the Colorado River 

basin for better decision-making. 

• Through NASA support of U.S. humanitarian interests, Kenya’s Crop Insurance 

Program used Landsat-based crop masks

to expand their coverage, enhancing 

economic resilience of affected farmers and reducing costs 70 percent. 

• The Sargassum Watch System uses data 

from Landsat and Moderate Resolution 

Imaging Spectroradiometer, or MODIS, to 

forecast Sargassum seaweed blooms, which 

can grow to form harmful mats hundreds of 

miles long, for the Caribbean. The investment 

industry is using Sargassum Watch System 

to forecast demand in hotels and flights. 

• The State of Missouri used flood products 

derived from MODIS, Landsat, and other 

satellites to survey the extent and crop damage caused by the 2019 Midwest floods. 

• The Federal Emergency Management Agency, 

the U.S. National Guard, South Carolina, 

and others used NASA data for situational 

awareness during Hurricane Dorian, and 

satellite-based damage and flood-proxy 

maps supported the deployment of rapid 

damage assessment teams in the Bahamas. 

• South Dakota’s Department of Health operationalized a previously-piloted, satellite-enhanced West Nile Virus model, which 

provides weekly forecasts at the county level 

and seasonal risk forecasts by assimilating 

data from MODIS and the North American 

Land Data Assimilation System. Watch a 

video on South Dakota’s use of NASA satellites to forecast the risk of West Nile.

NASA conducted 66 trainings on uses of its Earth 

observations, with over 17,000 instances of participation from over 150 countries and all 50 U.S. 

states. 

The Applied Science Program, part of NASA’s 

Science Mission Directorate, enables uses of 

NASA Earth science data in organizations’ policy, business, and management decisions
Part 2—Strategic Goal 1 Discover

NASA’s FY 2021 Volume of Integrated Performance 48

Performance Goal 1.1.24: By December 2021, launch three missions in suppor

of Earth Science

2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019

Green Green Yellow Yellow Green Green

FY 2019 Annual Performance Indicators

ES-19-9: Complete Surface Water and 

Ocean Topography (SWOT) Ka-band Radar 

Interferometer (KaRIn) Integration and Test (I&T) 

Readiness Review. 

Green

ES-19-10: Complete NASA-Indian Space 

Research Organisation (ISRO) Synthetic 

Aperture Radar (NISAR) Critical Design Review 

(CDR).

Green

ES-19-11: Complete Earth Venture Instrument 

(EVI)-5 evaluation panel. Green

ES-19-12: Complete Landsat 9 Thermal Infrared 

Sensor (TIRS)-2 instrument Pre-Ship Review 

(PSR).

Green

ES-19-13: Complete Sentinel-6 Pre-Ship Review 

(PSR)-A. Green

FY 2020–2021 Performance Plan

No performance goal after FY 2019. New performance goals for Strategic Objective 1.1 are on 

page 49.

FY 2019 Performance Progress

NASA remained on track to achieve this performance goal by completing all of the FY 2019 

annual performance indicators. 

The NISAR Critical Design Review was completed 

in October 2018. NISAR will study Earth’s complex 

movements—solid Earth, ice masses, and ecosystems—to address questions related to global 

environmental change.

In December 2018, the Integration and Test 

Readiness Review was completed for the KaRIn 

instrument payload for NASA’s SWOT spacecraft. 

SWOT will make the first global survey of Earth’s 

surface water, observe the oceans’ surface topographies, and measure how bodies of water change 

over time. The CDR for NISAR was completed in 

October 2018. 

In March 2019, the Pre-Ship Review was completed for instruments for Sentinel-6A, one of the 

two identical satellites being developed through a 

partnership between NASA, the European Agency, 

and the European Organisation for the Exploitation 

of Meteorological Satellites. The instruments were 

sent to Germany for integration into the satellite 

in August. Sentinel-6A is scheduled for launch 

in November 2020 and Sentinel-6B will launch 

approximately five years later.

The TIRS-2 instrument passed its Pre-Ship Review 

in August, and it was shipped from the Northrop 

Grumman facility in Arizona to NASA’s Goddard 

Space Flight Center in Maryland later in the month 

so it could be integrated in the Landsat 9 satellite. 

Landsat 9 is a continuation of the global land-surface observation satellites. 

NASA completed the EVI-5 evaluation panel in 

April 2019 by selecting the Geosynchronous 

Littoral Imaging and Monitoring Radiometer. 

The Earth Science Division, part of NASA’s Science 

Mission Directorate, delivers the technology, expertise, and global observations that help researchers 

map the connections between Earth’s vital processes 

and the effects of ongoing natural and human-caused 

changes

Engineers at the Goddard Space Flight Center prepare the 

TIRS-2 instrument for integration with Landsat 9 in August 2019. 

TIRS-2 will measure surface temperatures on Earth from the 

Landsat 9 satellite. Photo credit: NASA
Part 2—Strategic Goal 1 Discover

NASA’s FY 2021 Volume of Integrated Performance 49

FY 2020–2021 Performance Plan: New Performance Goals

1.1.1: Demonstrate progress in exploring an

advancing understanding of the physical processes 

and connections of the Sun, space, and planetary 

environments throughout the solar system.

NASA portfolio assessment guided by an annual external 

expert review determination of contributing programs, 

missions, and research

Fiscal Year 2020 2021

Target Significant progress 

demonstrated

Significant progress 

demonstrated

1.1.2: Demonstrate progress in exploring an

probing the origin, evolution, and destiny of the 

galaxies, stars, and planets that make up the 

universe.

NASA portfolio assessment guided by an annual external 

expert review determination of contributing programs, 

missions, and research

Fiscal Year 2020 2021

Target Significant progress 

demonstrated

Significant progress 

demonstrated

1.1.3: Demonstrate progress in exploring, observing, 

and understanding objects in the solar system in 

order to understand how they formed, operate, 

interact, and evolve.

NASA portfolio assessment guided by an annual external 

expert review determination of contributing programs, 

missions, and research

Fiscal Year 2020 2021

Target Significant progress 

demonstrated

Significant progress 

demonstrated

1.1.4: Demonstrate progress in discovering and 

studying planets around other stars

NASA portfolio assessment guided by an annual external 

expert review determination of contributing programs, 

missions, and research

Fiscal Year 2020 2021

Target Significant progress 

demonstrated

Significant progress 

demonstrated

Areas for external review panel determination in FY 2020

1. Annual external expert review determination of 

programs, missions, and published, peer-reviewed 

research contributing to Performance Goal 1.1.4.

Areas for external review panel determination in FY 2021

1. Annual external expert review determination of 

programs, missions, and published, peer-reviewed 

research contributing to Performance Goal 1.1.4.

2. Complete Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) 

mission success criteria.

1.1.5: Demonstrate progress in improving 

understanding of the origin and evolution of life 

on Earth to guide the search for life elsewhere, 

exploring and finding locations where life could 

have existed or could exist today, and exploring 

whether planets around other stars could harbor life

NASA portfolio assessment guided by an annual external 

expert review determination of contributing programs, 

missions, and research

Fiscal Year 2020 2021

Target Significant progress 

demonstrated

Significant progress 

demonstrated

1.1.6: Demonstrate progress in developing the 

capability to detect and knowledge to predict 

extreme conditions in space to protect life and 

society and to safeguard human and robotic 

explorers beyond Earth

NASA portfolio assessment guided by an annual external 

expert review determination of contributing programs, 

missions, and research

Fiscal Year 2020 2021

Target Significant progress 

demonstrated

Significant progress 

demonstrated

Areas for external review panel determination in FY 2020

1 Annual external expert review determination of 

programs, missions, and published, peer-reviewed 

research contributing to Performance Goal 1.1.6.

2 External expert review panel determination indicating 

whether expectations for research program have 

been fully met or exceeded in advancing scientific 

understanding of background solar wind, solar wind 

structures, and coronal mass ejections, which can be 

integrated into key models used to predict the arrival 

time and impact of space storms at Earth.

Areas for external review panel determination in FY 2021

1. Annual external expert review determination of 

programs, missions, and published, peer-reviewed 

research contributing to Performance Goal 1.1.6.
Part 2—Strategic Goal 1 Discover

NASA’s FY 2021 Volume of Integrated Performance 50

2. External expert review panel determination indicating 

whether expectations for research program have 

been fully met or exceeded in advancing scientific 

understanding of background solar wind, solar wind 

structures, and coronal mass ejections, which can be 

integrated into key models used to predict the arrival 

time and impact of space storms at Earth.

1.1.7: Demonstrate progress in identifying

characterizing, and predicting objects in the solar 

system that pose threats to Earth or offer resources 

for human exploration

NASA portfolio assessment guided by an annual external 

expert review determination of contributing programs, 

missions, and research

Fiscal Year 2020 2021

Target Significant progress 

demonstrated

Significant progress 

demonstrated

Areas contributing to performance goal in FY 2020

1. Annual external expert review of programs, missions, 

and published, peer-reviewed research contributing 

to Performance Goal 1.1.7.

2. Identify and catalogue 9500 near-Earth asteroids that 

are 140 meters in diameter or larger.

Areas contributing to performance goal in FY 2021

1. Annual external expert review of programs, missions, 

and published, peer-reviewed research contributing 

to Performance Goal 1.1.7.

2. Identify and catalogue near-Earth asteroids that are 

140 meters in diameter or larger.

1.1.8: Demonstrate progress in characterizing the 

behavior of the Earth system, including its various 

components and the naturally-occurring and humaninduced forcings that act upon it

NASA portfolio assessment guided by an annual external 

expert review determination of contributing programs, 

missions, and research

Fiscal Year 2020 2021

Target Significant progress 

demonstrated

Significant progress 

demonstrated

Areas contributing to performance goal in FY 2020

1. Annual external expert review of programs, missions, 

and published, peer-reviewed research contributing 

to Performance Goal 1.1.8.

2. Complete the mission success criteria for Ice, Cloud 

and land Elevation Satellite (ICESat)-2.

Areas contributing to performance goal in FY 2021

1. Annual external expert review of programs, missions, 

and published, peer-reviewed research contributing 

to Performance Goal 1.1.8.

2. Complete Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment 

Follow-On (GRACE-FO) mission success criteria.

1.1.9: Demonstrate progress in enhancin

understanding of the interacting processes that 

control the behavior of Earth system, and in utilizing 

the enhanced knowledge to improve predictive 

capability

NASA portfolio assessment guided by an annual external 

expert review determination of contributing programs, 

missions, and research

Fiscal Year 2020 2021

Target Significant progress 

demonstrated

Significant progress 

demonstrated

Areas for external review panel determination in FY 2020

1. Annual external expert review of programs, missions, 

and published, peer-reviewed research contributing 

to Performance Goal 1.1.9.

2. 40% of Earth science applications projects advance 

one Applications Readiness Level (ARL) with 3 projects advance to ARL 8 or 9.

3. Customer satisfaction rating for the Earth Observing 

System Data and Information System (EOSDIS) 

exceeds the most recently available Federal 

Government average rating of the American Customer 

Satisfaction Index.

Areas for external review panel determination in FY 2021

1. Annual external expert review of programs, missions, 

and published, peer-reviewed research contributing 

to Performance Goal 1.1.9.

2. 40% of Earth science applications projects advance 

one Applications Readiness Level (ARL) with 3 projects advance to ARL 8 or 9.

3. Customer satisfaction rating for the Earth Observing 

System Data and Information System (EOSDIS) 

exceeds the most recently available Federal 

Government average rating of the American Customer 

Satisfaction Index.

1.1.10: Achieve critical milestones of Science Mission 

Directorate major projects

Number of critical milestones completed

Fiscal Year 2020 2021

Target 12 12

List of major projects critical milestones FY 2020

1. Complete Interstellar Mapping and Acceleration 

Probe (IMAP) Key Decision Point (KDP)-B review.

2. Complete the 2016 Medium Explorer (SPHEREx) 

Announcement of Opportunity Key Decision Point 

(KDP)-C review.

3. Complete the Europa Clipper mission Critical Design 

Review (CDR).
Part 2—Strategic Goal 1 Discover

NASA’s FY 2021 Volume of Integrated Performance 51

4. Complete the Lucy mission Critical Design Review 

(CDR).

5. Launch the Mars 2020 mission.

6. Complete the Psyche mission Critical Design Review 

(CDR).

7. Complete the Double Asteroid Redirection Test 

(DART) mission Key Decision Point (KDP)-D review.

8. Award the second Commercial Lunar Payload 

Services (CLPS) mission task order.

9. Complete the Landsat 9 Key Decision Point (KDP)-D 

review.

10. Complete the Sentinel-6A satellite Flight Acceptance 

Review.

11. Complete the Surface Water and Ocean Topography 

(SWOT) System Integration Review (SIR).

12. Complete the NASA-Indian Space Research 

Organization (ISRO) Synthetic Aperture Radar 

(NISAR) System Integration Review (SIR).

List of major projects critical milestones FY 2021

1. Launch Sentinel-6A.

2. Launch Landsat 9.

3. Initiate Surface Water and Ocean Topography 

(SWOT) mission Observatory Integration and Testing 

(I&T).

4. Land the Mars 2020 rover in the Jezero Crater, com-

plete checkout, and begin surface operations.

5. Complete the Mars Sample Return mission Key 

Decision Point (KDP)-A.

6. Complete the Double Asteroid Redirection Test 

(DART) mission Pre-Ship Review (PSR).

7. Complete the Europa Clipper mission System 

Integration Review (SIR).

8. Complete the Psyche mission System Integration 

Review (SIR).

9. Complete the Lucy mission Pre-Environmental Review 

(PER).

10. Complete one Dragonfly mission instrument 

Preliminary Design Review (PDR).

11. Complete the Interstellar Mapping and Acceleration 

Probe (IMAP) Preliminary Design Review (PDR).

12. Complete the Spectro-Photometer for the History of 

the Universe, Epoch of Reionization and Ices Explorer 

(SPHEREx) Critical Design Review (CDR).
Part 2—Strategic Goal 1 

NASA’s FY 2021 Volume of Integrated Performance 52

Discover

The International Space Station (ISS), conceived and constructed 

to be a laboratory in space, provides opportunities to understand 

the role of gravity in physical and biological systems. As a research 

and technology development facility, the ISS provides the capability 

for human-tended, long-duration space-based research, which is 

critical to the research and development of technologies supporting Artemis and future deep space exploration. ISS research also 

supports investigations in human physiology and biotechnology. As 

NASA’s only current long-duration, crewed orbital testbed, the ISS is 

used by researchers to study the effects of long-duration exposure 

to the space environment on the crew and devise and test countermeasures to offset health risks. NASA’s strategy for prioritizing and 

enabling fundamental physical and biological systems research is 

guided by several studies released by the National Academies’ over 

the past two decades, including the 2011 decadal survey.

In spring 2019, NASA determined that it was showing noteworthy 

progress in its efforts to achieve this strategic objective. NASA had a 

clear strategy to build a research program that enables current and 

future space exploration, based on recommendations in the decadal 

survey. NASA selected four investigations to launch on Artemis 1

that will examine the biological consequences of exposure to the 

deep space environment. The results of these investigations will help 

define priorities for mid-decade space biology research on the Gateway and lunar surface. 

LEAD OFFICE

Human Exploration and Operations 

Mission Directorate (HEOMD)

GOAL LEADER

Altonell (Toni) Mumford, Deputy 

Associate Administrator for Policy and 

Plans, HEOMD

Budget

FY $M

Actual 2019 $405.0

Enacted 2020 $374.9

Requested 2021 $350.9

Outyear

2022 $342.9

2023 $330.9

2024 $331.0

2025 $336.1

Above: NASA astronaut Christina Koch uses the ISS Life Sciences Glovebox to conduct research for the Kidney Cells investigation, 

which is seeking innovative treatments for kidney stones, osteoporosis, and toxic chemical exposures, in May 2019. Photo credit: NASA

Strategic Objective 1.2: Understand the responses of 

physical and biological systems to spaceflight
Part 2—Strategic Goal 1 Discover

NASA’s FY 2021 Volume of Integrated Performance 53

NASA conducted a broad range of research in 

its Path to Risk Reduction agenda. This included 

delivering the Advanced Twin Lifting and Aerobic 

System Breadboard and by pursuing groundbased analog studies on behavioral health, team 

dynamics, and microgravity deconditioning. 

Recent research progress has established a 

ground-based model for Spaceflight Associated 

Neuro-ocular Syndrome, the chronic decrement in 

vision that has been observed in approximately a 

third of male astronauts. 

NASA began working on a collaboration with 

the U.S. Department of Agriculture to conduct 

agricultural research on food production in controlled environments in space and on Earth. NASA 

signed agreements with the Department of Health 

and Human Services and the Food and Drug 

Administration to enable ground-based research 

and exchange data that enable exploration. The 

Agency also signed an agreement with the Mayo 

Clinic to enable a flight experiment, and an agreement with the German Aerospace Center, DLR, 

is enabling cutting-edge cold atom research on 

the ISS. Agreements made with the Center for the 

Advancement of Science in Space (CASIS), which 

manages the ISS National Laboratory, and Roscosmos provided ISS crew time for physical and 

biological systems investigations.

FY 2019 Performance Summary for Strategic Objective 1.2

Performance Goal (PG) Annual Performance 

Indicators (APIs)

Summary of Performance for PGs and APIs Contributing to Strategic Objective 1.2, FY 2014–2019

Note: FY 2018 and FY 2019 contribute to Strategic Objective 1.2, as established by the NASA 2018 Strategic Plan. For FY 2014 through 

FY 2017, individual PGs and APIs were assigned to a strategic objective based on contributing work.
Part 2—Strategic Goal 1 Discover

NASA’s FY 2021 Volume of Integrated Performance 54

Performance Goal 1.2.1: Conduct basic and applied biological and physica

research to advance and sustain U.S. scientific expertise.

2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019

Green Yellow Red Yellow Green Red

FY 2019 Annual Performance Indicators

ISS-19-1: Through the Center for Advancement 

of Science in Space (CASIS) cooperative agreement, meet the goals identified in the annual 

performance plan to completely use the 50 percent National Laboratory allocation; and develop 

and execute the sponsored research.

Green

ISS-19-2: Conduct experiments across the range 

of space biology, including research on rodents, 

an investigation in cell biology, and an investigation on the microbiome of the International 

Space Station (ISS), to sustain progress in a 

balanced research portfolio.

Red

ISS-19-3: Complete the temperature-controlled 

series of investigations on self-assembling and 

self-organizaing particles in the Advanced 

Colloids Experiment (ACE) facility, hold successful Pre-Ship Reviews (PSRs) for the Solid 

Fuel Ignition and Extinction (SoFIE) facility and 

the Flow Boiling and Condensation Experiment 

instrument, and enter experiment operations with 

the Cold Atom Laboratory facility.

Red

ISS-19-4: Enable the production of 500 peer-reviewed publications from spaceflight and 

ground projects in human research, space biology, and physical sciences.

Green

FY 2020–2021 Performance Plan

No performance goal after FY 2019. A new performance goal for Strategic Objective 1.2 is on page 

55.

FY 2019 Performance Progress

NASA did not complete several scheduled ISS 

experiments as planned during FY 2019 due to 

numerous on-orbit hardware failures, resulting in a 

red rating for this performance goal.

NASA delayed rodent research flight investigations 

while assessing the impact of new housing standards released by the Institutional Animal Care and 

Use Committee. Other space biology experiments 

had schedule delays or had to be reflown due to 

hardware failures for the Advanced Plant Habitat 

(APH) and the commercial Multi-use Variable-g 

Platform (MVP). The crew repaired the APH and 

returned it to service before the end of FY 2019. 

Contractors continued to troubleshoot MVP into 

FY 2020.

The Light Microscopy Module in Fluids Integrated 

Rack (LMM/FIR), the Combustion Integrated Rack 

(CIR), and the Materials Science Research Rack 

(MSRR), which support physics research, also 

had hardware failures that affected the research 

schedule. The three facilities were returned to 

service within FY 2019. In addition, development 

delays moved the Pre-Ship Reviews for SoFIE and 

the Flow Boiling and Condensation Experiment into 

FY 2020. The Cold Atom Laboratory, which studies the fundamental laws of nature using ultracold 

atoms known as Bose-Einstein condensates, 

successfully completed its first phase of science 

operations.

During the fiscal year, NASA-supported investigators achieved its other targets for this performance 

goal, including producing 555 peer-reviewed publications on human research, space biology, and 

physical sciences.

NASA astronaut Jessica Meir works on components of the 

Combustion Integrated Rack aboard the ISS on October 24, 

2019. Photo credit: NASA

Space Life and Physical Sciences Research 

and Applications Division and the Human 

Research Program work with the International 

Space Station Division to develop experiments and 

conduct them aboard the ISS. They are part of NASA’s 

Human Exploration and Operations Mission 

Directorate
Part 2—Strategic Goal 1 Discover

NASA’s FY 2021 Volume of Integrated Performance 55

FY 2020–2021 Performance Plan: New Performance Goal

1.2.1: Advance scientific research with the potential 

to understand the responses of physical and biological systems to spaceflight

Number of peer reviewed published studies

Fiscal Year 2020 2021

Target 500 500
Tracy Parks, Recovery Operations Integrator for Underway Recovery Test-7, reviews recovery operations with team members in the well deck 

of the USS John P. Murtha on October 31, 2018. NASA’s Exploration Ground Systems and the U.S. Navy used a test version of the Orion crew 

module, several rigid hull inflatable boats, and support equipment during the test. This was one in a series of tests conducted to verify and validate procedures and hardware that will be used to recover Orion spacecraft after they splash down in the Pacific Ocean following deep space 

exploration missions. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett EXPLORE

STRATEGIC GOAL 2

Extend human presence deeper into 

space and to the Moon for sustainable 

long-term exploration and utilization
Part 2—Strategic Goal 2

NASA’s FY 2021 Volume of Integrated Performance 57

Explore

LEAD OFFICE

Human Exploration and Operations 

Mission Directorate (HEOMD)

GOAL LEADER

Altonell (Toni) Mumford, Deputy 

Associate Administrator for Policy and 

Plans, HEOMD

Budget

FY $M

Actual 2019 $1,218.4

Enacted 2020 $1,186.6

Requested 2021 $1,139.7

Outyear

2022 $1,148.9

2023 $1,111.2

2024 $1,087.7

2025 $1,087.9

Above: NASA Astronaut Andrew Morgan replaces older hydrogen-nickel batteries with newer, more powerful lithium-ion batteries on 

the ISS’s Port 6 truss segment on October 11, 2019. The batteries store and distribute power collected from the ISS’s basketball courtsized solar arrays directly behind and above Morgan. These kinds of upgrades ensure that the ISS has the power to support the crew, 

hardware, and experiments. Photo credit: NASA

NASA is enabling a space-based low Earth orbit economy by transitioning the International Space Station (ISS) operations and maintenance to commercial and international partners, while continuing to 

leverage ISS for research and technology development.

NASA is maximizing ISS utilization and throughput, using diverse 

commercial acquisition strategies, and offering customers research 

capacity in both space and Earth-similar laboratories. NASA is also 

working to develop a healthy commercial supplier base for low Earth 

orbit activities and addressing acquisition policy by looking for ways 

to eliminate barriers to commercialization. All aspects of crew health 

are managed as part of this strategic objective, as well, including 

implementation of a comprehensive health care program for astronauts and the prevention and mitigation of negative, long-term health 

consequences of space flight.

In spring 2019, NASA determined that there was noteworthy progress for this strategic objective. During the review period, NASA and 

its international and commercial partners kept the ISS supplied with 

new scientific investigations and cargo on time and as planned. The 

resupply missions allowed the crew to conduct an average number

of research hours per week that exceeded goals.

Strategic Objective 2.1: Lay the foundation for America 

to maintain a constant human presence in low Earth 

orbit enabled by a commercial market
Part 2—Strategic Goal 2 Explore

NASA’s FY 2021 Volume of Integrated Performance 58

As part of the strategy to transition ISS operations 

to private industry, NASA solicited input from 

industry and began developing a policy document on the commercial use of the ISS. NASA also 

entered into agreements with 12 industry partners 

to study the commercialization of low Earth orbit. 

These studies solicited industry’s commercialization concepts, business plans, and habitation concepts, whether using ISS or free flying, that would 

enable a commercial marketplace in low Earth orbit 

where NASA would be one of many customers.

FY 2019 Performance Summary for Strategic Objective 2.1

Performance Goals (PGs) Annual Performance 

Indicators (APIs)

Summary of Performance for PGs and APIs Contributing to Strategic Objective 2.1, FY 2014–2019

Note: FY 2018 and FY 2019 contribute to Strategic Objective 2.1, as established by the NASA 2018 Strategic Plan. For FY 2014 through 

FY 2017, individual PGs and APIs were assigned to a strategic objective based on contributing work.

Ratings for may not total 100 percent due to rounding.
Part 2—Strategic Goal 2 Explore

NASA’s FY 2021 Volume of Integrated Performance 59

Performance Goal 2.1.1: Increase the crew time for research and development 

beyond the three U.S. Orbital Segment crew baseli

2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019

Green Green Green Green Green Yellow

FY 2019 Annual Performance Indicators

ISS-19-5: In concert with international partners, 

maintain a continuous five- or six-crew capability on the International Space Station (ISS) by 

coordinating and managing resources, logistics, 

and operational procedures.

Yellow

ISS-19-6: Maintain the capability to perform at 

least 40 hours of research per week by coordinating and managing resources, logistics, and 

research and development procedures.

Green

FY 2020–2021 Performance Plan

No performance goal after FY 2019. New performance goals for Strategic Objective 2.1 are on 

page 62.

FY 2019 Performance Progress

NASA was slightly below target for this goal due 

to a Russian Soyuz launch (mission 56S) failure 

on October 11, 2018. The capsule was transporting the new U.S. and Russian crew members to 

the ISS. When a malfunction was detected two 

minutes after liftoff, the capsule jettisoned from 

the rocket and returned the crew safely to Earth. 

The ISS was staffed with three crew members, 

instead of its usual five or six crew members, for 

approximately two months while the anomaly was 

investigated. During this time, the ISS crew did 

not exceed the baseline of spending 35 hours per 

week on research and development, resulting in a 

yellow rating for this performance goal. The Soyuz 

returned to service on December 3 (mission 58S) 

and restored ISS crew rotation.

Human Space Flight Operations, part of NASA’s Human 

Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate, is 

responsible for flight crew planning, management, direction, 

and training
Part 2—Strategic Goal 2 Explore

NASA’s FY 2021 Volume of Integrated Performance 60

Performance Goal 2.1.2: Ensure vital assets are ready, available, and appropriately sized to conduct NASA’s Mission.

2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019

Green Green Green Green Green Green

FY 2019 Annual Performance Indicator

SFS-19-1: Ensure the astronaut corps meets 

all mission-related training requirements and 

mission-related health standards.

Green

FY 2020–2021 Performance Plan

No performance goal after FY 2019. New performance goals for Strategic Objective 2.1 are on 

page 62.

FY 2019 Performance Progress

NASA’s Astronaut Corps ensured that its pool of 

active astronauts were prepared for missions by 

completing all planned mission-related training in 

FY 2019.

Human Space Flight Operations, part of NASA’s Human 

Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate, is 

responsible for flight crew planning, management, direction, 

and training
Part 2—Strategic Goal 2 Explore

NASA’s FY 2021 Volume of Integrated Performance 61

Performance Goal 2.1.3: Facilitate the commercial development of low Earth 

orbit (LEO) to transition to a commercial LEO human spaceflight enterprise 

where NASA is one of many customers

2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019

None before FY 2018 Green Yellow

FY 2019 Annual Performance Indicators

ISS-19-8: Deliver the commercial airlock for 

launch integration on the International Space 

Station (ISS).

Yellow

ISS-19-10: Award one or more proposals for 

the commercial use of low Earth orbit (LEO) for 

ongoing human spaceflight activities.

Yellow

ISS-19-11: Sign agreements with at least 20 new 

National Laboratory customers during FY 2019. Green

ISS-19-12: Add at least two new in-orbit commercial International Space Station (ISS) facilities and/or facility managers during FY 2019.

Green

ISS-19-13: Sign agreements with at least 15 

repeat National Laboratory customers during 

FY 2019.

Green

FY 2020–2021 Performance Plan

No performance goal after FY 2019. New performance goals for Strategic Objective 2.1 are on 

page 62.

FY 2019 Performance Progress

NASA achieved three of its five annual performance indicators for this performance goal in 

FY 2019, resulting in a yellow rating for the performance goal. In June 2019, NASA released 

a report, NASA’s Plan for Commercial LEO 

Development, summarizing a five part plan of nearterm actions the Agency is pursuing to encourage 

the growing commercial space sector, with the 

long-term goal of being one of many customers 

in the low Earth orbit marketplace. NASA also 

achieved the first part of the plan in June by establishing commercial use and pricing policy for the 

ISS. (Read more about NASA’s June releases.)

During the fiscal year, NASA signed agreements 

with 34 new and 28 repeat ISS National Laboratory 

customers. The ISS National Laboratory, managed 

by the Center for Advancement of Science in 

Space (CASIS), enables commercial, academic, 

and non-NASA government users access to the 

research facilities on the ISS.

Delivery of the commercial airlock to NASA is 

planned for the third quarter of FY 2020, and NASA 

will launch the airlock to the ISS during the fourth 

quarter.

The International Space Station Division, part of 

NASA’s Human Exploration and Operations Mission 

Directorate, plans, develops, and manages the capabilities 

that support the expanding commercial use of the ISS

Former NASA Associate Administrator for the Human Exploration 

and Operations Directorate William Gerstenmaier (left), NASA 

Chief Financial Officer Jeff DeWit (center), and NASA ISS Deputy 

Director Robyn Gatens (right) announces the Agency’s five-part 

plan to open the ISS to expanded commercial and marketing 

activities and private astronaut missions, as well as to enable 

additional commercial destinations in low Earth orbit, on June 7, 

2019, at the Nasdaq MarketSite in New York City. Photo credit: 

NASA/Bill Ingalls
Part 2—Strategic Goal 2 Explore

NASA’s FY 2021 Volume of Integrated Performance 62

FY 2020–2021 Performance Plan: New Performance Goals

2.1.1: Initiate technology demonstrations on th

International Space Station to advance deep space 

exploration

Number of research and technology demonstrations 

conducted

Fiscal Year 2020 2021

Target 5 5

2.1.2: Enable a robust commercial low Earth orbi

economy in which transportation, habitation, and onorbit services are available for purchase by NASA 

and other customers. (Agency Priority Goal

Number of milestones met

Fiscal Year 2020 2021

Target 4 4

Development milestones for FY 2020

1. Make awards for the port solicitation – 

NextStep 2 Broad Agency Announcement 

(Appendix I).

2. Make awards for the free-flyer solicitation – 

NextStep 2 Broad Agency Announcement 

(Appendix K).

3. Initiate astronaut training for initial private astronaut mission under a reimbursable space act 

agreement.

4. Both commercial crew industry partners complete demonstration missions.

Development milestones for FY 2021

1. Execute an outreach and communication campaign to expand pipeline of new entrants into 

the LEO economy.

2. Complete Preliminary Design Review for at least 

one port solicitation awardee.

3. Complete Preliminary Design Review for at least 

one free-flyer solicitation awardee.

4. Commence regular commercial crew operations.
Part 2—Strategic Goal 2

NASA’s FY 2021 Volume of Integrated Performance 63

Explore

LEAD OFFICE

Human Exploration and Operations 

Mission Directorate (HEOMD)

GOAL LEADER

Altonell (Toni) Mumford, Deputy 

Associate Administrator for Policy and 

Plans, HEOMD

Budget

FY $M

Actual 2019 $5,044.8

Enacted 2020 $6,017.6

Requested 2021 $8,761.7

Outyear

2022 $10,299.7

2023 $11,605.1

2024 $10,887.7

2025 $8,962.2

Strategic Objective 2.2: Conduct human exploration in 

deep space, including to the surface of the Moon

Above: NASA successfully conducts the Ascent Abort-2 test on July 2, 2019. During the test, a booster sent a test version of Orion to 

around 31,000 feet at more than 1,000 mph. In the unlikely event of an emergency during launch, the Launch Abort System (LAS) is 

designed to get Orion and its crew safely away from the launch vehicle. Three motors on the LAS—the bumps halfway up the long spike 

on the top—successfully fired and pulled the test version of Orion clear of the booster. Orion will be qualified for human spaceflight on 

Artemis 2. Photo credit: NASA/Tony Gray and Kevin O'Connell

NASA has announced Artemis, with a goal to return American astronauts to the surface of the Moon. NASA will land the first woman and 

next man on the Moon by 2024, using innovative technologies to 

explore more of the lunar surface than ever before. This is a collaborative effort with commercial and international partners and establishes sustainable exploration. NASA will use what was learned on 

and around the Moon to take the next giant leap—sending astronauts to Mars. 

NASA is designing mission capabilities that will support multiple 

objectives in deep space and enable increasingly complex missions 

to a range of destinations. These capabilities will form a sustainable 

architecture comprised of exploration ground systems, a launch 

system, a deep-space human-rated module, a lunar gateway around

the Moon, lunar landers, and a new generation of spacesuits.

In spring 2019, NASA’s 2019 Strategic Review determined that, 

overall, this was a focus area for improvement. While NASA made

significant progress in developing future lunar and deep space systems, at the time of the review, the programs developing the Space 

Launch System (SLS), Orion, and Exploration Ground Systems (EGS) 

had challenges with cost and schedule. The agency priority goal 
Part 2—Strategic Goal 2 Explore

NASA’s FY 2021 Volume of Integrated Performance 64

associated with these programs (2.2.1) ended 

FY 2019 with a red rating.

Formulation activities began for Gateway and a 

human-rated lunar lander. NASA continued to use 

the International Space Station (ISS) as a testbed 

for technologies and systems critical for long-duration missions. By the end of FY 2019, NASA had 

achieved most of the planned milestones for the 

agency priority goal (2.2.3) and ended FY 2019 

with a green rating.

FY 2019 Performance Summary for Strategic Objective 2.2

Performance Goals (PGs) Annual Performance 

Indicators (APIs)

Summary of Performance for PGs and APIs Contributing to Strategic Objective 2.2, FY 2014–2019

Note: FY 2018 and FY 2019 contribute to Strategic Objective 2.2, as established by the NASA 2018 Strategic Plan. For FY 2014 through 

FY 2017, individual PGs and APIs were assigned to a strategic objective based on contributing work.

Ratings for a fiscal year may not total 100 percent due to rounding.
Part 2—Strategic Goal 2 Explore

NASA’s FY 2021 Volume of Integrated Performance 65

Performance Goal 2.2.1: Achieve critical milestones in development of new 

systems for the human exploration of deep space. (Agency Priority Goal

2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019

Green Green Green Green Yellow Red

FY 2019 Annual Performance Indicators

ESD-19-1: Perform the green run hot-fire test of 

the Space Launch System’s Core Stage at the 

Stennis Space Center.

Red

ESD-19-2: Conduct the Ascent Abort-2 test of 

the Orion Launch Abort System. Green

ESD-19-3: Roll the Mobile Launcher to the 

Vehicle Assembly Building to support the start of 

Exploration Mission-1 stacking operations.

Yellow

FY 2020–2021 Performance Plan

2.2.1: Advance America’s goal to land the first 

woman and the next man on the Moon by 2024 by 

demonstrating the necessary capabilities that advance lunar exploration. (Agency Priority Goal)

Number of milestones met

Fiscal Year 2020 2021

Target 4 4

Development milestones for FY 2020

1. Ship the Artemis I Orion spacecraft to Plum Brook 

Station for testing.

2. Integrated Human Landing System contract Awards. 

(NextSTEP-2, Appendix H)

3. Award Gateway Logistics Contract.

4. Perform Green Run.

Development milestones for FY 2021

1. Initiate Artemis II Crew Module Functional Testing.

2. Begin outfitting of the Artemis II Launch Vehicle Stage 

Adapter.

3. Complete Artemis I Core Stage mate to Boosters.

4. Launch Artemis I.

FY 2019 Performance Progress

NASA had schedule delays during FY 2019 that 

resulted in it not achieving this agency priority 

goal. The green run hot-fire test for the Space 

Launch System’s (SLS’s) core stage is now 

planned to be completed during the first quarter of 

FY 2021. First-time assembly challenges in constructing the engine section delayed completion 

of the core stage and shipment to NASA’s Stennis 

Space Center, where the test will be conducted.

On July 2, NASA successfully completed the 

Ascent Abort-2 test. The Launch Abort System’s 

three motors fired, propelling a test version of 

Orion away from a booster. The abort system is 

designed to pull the crew vehicle away from a 

speeding launch vehicle in the unlikely event of an 

emergency during ascent. (Watch a video of the 

test taken from mid-air.)

NASA was delayed in rolling the mobile launcher 

from Launch Complex 39 to the Vehicle Assembly 

Building. Throughout the fiscal year, NASA conducted verification and validation testing on the 

Mobile Launcher, and in June 2019, the mobile 

launcher took the 10-hour trip from the VAB to 

Launch Complex 39 for additional verification and 

validation. This testing took longer than expected, 

and in August, NASA had to move the Mobile 

Launcher back to the Vehicle Assembly Building 

(before testing was complete) to protect it from 

hurricane Dorian. As a result of these schedule 

impacts, NASA will not complete testing until the 

first quarter of FY 2020.

NASA’s Exploration Systems Development, part of the 

Human Exploration and Operations Mission 

Directorate, is comprised of the Space Launch System, Orion Spacecraft, and Exploration Ground 

Systems programs
Part 2—Strategic Goal 2 Explore

NASA’s FY 2021 Volume of Integrated Performance 66

Performance Goal 2.2.2: Demonstrate deep space habitat concepts using prototypes developed in partnership with Next Space Technologies for Exploratio

Partnerships (NextSTEP) Phase 2 industry partners

2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019

None before FY 2019 Green

FY 2019 Annual Performance Indicator

ERD-19-1: Complete ground testing of 

Next Space Technologies for Exploration 

Partnerships (NextSTEP) Phase 2 prototype 

habitat concepts to evaluate human factors, develop and verify interoperability standards and 

common interfaces for cis-lunar habitats with 

industry and international partner participation, 

and develop the final reference configuration for 

the acquisition phase.

Green

FY 2020–2021 Performance Plan

2.2.2: Commence lunar surface science investigations, technology, and exploration demonstrations to 

enable a sustainable lunar surface exploration strategy. (Agency Priority Goal

Number of critical milestones met

Fiscal Year 2020 2021

Target 4 4

Development milestones for FY 2020

1. Plan strategy for agency priority goal coordinated with 

the President’s Budget Release.

2. Complete onramp of additional Commercial Lunar 

Payload Services (CLPS) providers to enhance lunar 

delivery capability. 

3. Complete Autonomous Mobility Field Test.

4. Conduct Exploration Extravehicular Mobility Unit 

(xEMU) Systems Requirements Review.

Development milestones for FY 2021

1. Complete Precision Landing suborbital demonstration. 

2. Deliver selected NASA-sponsored instruments to the 

awarded CLPS providers for integration.

3. Complete Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration 

Rover (VIPER) Critical Design Review.

4. Prepare hardware for flight demonstration for lunar 

polar water mining technology.

FY 2019 Performance Progress

At the end of March 2019, NASA began ground 

testing of habitation prototypes developed 

by Bigelow Aerospace, Boeing, Lockheed 

Martin, Northrop Grumman, and Sierra Nevada 

Corporation. The tests were completed in 

September. 

During testing of each prototype, engineers analyzed systems for capabilities and performance. 

Human factors teams evaluated layout and ergonomics in order to optimize efficiency and performance, and astronaut team members provided 

their perspectives while simulating routine in-flight 

operations.

NASA is using the NextSTEP Habitation effort 

to rapidly develop and test prototype systems, 

demonstrate key capabilities, and validate operational concepts for the Gateway that will stay in 

orbit around the Moon. 

Advanced Exploration Systems, part of the 

Human Exploration and Operations Mission 

Directorate, integrates and tests new technologies for 

enable and advance human space exploration.

NASA astronaut Raja Chari climbs through a hatch of Lockheed 

Martin’s ground prototype habitat at Kennedy Space Center on 

March 25, 2019. Chari was one of the astronauts helping engineers refine requirements for the design of the deep-space 

Gateway. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett
Part 2—Strategic Goal 2 Explore

NASA’s FY 2021 Volume of Integrated Performance 67

Performance Goal 2.2.3: Use the International Space Station (ISS) as a testbed to demonstrate the critical systems necessary for long-duration missio

Between October 1, 2017, and September 30, 2019, NASA will initiate at least 

eight in-space demonstrations of technology critical to enable human exploration in deep space. (Agency Priority Goal

2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019

Green Yellow Green Green Green Green

FY 2019 Annual Performance Indicators

ERD-19-2: Deliver the Universal Waste 

Management System (UWMS) for flight on the 

International Space Station (ISS).

Red

ERD-19-3: Complete and deliver the Advanced 

Twin Lifting and Aerobic System (ATLAS) 

deep space exercise device for testing and 

validation; implement a human health and 

performance study with the National Science 

Foundation on the effects of remote location, 

extreme isolation, and confinement; and implement a bedrest study with the European Space 

Agency to assess the use of artificial gravity as 

a human physiology countermeasure.

Green

ISS-19-7: Initiate in-space demonstration of 

three new technologies for Environmental 

Control and Life Support or Environmental 

Monitoring, including the Spacecraft 

Atmosphere Monitor (SAM).

Green

FY 2020–2021 Performance Plan

No performance goal after FY 2019.

FY 2019 Performance Progress

NASA closed out this FY 2018–2019 agency 

priority goal with a green rating by initiating eight 

in-space demonstrations and completing most of 

the planned FY 2019 milestones. 

Completed In-Space Demonstrations

Aerosol Sampler Hybrid Electronic Radiation 

Assessor

Astrobee Refabricator

Combination Acoustic 

Monitor

Spacecraft Atmosphere 

Monitor

Charcoal HEPA Integration 

Particle Scrubber (CHIPS) 

filters for siloxane removal

Thermal Amine Scrubber

The Universal Waste Management System, a compact toilet designed to be used for multiple crewed 

vehicles and habitats, is scheduled to be delivered 

to the Kennedy Space Center in preparation for 

launch to ISS in January 2020. However, due to the 

late delivery of long-lead components and assembly issues, this schedule may slip. As a result, 

NASA rated ERD-19-2 red.

The ATLAS deep space exercise device was delivered to the Crew Health and Performance Systems 

Capability Leadership Team for testing and evaluation. The team also is evaluating the European 

Space Agency’s (ESA’s) European Enhanced 

Exploration Exercise Device (E4D). When evaluations are complete, the team will select one of 

the devices for demonstration aboard the ISS in 

FY 2020.

NASA is partnering with the German Space 

Agency (DLR) and ESA to evaluate using centrifuges as a countermeasure to negative effects 

induced by spaceflight. The partners conducted 

two bed rest campaigns with 12 participants each 

in head-down, tilt position for 60 days. To assess 

the effectiveness of artificial gravity, each campaign was divided into three groups: control not 

using a centrifuge; centrifuge for 30 minutes per 

day without stopping; and spin intermittently for 

a total of 30 minutes per day. The first campaign 

began in March 2019 and the second campaign 

began in late September.

Advanced Exploration Systems and the Human 

Research Program work with the International 

Space Station Division to demonstrate new technologies that will support long-duration missions aboard 

the ISS. They are part of NASA’s Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate
Part 2—Strategic Goal 2 Explore

NASA’s FY 2021 Volume of Integrated Performance 68

Performance Goal 2.2.5: Achieve milestones in the design and development of 

a Power and Propulsion Element in partnership with industry

2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019

None before FY 2018 Green Green

FY 2019 Annual Performance Indicator

ERD-19-4: In partnership with industry, conduct 

one or more Preliminary Design Reviews for the 

Power and Propulsion Element.

Green

FY 2020–2021 Performance Plan

No performance goal after FY 2019.

FY 2019 Performance Progress

On May 23, 2019, NASA achieved this performance goal, and took one of the first steps in 

the Agency’s Artemis lunar exploration plans, by 

announcing the selection of Maxar Technologies

to develop and demonstrate power, propulsion, 

and communications for NASA’s Gateway. For 

this award, Maxar Technologies will design a 

solar electric propulsion spacecraft to maintain 

the Gateway’s position and to shift it between 

lunar orbits as needed. The first activity after the 

contract was signed was to conduct a Systems 

Requirements Review (SRR), which was held in 

September.

The Gateway program, part of the Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate, is 

managing development of a power and propulsion element through a partnership with U.S. indust
DEVELOP

Nearly 100 teams took part in the 2019 Human Exploration Rover Challenge, held April 12-13, 2019, at the U.S. Space and Rocket Center in 

Huntsville, Alabama. The 25th annual competition, hosted by Marshall Space Flight Center’s Office of STEM [science, technology, engineering, 

and mathematics] Engagement, challenged high school and college teams to design and build human-powered roving vehicles that they then 

competed on a three-quarter-mile course that traversed terrains similar to the ones astronauts will explore one day. In addition, team members 

had to complete tasks, such as sample collection and instrument deployment. This year’s competition also offered a Technology Challenge Award, 

which tasked teams to construct their own wheels (with the exception of the hub) rather than purchase them commercially. Photo credit: NASA

STRATEGIC GOAL 3

Address national challenges and 

catalyze economic growth
Part 2—Strategic Goal 3

NASA’s FY 2021 Volume of Integrated Performance 70

Develop

NASA develops transformative space technologies to enable future 

missions. Collaboration is key to NASA’s strategy in technology 

development. As NASA embarks on its next era of exploration, it

engages and inspires thousands of entrepreneurs, researchers and 

innovators, creating a community of America’s best and brightest 

working on the Nation’s toughest challenges. The Agency actively 

engages with universities, U.S. businesses, and in-house scientists 

and engineers at NASA centers and other Federal agencies. NASA’s 

technology portfolio spans varied disciplines and readiness levels, 

guided by external committees and advisory groups. 

NASA’s 2019 Strategic Review determined that progress on this strategic objective remained satisfactory. NASA continued to develop 

and transfer technologies, with a greater focus on supporting 

lunar landing goals. Some of the key accomplishments highlighted 

included the following:

• The Optical Communication and Sensor Demonstration 

(OCSD) satellite completed the first space-toground optical communications in August 2018.

• NASA announced partnerships with U.S. companies 

on new lunar-focused “tipping point” technologies.

LEAD OFFICE

Space Technology Mission Directorate 

(STMD) 

GOAL LEADER

Prasun Desai, Deputy Associate 

Administrator for Management, STMD

Budget

FY $M

Actual 2019 $926.9

Enacted 2020 $1,100.0

Requested 2021 $1,578.3

Outyear

2022 $1,765.4

2023 $1,906.2

2024 $1,954.2

2025 $2,038.2

Above: NASA began pack and deployment testing for the Low Earth Orbit Flight Test of an Inflatable Decelerator, or LOFTID (shown 

here fully inflated as it would be when deployed), in June 2019 with a load test to verify that the heat shield will perform as expected in 

flight under real-life conditions. LOFTID is a Technology Demonstration project funded by the Space Technology Mission Directorate. 

Photo credit: NASA

Strategic Objective 3.1: Develop and transfer 

revolutionary technologies to enable exploration 

capabilities for NASA and the Nation
Part 2—Strategic Goal 3 Develop

NASA’s FY 2021 Volume of Integrated Performance 71

• The Terrain Relative Navigation (TRN) and 

the Mars Oxygen In-Situ Resource Utilization 

Experiment (MOXIE) were delivered for 

installation on Mars 2020 in the first and 

second quarter of FY 2019, respectively.

• A CubeSat called Mars Cube One, or MarCO, 

used NASA’s Integrated Solar Array and 

Reflectarray Antenna (ISARA) to communicate 

with the Interior Exploration using Seismic 

Investigations, Geodesy and Heat Transport 

(InSight) mission as it landed on Mars.

NASA has major technology demonstrations 

planned for the upcoming years. These include 

cryogenic fluids management, laser communications, and propulsion. NASA has strategies for 

maturing in-situ resource utilization technologies 

(such as converting lunar regolith to oxygen) 

on the ground and on precursor lunar landers. 

Additionally, NASA has begun pre-formulation 

activities to enable critical lunar demonstrations in 

the areas of advanced life support, surface power, 

and precision landing. 

FY 2019 Performance Summary for Strategic Objective 3.1

Performance Goals (PGs) Annual Performance 

Indicators (APIs)

Summary of Performance for PGs and APIs Contributing to Strategic Objective 3.1, FY 2014–2019

Note: FY 2018 and FY 2019 contribute to Strategic Objective 3.1, as established by the NASA 2018 Strategic Plan. For FY 2014 through 

FY 2017, individual PGs and APIs were assigned to a strategic objective based on contributing work.

Ratings may not total 100 percent due to rounding.
Part 2—Strategic Goal 3 Develop

NASA’s FY 2021 Volume of Integrated Performance 72

Performance Goal 3.1.1: Explore and advance promising early stage solutions 

to space technology challenges through investment across the U.S. innovation 

community

2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019

Green Green Green Green Green Green

FY 2019 Annual Performance Indicators

ET-19-1: Invest in at least 185 promising new 

early stage technologies and concepts, with 

potential for transformative impact.

Green

FY 2020–2021 Performance Plan

3.1.1: Encourage creative and innovative solutions 

to space technology challenges by investing in 

early stage technologies and concepts from U.

innovators.

Number of new early stage technologies and concepts 

invested in

Fiscal Year 2020 2021

Target 210 210

FY 2019 Performance Progress

NASA has achieved this multi-year performance 

goal by investing in 229 new early stage technologies and concepts, exceeding the target of 185. 

These investments ensure a healthy base of promising early stage solutions for further future development by other programs and organizations. 

NASA selected 65 NASA Space Technology 

Research Fellowships, 14 Early Stage Innovations 

awards, 2 Space Technology Research Institutes 

projects, and 1 project through the National 

Robotics Initiative. The Agency also encouraged 

creativity and innovation within NASA centers by 

supporting emerging technologies and creative 

initiatives, selecting 127 Center Innovation Fund 

projects.

NASA selected 20 new concept studies for the 

NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts (NIAC) program, including 12 Phase I projects and 6 Phase II 

projects. For the first time this year, NASA selected 

two Phase III projects, which will transition the most 

promising NIAC concepts to other NASA programs, other government agencies, or commercial 

partners. 

NASA’s Space Technology Mission Directorate 

nurtures innovative and high-risk/high-payoff technologies and concepts, including early stage ideas, that 

could transform future NASA missions, as well as the 

aerospace industry

NASA’s Space Technology Research Institute for Ultra-Strong 

Composites by Computational Design, one of two Space 

Technology Research Institutes selected in FY 2019 to support 

work on smart habitat systems, is responsible for scaling-up the 

fabrication of ultra-strong composite materials. Photo credit: 

NASA/US-COMP
Part 2—Strategic Goal 3 Develop

NASA’s FY 2021 Volume of Integrated Performance 73

Performance Goal 3.1.2: Mature technologies that offer significant improvement to existing solutions or enable space exploration capabilities

2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019

Green Green Green Yellow Green Green

FY 2019 Annual Performance Indicators

ET-19-2: Mature state of the art technologies by 

completing at least 70 percent of Technology 

Maturation program milestones.

Green

FY 2020–2021 Performance Plan

3.1.2: Mature technology projects that offer significant improvement to existing solutions or enable ne

space exploration capabilities

Percentage of key performance parameters completed 

for Technology Maturation projects

Fiscal Year 2020 2021

Target 60% 60%

FY 2019 Performance Progress

NASA has achieved this multi-year performance 

goal by completing 74 percent of its milestones 

(36 out of the total 49 milestones), exceeding the 

targeted 70 percent. These milestones advance 

space technologies that may lead to entirely new 

approaches for the Agency’s future space missions and provide solutions to significant national 

needs. 

Significant milestones from FY 2019 include 

an on-demand microbial nutrient production 

experiment launched to the International Space 

Station (ISS) for demonstration; commissioning 

of Astrobee, a free flying autonomous robot; and 

high-speed rocket sled test verifying the performance of Navigation Doppler Lidar, which uses 

lasers to provide precise measurements of speed, 

altitude, and direction. (Watch a video about the 

test.)

NASA’s Game Changing Development program, part of the Space Technology Mission 

Directorate, guides innovative, high-impact technologies and capabilities from proof of concept through 

component or breadboard testing in a relevant environment

On June 14, 2019, Bumble (the cube to the right of astronaut 

David Saint-Jacques, of the Canadian Space Agency, and the 

laptop) became the first of NASA’s Astrobee robots to fly under 

its own power in space. Astrobee robots, which can move in any 

direction and rotate on an axis, will help the astronauts test new 

technologies and perform routine work aboard the ISS. Photo 

credit: NASA.
Part 2—Strategic Goal 3 Develop

NASA’s FY 2021 Volume of Integrated Performance 74

Performance Goal 3.1.3: Demonstrate new technologies and capabilities fo

space exploration

2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019

Green Green Green Green Green Green

FY 2019 Annual Performance Indicators

ET-19-3: Advance development, demonstration, 

and mission implementation of new exploration 

technologies by reaching a key milestone in at 

least six small spacecraft projects.

Green

ET-19-4: Advance Technology Demonstration 

capabilities by completing at least six key decision points towards technology demonstration.

Green

FY 2020–2021 Performance Plan

3.1.3: Demonstrate new technology and capabilitie

for space exploration

Critical milestones achieved for two programs supporting 

the performance goal

Fiscal Year 2020 2021

Target

6 milestones for 

each of two contributing programs

6 milestones for 

each of two contributing programs

Critical milestones for FY 2020

1. Achieve 6 key milestones for the Small Spacecraft 

program.

2. Achieve 6 key milestones for the Technology 

Demonstration program.

Critical milestones for FY 2021

1. Achieve 6 key milestones for the Small Spacecraft 

program.

2. Achieve 6 key milestones for the Technology 

Demonstration program.

FY 2019 Performance Progress

NASA achieved this multi-year performance goal, 

completing all 14 of the targeted milestones and 

key decision points, and continues to foster and 

mature new crosscutting space technology capabilities for demonstration. These milestones and 

key decision points focus on technologies with 

strong customer interest that meet the needs of 

NASA and industry by enabling new missions or 

greatly enhancing existing ones.

NASA made significant achievements, including 

the launch of the CubeSat Handling Of Multisystem 

Precision Time Transfer (CHOMPTT) partnership 

mission with the University of Florida; the orbit optical crosslink test between CubeSats on the Optical 

Communications and Sensor Demonstration 

(OCSD) mission and the CubeSat Multispectral 

Observation System (CUMULOS) payload from 

Aerospace Corporation; reaching major milestones for the Starling distributed spacecraft, 

the Pathfinder Technology Demonstrator (PTD)-1 

mission with Tyvak; and successful completion of 

the HYDROS-C Tipping Point public–private partnership with Tethers Unlimited transitioning to the 

PTD-1 mission. 

NASA also completed key decision points for 

Low Earth Orbit-based Flight Test demonstration 

of Inflatable Decelerator (LOFTID), Restore-L 

Spacecraft, Green Propellant Infusion Mission 

(GPIM), Deep Space Atomic Clock (DSAC), Deep 

Space Optical Communications (DSOC), and Solar 

Electric Propulsion (SEP). GPIM and DSAC were 

both launched aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket in 

June. GPIM will test a new propulsion system that 

runs on a high-performance and non-toxic spacecraft fuel. DSAC was successfully activated and 

is ready to begin its year-long tech demo. NASA’s 

DSAC is a critical step toward enabling spacecraft 

to safely navigate themselves in deep space rather 

than rely on the time-consuming process of receiving directions from Earth.

The Small Spacecraft Technology Program and 

Technology Demonstration Missions are part of 

the Space Technology Mission Directorate. The

Small Spacecraft Technology Program develops and 

demonstrates new small spacecraft technologies and 

capabilities for NASA’s missions in science, exploration, and space operations. Technology Demonstration

Missions bridge the gap between laboratory-proven 

and final infusion by providing ground- and flight testing for promising technologies
Part 2—Strategic Goal 3 Develop

NASA’s FY 2021 Volume of Integrated Performance 75

Performance Goal 3.1.4: Engage the established commercial sector, emergin

aerospace markets, and economic regions to leverage common interests and 

grow the national economy

2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019

Green Green Green Green Green Green

FY 2019 Annual Performance Indicators

ET-19-5: Conduct at least four prize competitions to encourage innovation and address technology challenges through engaging non-traditional NASA partners.

Green

ET-19-6: Create 10 opportunities for advancement of SBIR/STTR technologies beyond Phase 

II, leveraging non-SBIR/STTR NASA investment 

or external investment.

Green

ET-19-7: Competitively select at least 14 payloads from NASA centers, other government 

agencies, industry, or academia for flight on 

commercial flight vehicles to achieve Agency 

priorities.

Green

FY 2020–2021 Performance Plan

3.1.4: Spur technology development through engagement with the commercial sector and the general public

Critical activities completed for three programs supporting the performance goal

Fiscal Year 2020 2021

Target 3 3

Critical activities for FY 2020

1. Conduct 42 NASA challenges, prize competitions, 

and crowdsourcing activities.

2. Advance 45 Small Business Innovative Research/

Small Business Technology Transfer (SBIR/STTR) 

technologies beyond Phase II.

3. Manifest 16 payloads on commercial suborbital flights 

for testing.

Critical activities for FY 2021

1. Conduct 42 NASA challenges, prize competitions, 

and crowdsourcing activities.

2. Advance 45 Small Business Innovative Research/

Small Business Technology Transfer (SBIR/STTR) 

technologies beyond Phase II.

3. Manifest 16 payloads on commercial suborbital flights 

for testing.

FY 2019 Performance Progress

NASA achieved this multi-year performance goal 

by exceeding its target for conducting prize competitions, exceeding its target for engagements 

with small businesses and research institutions, 

and selecting the targeted number of flight opportunity payloads. 

NASA conducted several prize challenges in 

FY 2019, including the 3D-printed Hab Challenge

Phase III, CO2 Conversion Challenge Phase I, 

Space Robotics Phase II (In Formulation), Vascular 

Tissue Challenge, CubeQuest Challenge, and the 

Earth and Space Air Prize. NASA also provided 

opportunities for small, highly innovative companies and research institutions through the SBIR/

STTR program. NASA created 55 post-Phase II 

opportunities, compared to the targeted 10 opportunities, including 44 Phase II-E/X and 11 Civilian 

Commercialization Readiness Pilot Program 

opportunities. NASA also competitively selected 25 

payloads, compared to the targeted 14 payloads, 

from industry and academia for flight on commercial flight vehicles to achieve agency priorities.

NASA’s Space Technology Mission Directorate 

(STMD) offers prizes for meeting key technology challenges, while reaching out to non-traditional NASA 

partners. STMD also provides an opportunity for small 

businesses and research institutions to participate in 

government-sponsored research and development 

efforts in key technology areas
Part 2—Strategic Goal 3

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NASA is advancing U.S. global leadership in aviation through application of new concepts and technologies pioneered by NASA and 

developed in partnership with U.S. industry that lead to transformative improvements in mobility, efficiency, and safety.

NASA focuses its high-risk, high-reward aviation research and technology in six challenge themes: safe and efficient growth in global 

operations; innovation in commercial supersonic aircraft; ultra-efficient commercial vehicles; transition to alternative propulsion and 

energy; real-time system-wide safety assurance; and assured autonomy for aviation transformation. In understanding fundamentals and 

delivering solutions, the Agency applies a strategy of convergent 

research, integrating multi-disciplinary work across the six challenge themes. NASA leverages its in-house aeronautics expertise

with partners in other agencies, industry, and academia to support 

innovative concepts and technologies, and with international counterparts to leverage complementary investments.

NASA’s 2019 Strategic Review determined that progress for the 

strategic objective remained satisfactory. NASA remained on schedule to complete major projects. The Low Boom Flight Demonstration 

project completed major reviews and continued manufacturing. The 

final piece of research for the Air Traffic Management Technology 

Demonstration (ATD)-1 was transferred to the Federal Aviation 

LEAD OFFICE

Aeronautics Research Mission 

Directorate (ARMD)

GOAL LEADER

Robert Pearce, Associate Administrator, 

ARMD

Budget

FY $M

Actual 2019 $724.8

Enacted 2020 $783.9

Requested 2021 $819.0

Outyear

2022 $820.7

2023 $820.7

2024 $820.7

2025 $820.7

Strategic Objective 3.2: Transform aviation through 

revolutionary technology research, development, and 

transfer

Above: A NASA engineer conducts dynamic testing on an eight-percent scale model of the X-59 Quiet SuperSonic Technology, or 

QueSST, aircraft at Langley Research Center’s 12-Foot Low Speed Wind Tunnel in October 2018. The QueSST is shaped to reduce the 

noise associated with sonic booms. Photo credit: NASA
Part 2—Strategic Goal 3 

NASA’s FY 2021 Volume of Integrated Performance 77

Develop

Administration and ATD-2 was on track for completion and final delivery. NASA continues to successfully pursue its work in support of urban air mobility 

and on-demand mobility vehicles. 

The Agency is well positioned for continued pursuit 

of its long-term aeronautics goals, including those 

related to reducing noise on flight approaches 

and landings, providing tools and solutions for 

real-time decision making, improving flight safety, 

and enabling more environmentally-friendly flight 

systems. 

FY 2019 Performance Summary for Strategic Objective 3.2

Performance Goals (PGs) Annual Performance 

Indicators (APIs)

Summary of Performance for PGs and APIs Contributing to Strategic Objective 3.2, FY 2014–2019

Note: FY 2018 and FY 2019 contribute to Strategic Objective 3.2, as established by the NASA 2018 Strategic Plan. For FY 2014 through 

FY 2017, individual PGs and APIs were assigned to a strategic objective based on contributing work.

Ratings may not total 100 percent due to rounding.
Part 2—Strategic Goal 3 

NASA’s FY 2021 Volume of Integrated Performance 78

Develop

Performance Goal 3.2.1: Develop solutions that will advance decision-making 

ability for improving air traffic management to accommodate future growth in 

air travel, and for increasing aviation safety under hazardous conditions.

2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019

Green Green Green Green Green Green

FY 2019 Annual Performance Indicators

AR-19-1: Assess and document capacity of 

future air traffic services that increase Urban 

Air Mobility (UAM) capacity over current-day 

operations.

Green

AR-19-6: Conduct Shadow Mode assessment 

of Integrated Arrival/Departure/Surface (IADS) 

metroplex departure metering prototypes.

Green

FY 2020–2021 Performance Plan

3.2.1: Develop solutions that will advance decision-making ability for improving air traffic management to accommodate future growth in air travel, 

and for increasing aviation safety under hazardous 

conditions

Development milestone(s) completed

Fiscal Year 2020 2021

Target 2 1

Development milestones for FY 2020

1. Evaluate a service-oriented architecture, intended to 

improve safety and efficiency, for traditional operations in a relevant airspace.

2. Conduct an operational assessment of the Integrated 

Arrival/Departure/Surface (IADS) metroplex departure 

management prototype.

Development milestone for FY 2021

1. Develop an initial Urban Air Mobility airspace management system.

FY 2019 Performance Progress

NASA achieved this performance goal for FY 2019 

by conducting evaluations for UAM airspace management and for air traffic management capabilities.

NASA is studying what is needed to incorporate 

new UAM, from package delivery drones to passenger-carrying air taxis, safely into the national 

airspace. In FY 2019, NASA announced the UAM 

Grand Challenge to conduct a full field demonstration of UAM systems in a variety of weather and 

traffic conditions. NASA collaborated with Uber

to complete a comprehensive test of the airspace 

management system to be used for the Grand 

Challenge. During the 40-minute engineering 

simulation, NASA and Uber tested the connectivity between their UAM management systems by 

submitting operations for a set of modeled UAM 

flights operating in a common airspace. NASA also 

expects the tests to reduce risk and expedite the 

future integration of partners into this system as the 

Grand Challenge continues. 

During the summer of 2019, NASA conducted the 

IADS Phase 3 initial concept evaluation in collaboration with Southwest Airlines and American 

Airlines operations centers and four Federal 

Aviation Administration facilities in North Texas. 

Phase 3 extends the IADS concept and technologies to the metroplex, or multiple airport, 

environment. The testing resulted in key findings and lessons learned that are being used to 

refine system requirements in preparation for the 

FY 2020 Phase 3 operational evaluation. Watch 

a video about NASA’s Airspace Technology 

Demonstration-2 IADS Traffic Management.

The Airspace Operations and Safety Program, 

part of the Aeronautics Research Mission 

Directorate, is working with partners to conceive 

and develop the Next Generation Air Transportation, 

or NextGen, technologies to further improve safety, 

capacity, and efficiency in the national airspace.
Part 2—Strategic Goal 3 

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Performance Goal 3.2.2: Demonstrate the ability to reduce sonic booms

enabling future industry innovation in commercial supersonic aircraft.

2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019

Green Green Green Green Green Green

FY 2019 Annual Performance Indicators

AR-19-2: Complete the Low-Boom Flight 

Demonstration (LBFD) Critical Design Review 

(CDR).

Yellow

FY 2020–2021 Performance Plan

3.2.2: Demonstrate the ability to reduce soni

booms, enabling future industry innovation in commercial supersonic aircraft

Development milestone(s) completed

Fiscal Year 2020 2021

Target 1 2

Development milestone for FY 2020

1. Complete final assembly of the Low Boom Flight 

Demonstrator (LBFD) aircraft.

Development milestones FY 2021

1. Complete the final system checkouts of the Low Boom 

Flight Demonstrator (LBFD) aircraft.

2. Deliver a validated F-15-based test capability that 

enables precise, near-field probing of the LBFD shock 

wave structure.

FY 2019 Performance Progress

NASA achieved this performance goal by completing key milestones on the path to developing a 

Low Boom Flight Demonstrator aircraft, called the 

X-59 QueSST. NASA also obtained approval for a 

plan to test community response to quiet supersonic aircraft overflight in FY 2022. These tests 

will be used in the decision making by the Federal 

Aviation Administration and international regulators 

as they consider potential revisions to the supersonic overland flight rule.

In October 2018, NASA’s Low Boom Flight 

Demonstration project completed a major review 

called Key Decision Point-C that resulted in establishing the project cost and schedule baseline 

to produce the X-59 aircraft. Despite a schedule 

slowdown at the beginning of 2019, the project 

was able to complete a CDR crucial for assessing 

the project’s readiness to continue with manufacturing of the X-59 QueSST aircraft. However, 

because the CDR was conducted in mid-September, NASA was unable to complete follow-up 

actions from the review during FY 2019, resulting in 

a yellow rating for AR-19-2. This did not impact the 

schedule for fabricating and testing the aircraft.

In addition, NASA conducted an Integrated Low 

Boom Flight Demonstration Mission Review that 

assessed plans for Community Response testing, 

key interim milestones being accomplished by 

each contributing project, and plans for ensuring 

long-term integration of activities for success of 

the Low Boom Flight Demonstration mission. All of 

these activities contribute to readiness to successfully conduct the Low Boom Flight Demonstration 

mission and facilitate the NASA strategy to inform 

a certification standard for supersonic overland 

flight.

The Integrated Aviation Systems and Advanced 

Air Vehicles programs, part of NASA’s Aeronautics 

Research Mission Directorate, are working together to develop a supersonic aircraft that reduces a sonic 

boom to a gentle thump

Watch a video of a scale model of the X-59 QueSST being 

prepared for wind tunnel testing at Glenn Research Center on 

August 13, 2019. The test was used to verify the performance of 

the aircraft’s unique top-mounted engine through various flight 

conditions, from takeoff to nearly one and half times the speed of 

sound (Mach 1.4). Photo credit (from video): NASA
Part 2—Strategic Goal 3 

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Performance Goal 3.2.3: Advance airframe and engine technologies to enable 

the development of future generations of ultra-efficient air vehicles that minimize environmental impact.

2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019

Green Green Green Green Yellow Green

FY 2019 Annual Performance Indicators

AR-19-3: Design, fabricate, and conduct highspeed wind tunnel performance test on an 

advanced Transonic Truss Braced Wing (TTBW) 

configuration at a cruise Mach number near 0.8 

and quantify its overall fuel-burn benefits.

Green

AR-19-7: Develop multidisciplinary design optimization capability that will enable assessment 

of On-Demand Mobility (ODM) vehicle designs 

with tightly integrated propulsion-airframe 

systems that optimally account for competing requirements for performance, noise, and energy 

usage.

Yellow

AR-19-8: Demonstrate tools and methodologies able to reduce the timeline to develop and 

certify composite structures and demonstrate 

timeline benefit through systems analysis.

Yellow

AR-19-11: Achieve noise reduction of at least 

five decibels (dB) on approach to landing during 

flight test operations designed for low noise.

Green

FY 2020–2021 Performance Plan

3.2.3: Advance airframe and engine technologies 

to enable the development of future generations 

of ultra-efficient air vehicles that minimize environmental impact including electric aircraft propulsion 

concepts

Development milestone(s) completed

Fiscal Year 2020 2021

Target 5 1

Development milestones for FY 2020

1. Design, fabricate, assemble, and test components 

and sub-systems for a small core, high-pressure 

compressor concept engine, intended to improve 

operational efficiency.

2. Develop and flight test a flexible, deployable vortex 

generator system for cost-effective fuel reduction on 

transport aircraft using passive-shape, low-temperature shape memory alloys.

3. Complete detailed analysis of turbulent heat flux data 

obtained from NASA’s Turbulent Heat Flux (THX) 

experiment to enable better computational tools for 

prediction and design of future air vehicle propulsion 

systems.

4. Provide test capability for MW-scale powertrain (electrical) at altitude.

5. Complete system integration and verification and 

validation testing and begin flight testing of the X-57 

Maxwell electric aircraft (Mod II).

Development milestone for FY 2021

1. Design and fabricate a low-noise variant of the HighLift Common Research Model and conduct a wind 

tunnel experiment to perform acoustic measurements 

of innovative slat noise reduction concepts entailing 

realistic materials and component sizes.

FY 2019 Performance Progress

NASA achieved this performance goal by completing wind tunnel testing of an advanced TTBW configuration, showing significant potential fuel-burn 

benefits, and developing an optimized multi-disciplinary framework for vertical take-off and landing 

(VTOL) aircraft design. 

The truss-braced wing technology tested in July 

and August 2019 has shown a 9 percent fuel-burn 

benefit, for an estimated overall system fuel-burn 

benefit of 59 percent for a TTBW future vehicle. 

NASA rated AR-19-3 yellow because it did not 

complete the data analysis to quantify overall fuelburn benefits during FY 2019. However, due to the 

promising results to date, the U.S. aircraft industry 

is interested in TTBW technologies and configurations for infusion into the next generation of aircraft. 

Lessons learned from this testing will form the 

basis for maturation of future TTBW concepts.

The Advanced Air Vehicles and Transformative 

Aeronautics Concepts programs, part of NASA’s 

Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate, evaluate, develop, and test technologies and capabilities 

for ultra-efficient aircraft.
Part 2—Strategic Goal 3 

NASA’s FY 2021 Volume of Integrated Performance 81

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NASA also completed the development of an 

optimized multi-disciplinary framework for VTOL 

aircraft design and used the framework to design 

four NASA concept vehicles that represent a new 

type of electric vertical flight aircraft. The NASA 

concept vehicles are being used by NASA and 

external organizations as a way to talk about the 

new mission and requirements without discussing 

any proprietary information. NASA’s design software for vertical lift vehicles has been released to 

over 160 requestors, and NASA is now providing 

annual training on the use of the design software.
Part 2—Strategic Goal 3 

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Performance Goal 3.2.4: Facilitate significant environmental and efficiency improvements through research on alternative jet fuel use, and on hybrid 

gas-electric propulsion system concepts

2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019

Green Green Green Yellow Green Green

FY 2019 Annual Performance Indicators

AR-19-5: Design, assemble, and initiate testing 

of a megawatt (MW)-scale electrified aircraft 

powertrain.

Green

AR-19-12: Demonstrate integrated electrical 

system functionality of the X-57 aircraft through 

assembling components with a power delivery 

system and conducting an Integrated Electrical 

End-to-End Test.

Red

FY 2020–2021 Performance Plan

No performance goal after FY 2019. A new performance goal for Strategic Objective 3.2 is on page 

86.

FY 2019 Performance Progress

NASA achieved this performance goal, which 

facilitates significant environmental and efficiency improvements through research on hybrid 

gas-electric propulsion system concepts.

In June 2019, the X-57 project achieved a major 

milestone when engineers for the first time tested

the electric cruise motors and propellers in an 

initial spin test of the X-57 Mod II aircraft, the 

aircraft configuration in which NASA will flight test 

the research propulsion system. However, NASA 

did not complete the end-to-end integrated system 

ground test during the fiscal year, resulting in a red 

rating for AR-19-12. NASA took delivery of the X-57 

Mod II from its contractor partner on October 2 and 

completion of the integrated system ground test is 

expected during the second quarter of FY 2020. 

NASA successfully completed integrated ground 

test of megawatt-scale power system components 

at the NASA Electric Aircraft Testbed (NEAT) 

facility. NASA studies established performance 

targets for electric machines with greater than 

6 horsepower per pound and 96 percent efficiency 

and converters with greater than 7 horsepower 

per pound and 98 percent efficiency. Two efforts 

successfully met the targets to design, build, and 

test key electric aircraft powertrain components 

capable of achieving performance required for 

large commercial applications. They conducted 

sub-scale testing to establish feasibility. This work 

strengthens the case for electrified aircraft making 

a market impact in the 2030s, with significant environmental and efficiency improvement potential in 

the single-aisle and smaller-size subsonic transport classes.

The Advanced Air Vehicles and Integrated 

Aviation Systems programs, part of NASA’s 

Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate, 

work together to develop and mature alternative fuels 

and propulsion technologies and accelerate their transition to industry
Part 2—Strategic Goal 3 

NASA’s FY 2021 Volume of Integrated Performance 83

Develop

Performance Goal 3.2.5: Significantly increase the ability to anticipate an

resolve potential safety issues, and to predict the health and robustness of aviation systems

2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019

Green Green Green Green Green Green

FY 2019 Annual Performance Indicators

AR-19-4: Identify data architecture requirements 

(i.e., content and quality) for real-time monitoring of selected operational risks for small 

Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS).

Green

FY 2020–2021 Performance Plan

3.2.5: Significantly increase the ability to anticipat

and resolve potential safety issues and predict the 

health and robustness of aviation systems.

Development milestone(s) completed

Fiscal Year 2020 2021

Target 2 1

Development milestones for FY 2020

1. Demonstrate the use of formalizable requirements in 

order to reduce errors, improve traceability to verification and validation data, and mitigate safety risks.

2. Complete a third-generation architecture and in-time, 

system-wide safety assurance (ISSA)/emerging operations (EO) capability simulation and flight tests.

Development milestone for FY 2021

1. Evaluate costs and benefits given a demonstrated 

automated evaluation of safety risk over multiple 

simultaneous events utilizing non-traditional data.

FY 2019 Performance Progress

NASA achieved this performance goal, which 

focuses on establishing requirements for safe/

normal operations, advancing anomaly detection and precursor identification tools toward an 

“in-time” capability, and initial mitigation response 

capabilities for selected applications. This fiscal 

year, NASA defined architectures and completed 

multiple simulations and flight tests. 

The lack of requirements for safe/normal operations—such as the identification of data architecture and information requirements for the in-time 

monitoring, assessment, and prediction of selected 

operational risks for future operations of small 

unmanned aircraft systems at low altitudes in 

urban areas—has been identified as a barrier to 

including emerging operations in the U.S. national 

airspace. In order to develop appropriate recommendations for data architecture and information requirements, NASA developed three safety 

service tools that can monitor for and assess risks. 

NASA then flew vehicles using these services both 

in simulation and in controlled flight tests, completing initial testing of these safety risk monitoring and 

assessment services. Development of functions 

that can reduce the risk of other identified hazards is continuing. These functions will ultimately 

improve the accuracy of real-time detection, diagnosis, and prediction of hazardous states, as well 

as the states’ impact on system safety.

The Airspace Operations and Safety Program, 

part of the Aeronautics Research Mission 

Directorate, develops real-time safety monitoring 

and assurance system technologies and capabilities to 

enhance air transportation safety, capacity, and efficiency
Part 2—Strategic Goal 3 

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Develop

Performance Goal 3.2.6: Support transformation of civil aircraft operations 

and air traffic management through the development, application, and validation of advanced autonomy and automation technologies, including addressing 

critical barriers to enabling urban on-demand air mobility and unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) operations in low-altitude airspace

2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019

Green Green Green Green Green Green

FY 2019 Annual Performance Indicators

AR-19-9: Demonstrate the fourth Unmanned 

Aircraft System (UAS) Traffic Management (UTM) 

Technology Capability Level (TCL) to enable 

management of beyond visual line of sight UAS 

operations in a populated urban setting in a live 

virtual constructive environment.

Green

AR-19-10: Complete the data collection, analysis, and reporting for the Detect and Avoid (DAA) 

flight test five (FT5) and for the Command and 

Control (C2) version six (v6) terrestrial communication system flight test.

Green

FY 2020–2021 Performance Plan

3.2.6: (Ends after FY 2020) Support transformatio

of civil aircraft operations and air traffic management through the development, application, and 

validation of advanced autonomy and automation 

technologies, including addressing critical barriers 

to enabling urban on-demand air mobility and unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) operations in low-altitude airspace

Development milestone completed

Fiscal Year 2020 2021

Target 1 N/A

Development milestone for FY 2020

1. Develop, conduct, and validate through simulation 

increasingly autonomous and automated technologies 

to support transformation of civil aircraft operations 

and air traffic management and address critical barriers to enabling on-demand urban air mobility operations in low-altitude airspace.

3.2.6: (Begins in FY 2021) Contribute toward th

safe introduction of on-demand Urban Air Mobility 

(UAM) by developing, applying, demonstrating, and 

validating advanced autonomy and automation technologies and providing methods or research results 

that support certification of autonomous systems

Development milestone(s) completed

Fiscal Year 2020 2021

Target N/A 2

Development milestones for FY 2021

1. Evaluate increasingly autonomous air traffic management technology.

2. Evaluate the use of run-time monitoring as a tool for 

the assurance of untrusted components in a system.

FY 2019 Performance Progress

NASA achieved this performance goal for FY 2019 

by completing two high-profile drone traffic-management flight demonstrations in Reno, Nevada, 

and Corpus Christi, Texas.

The flight demonstrations involved extensive 

partnerships between NASA, the Federal Aviation 

Administration, the unmanned aircraft system test 

sites, city governments, industry members, and 

universities. The tests demonstrated the capability 

for drones to fly beyond a pilot’s visual line of sight 

in an urban environment, safely avoiding conflicts 

with other aircraft while flying over city streets and 

between buildings. During the tests, certified drone 

pilots operated multiple live drones over controlled 

The Advanced Air Vehicles and Integrated 

Aviation Systems programs, part of NASA’s 

Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate, are 

developing technologies and capabilities to enable 

autonomous aircraft and urban air mobility
Part 2—Strategic Goal 3 

NASA’s FY 2021 Volume of Integrated Performance 85

Develop

areas of the cities. Additional virtual aircraft were 

added to increase the traffic density. Key technologies tested included integrated detect-and-avoid 

capabilities, vehicle-to-vehicle communication 

and collision avoidance, automated safe landing 

technologies, and traffic management services 

that support drone operations. Findings from both 

evaluations will significantly advance the implementation of urban air mobility.

In addition to the flight demonstrations, NASA completed additional flight tests involving drone detect 

and avoid systems and command and control 

communications along with supporting documentation. NASA provided results to industry partners 

and the RTCA Working Group SC-228.

Pilots fly drones through downtown Reno, Nevada, in June and July 2019 to test the vehicles’ abilities to navigate around each as they 

flew through the tricky urban wind patterns during the Technical Level 4 campaign, the fourth series of test flights. Photo credit: NASA/

Dominic Hart
Part 2—Strategic Goal 3 

NASA’s FY 2021 Volume of Integrated Performance 86

Develop

FY 2020–2021 Performance Plan: New Performance Goal

Performance Goal 3.2.4: Advance airframe and 

propulsion technologies to enable the development 

of vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) vehicles that 

minimize noise and maximize safety

Development milestone completed

Fiscal Year 2020 2021

Target 1 1

Development milestone for FY 2020

1. Develop the theory for, and implement and assess the 

functionality of, Broadband Acoustic Rotor Codes for 

application to VTOL Urban Air Mobility (UAM) vehicles.

Development milestone for FY 2021

1. Complete conceptual design and sizing trade studies 

for VTOL Urban Air Mobility (UAM) configurations.
Part 2—Strategic Goal 3

NASA’s FY 2021 Volume of Integrated Performance 87

Develop

LEAD OFFICES

Missions Support Directorate and Office 

of Communications 

GOAL LEADER

Bettina Inclán, Associate Administrator, 

Office of Communications

Budget

FY $M

Actual 2019 $266.8

Enacted 2020 $280.3

Requested 2021 $197.3

Outyear

2022 $197.3

2023 $197.3

2024 $197.3

2025 $197.3

Strategic Objective 3.3: Inspire and engage the public 

in aeronautics, space, and science

NASA’s multi-faceted approach to this goal is to inspire and engage 

the public and provide unique science, technology, engineering,

and math (STEM) opportunities for diverse audiences. By increasing 

public knowledge about NASA’s work, the Agency can contribute 

to science literacy and an improved national understanding and 

appreciation of the value of STEM work and careers. The Agency 

also believes that it can help strengthen diversity in STEM fields by 

ensuring that grantee universities comply with Federal requirements 

for minimizing and addressing issues related to discrimination and 

harassment.

NASA is integrating metrics and using data to inform decisions on 

better reaching the public, engaging stakeholders, evaluate outcomes, and safeguard against unlawful practices. NASA continues 

to use data to refine content and social media distribution platforms, 

targeted to audience preferences. The Agency is also assessing its 

higher education challenges, competitions, and internships. This will 

enable NASA leaders to understand how and to what extent these 

activities are contributing to NASA’s missions and result in participant engagement and achieving programmatic outcomes.

Above: NASA astronaut Serena Auñón-Chancellor talks with students about her experience on Expeditions 56 and 57 aboard the 

International Space Station—from spending 197 days in space to working with hundreds of experiments while there—at Excel Academy 

Public Charter School in Washington, DC, on June 10, 2019. Photo credit: NASA/Aubrey Gemignani
Part 2—Strategic Goal 3

NASA’s FY 2021 Volume of Integrated Performance 88

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The 2019 Strategic Review determined that 

NASA’s progress continued to be satisfactory for 

this strategic objective, with the Agency on track 

to achieve both near- and long-term goals. In 

October 2018, NASA released its final strategic 

communications plan, which lists communication 

priorities for each of NASA’s six communication 

themes for FY 2019 through FY 2021. NASA’s 

social media following is the largest in the Federal 

Government and NASA has one of the most-followed Twitter accounts, with close to 200 million 

followers across all accounts.

In areas of grantee compliance, NASA is implementing new compliance requirements that 

strengthen visibility and accountability, while 

streamlining documentation requirements for 

greater usability by reporting organizations. The 

Agency is increasing the number of grantee institutions that can be audited each year and implanting 

new terms and conditions on grants that better 

allow the Agency to monitor for sexual harassment 

and discrimination in NASA-funded programs.

FY 2019 Performance Summary for Strategic Objective 3.3

Performance Goals (PGs) Annual Performance 

Indicators (APIs)

Summary of Performance for PGs and APIs Contributing to Strategic Objective 3.3, FY 2014–2019

Note: FY 2018 and FY 2019 contribute to Strategic Objective 3.3, as established by the NASA 2018 Strategic Plan. For FY 2014 through 

FY 2017, individual PGs and APIs were assigned to a strategic objective based on contributing work.
Part 2—Strategic Goal 3

NASA’s FY 2021 Volume of Integrated Performance 89

Develop

Performance Goal 3.3.1: Enhance reach and effectiveness of programs and 

projects that engage the public

2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019

Green Yellow Green Green Green Green

FY 2019 Annual Performance Indicators

AMO-19-1: Add at least one new communications technology, platform, tool, or method 

to make more effective operations and use of 

resources in alignment with the communications 

priorities.

Green

AMO-19-2: Add at least one new communications technology, platform, tool or method to 

achieve more systematic measurement and evaluation of reach, outcomes, and value of agency 

communications investments.

Green

AMO-19-3: Add at least one new communications technology, platform, tool or method to help 

prepare NASA employees to engage in telling 

the NASA story.

Green

SMD-19-1: Expand Science Mission Directorate 

unique assets to support learners in all 50 states. Green

FY 2020–2021 Performance Plan

3.3.1: Increase NASA’s public engagement through 

social media

Percentage of annual social media audience growth 

across all flagship platforms

Fiscal Year 2020 2021

Target 10% 10%

FY 2019 Performance Progress

NASA achieved this performance goal in FY 2019 

by achieving all three performance indicators, 

which were to improve operations, metrics analysis 

and employee engagement through the addition of 

one or more communications technologies, platforms, tools or methods. 

NASA added three content distribution platforms 

and two special-purpose communications toolkit 

pages, which include downloadable fact sheets, 

photos, graphics, and more. NASA also refined 

its media measurement methodology and applied 

new strategic approaches to public engagement. 

These improvements have resulted in better stewardship of communications resources, a better-informed workforce, and better awareness of NASA’s 

work among stakeholders and the public.

To increase public engagement, NASA TV became 

available on Samsung Worldwide and Hulu, and 

a new NASA newsletter (subscribe here) was 

launched with a subscriber base that has already 

grown to one million. NASA is now tracking clicks 

on search queries related to Artemis as a proxy for 

increasing public interest in the program. Clicks 

are exceeding the target of five percent growth 

each week. 

Better management of digital presence also 

has decreased information redundancy and 

enhanced audience engagement, as shown when 

the History.nasa.gov domain was overhauled 

in July 2019. This project made the site mobilefriendly and dramatically improved searchability. 

NASA has also initiated a project to right-size its 

digital footprint by eliminating or consolidating 

low value, low traffic websites and social media 

accounts, with a goal of a 30 percent reduction 

among 3,000 websites and 710 social media 

accounts. This effort will give even more visibility 

to NASA’s flagship social media accounts, which 

have more than 110 million followers (see the 

figure on the following page), and will strengthen 

cybersecurity. 

NASA’s Office of Communications develops 

and implements outreach strategies to communicate 

NASA’s activities, priorities, and achievements to a 

wide audience
Part 2—Strategic Goal 3

NASA’s FY 2021 Volume of Integrated Performance 90

Develop

Over the past five years, NASA has shown 

steady growth for its four flagship social media 

accounts (likes for Facebook and followers for 

Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube). In particular, the following for NASA’s flagship Instagram 

account increased from 1.7 million followers in 

FY 2014 to 49.6 million in FY 2019. Social Media 

at NASA

Emil de Cou conducts the National Symphony Orchestra to a backdrop of Apollo 11 images during the “NSO Pops, Apollo 11: A 50th 

Anniversary, One Small Step, One Giant Leap” event at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, DC, on July 

20, 2019. NASA applied its proven communication theme integration principles for the very successful celebration of the Apollo 11 50th 

anniversary that included musical acts, speakers, and images and video related to the first mission to land astronauts—Neil Armstrong 

(shown center), Michael Collins (right), and Buzz Aldrin (left)—on the Moon. Photo credit: NASA/Aubrey Gemignani 

NASA Flagship Social Media Account Sizes (Millions of Followers/Likes), FY 2014–2019
Part 2—Strategic Goal 3

NASA’s FY 2021 Volume of Integrated Performance 91

Develop

Performance Goal 3.3.2: Promote equal opportunity compliance and encourage best practices among NASA grant recipient institutio

2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019

Green Green Green Green Green Green

FY 2019 Annual Performance Indicators

AMO-19-4: Continue to conduct civil rights 

compliance assessments at a minimum of two 

STEM or STEM-related programs that receive 

NASA funding; and broaden the scope of civil 

rights technical assistance to NASA grantees 

through the MissionSTEM website, focused on 

grantee civil rights requirements and promising 

practices for grantee compliance and diversity 

and inclusion.

Green

FY 2020–2021 Performance Plan

3.3.2: Promote equal opportunity and encourage best practices among NASA grant recipien

institutions

Percentage of Agency civil rights recommendations/corrective actions to grant recipient institutions reviewed for 

compliance that are implemented within one year

Fiscal Year 2020 2021

Target 90% 90%

FY 2019 Performance Progress

NASA achieved its three equal opportunity 

(EO) compliance targets for FY 2019, earning a 

green rating for this performance goal. NASA EO 

reviewed university grantees were at levels of 

compliance with Agency recommendations of 100 

percent, exceeding the 90 percent target after one 

year, data analytics on the MissionSTEM website 

increased page views from 7,320 in FY 2018 to 

8,129 in FY 2019, and there were increases of 

1 percent in the numbers of NASA grant awards 

going to researchers reflective of underrepresented groups. NASA assesses grant recipient 

compliance with Federal EO laws and regulations 

enforced by the Agency both through its assurance of compliance process and through compliance audits of select recipients. 

In FY 2019, NASA conducted reviews on eight 

recipients of NASA financial assistance to assess 

compliance with EO laws and regulations enforced 

by the Agency. This included five university science, technology, engineering, and mathematics 

(STEM) programs and three science museum/

centers. Through assessing grant recipient compliance with EO laws, NASA can help strengthen 

diversity in STEM fields by ensuring that grantee 

universities comply with Federal requirements for 

minimizing and addressing issues related to discrimination and harassment. 

The Office of Diversity and Equal Opportunity

leads diversity and civil rights policies, programs, and 

services, enabling the universe of available talent to 

contribute inclusively and equitably to NASA.
Part 2—Strategic Goal 3

NASA’s FY 2021 Volume of Integrated Performance 92

Develop

Performance Goal 3.3.3: Provide opportunities for students, especially those 

underrepresented in STEM fields, to engage with NASA’s aeronautics, space, 

and science people, content, and facilities in support of a diverse future NASA 

and aerospace industry workforce

1 NASA assesses annual performance using data reported for academic years. NASA’s FY 2019 performance is based on activities 

conducted during the 2017–2018 academic year.

2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019

Green Green Green Green Green Green

FY 2019 Annual Performance Indicators

STEM-19-1: Provide significant, direct student 

awards in higher education to (1) students 

across all institutional categories and levels (as 

defined by the U.S. Department of Education), 

(2) racially or ethnically underrepresented 

students (Hispanics and Latinos, African 

Americans, American Indians, Alaska Native, 

Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders), (3) 

women, and (4) persons with disabilities, at percentages that meet or exceeded at the national 

percentages for the science and engineering 

graduates, as determined by the most recent, 

publicly available data from the U.S. Department 

of Education’s National Center for Education 

Statistics for a minimum of two of the four 

categories.

Green

FY 2020–2021 Performance Plan

3.3.3: Provide opportunities for students, especially 

those underrepresented in STEM fields, to engage 

with NASA’s aeronautics, space, and science people, content, and facilities in support of a diverse 

future NASA and aerospace industry workforce

Percentage of higher education significant awards in four 

categories of student diversity for NASA STEM enrollees 

compared to the national average*

Fiscal Year 2020 2021

Target

At least 2 of 4 

categories meet 

or exceed national 

average

At least 2 of 4 

categories meet 

or exceed national 

average

*To be based on national averages obtained from the U.S. 

Department of Education’s Center for Education Statistics Integrated Postsecondary Education Database for the most recent 

academic year available.

FY 2019 Performance Progress

NASA achieved this performance goal by exceeding national science, technology, engineering, and 

mathematics (STEM) degree enrollment percentages in two of four diversity categories for significant higher education awardees, such as interns 

and fellows for the 2017–2018 academic year.1

An independent evaluation conducted in FY 2019 

of NASA’s higher education internships, challenges, and competitions found that these 

investments provide opportunities for students to 

contribute to NASA missions by producing knowledge or products that will be used by NASA (e.g., 

prototypes, design solutions, scientific investigation results, technical papers and peer-reviewed 

publications), supporting NASA subject matter 

experts’ work, and promoting the diversity of the 

future NASA and STEM workforce.

NASA provided significant awards to 7,357 high 

education students in the 2017–2018 academic 

year. Some higher education students received 

multiple significant awards, bringing the total 

number of significant awards for the year to 8,005. 

These significant awards provided a total of over 

$32 million in direct financial support to higher 

education students.

NASA STEM Engagement encompasses all endeavors Agency-wide to attract, engage and educate K-12 

and higher education students and to support educators, educational institutions and professional organizations in STEM fields. 
Part 2—Strategic Goal 3

NASA’s FY 2021 Volume of Integrated Performance 93

Develop

Higher Education Significant Award Providers 

for the 2017–2018 Academic Year

NASA Significant 

Award Provider

Number of 

Significant 

Awards

Percentage of 

All Significant 

Awards

National Space Grant 

College and Fellowship 

Project (Space Grant)

4,933 62.4%

Minority University 

and Research Project 

(MUREP)

1,315 16.4%

Next Gen STEM (formerly STEM Education and 

Accountability Project)

148 1.8%

Mission Directorates and 

Mission Support Offices 1,549 19.4%

The significant awards were provided to students 

across all institution categories (Asian American 

and Native American Pacific Islander-Serving 

Institutions, Alaskan Native-Serving and Native 

Hawaiian-Serving Institutions, Historically Black 

Colleges and Universities, Hispanic-Serving 

Institutions, Native American-Serving Nontribal 

Institutions, Predominantly Black Institutions, 

Predominantly White Institutions, and Tribal 

Colleges and Universities) and levels (at least two 

but less than four years, and four or more years), 

as defined by the U.S. Department of Education.

NASA’s performance in diversity is examined across ethnicity, race, gender, and disability status of higher education students who 

received significant awards. For the 2017–2018 academic year, NASA exceeded the national average for enrollment target percentages 

of higher education significant awardees in two categories: racially and ethnically underrepresented student participants, which are 

shown as an overall percentage in the chart. Within this combined category, 16.0 percent of NASA’s significant awardees self-identified 

as Hispanic or Latino, compared to the national average of 15.0 percent, and 17.0 percent of NASA’s significant awardees self-identified as belonging to underrepresented racial categories (i.e., American Indian or Alaska Native, Black or African American, or Native 

Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander), as compared to the national average of 9.6 percent. However, NASA’s significant awards to women 

were slightly below the national average reported by the U.S. Department of Education, and NASA was also below the national enrollment percentage for persons with disabilities.

NASA’s Diversity Performance in Education Awards, School Years 2013–2014 Through 2017–2018
Part 2—Strategic Goal 3

NASA’s FY 2021 Volume of Integrated Performance 94

Develop

Performance Goal 3.3.4: Enhance the effectiveness of education investments 

using performance assessment and evaluation-driven processes.

2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019

None before FY 2018 Green Green

FY 2019 Annual Performance Indicators

STEM-19-2: Design a comprehensive data 

management system aligned to performance 

assessment and evaluation strategy to collect, 

analyze, and report data for STEM engagement 

investments.

Green

FY 2020–2021 Performance Plan

3.3.4: Enhance the effectiveness of education investments using performance assessment and evaluation-driven processes.

Milestone achieved in the implementation of performance assessment and evaluation of STEM engagement investments

Fiscal Year 2020 2021

Target 1 met or exceeded 1 met or exceeded

Milestone for FY 2020

1. Award a competitive agreement to conduct a multiyear, third-party, project-level evaluation of the 

National Space Grant College and Fellowship Project.

Milestone for FY 2021

1. Conduct a study focused on NASA STEM engagement elementary and secondary formal and informal 

education investments to build knowledge about 

how these activities 1) align to NASA’s missions, 2) 

serve national and regional STEM ecosystems, and 3) 

engage participants from groups historically underrepresented and/or underserved in STEM fields. 

FY 2019 Performance Progress

In FY 2019, NASA achieved this performance goal 

by making significant progress to enhance the 

effectiveness of science, technology, engineering, 

and mathematics (STEM) engagement investments using performance assessment and evaluation-driven processes. 

NASA developed and executed a Learning 

Agenda which provides a systematic approach 

for building and using new knowledge about 

project and operational performance. The foundation of the Learning Agenda is an iterative evidence-based decision-making process, which is a 

rigorous approach to planning and implementing 

activities through five steps that culminate with an 

evaluation of the learning process. 

In alignment with the Learning Agenda and evidence-based decision-making process, a STEM 

engagement evaluation contract was issued for an 

independent multiple case study focused on NASA 

higher education challenges, competitions, and 

internships. The study characterized student contributions to NASA’s missions and work, provided 

recommendations for evidence-based design of 

future challenges, competitions, and internships, 

and classified demographics of higher education 

student participants. 

The findings and recommendations resulting 

from the NASA Higher Education Challenges, 

Competitions, and Internships Multiple Case 

Study were shared with NASA internal stakeholders (activity managers) and external stakeholders (NASA STEM Engagement grantees and 

awardees) who are currently using the information 

to enhance existing activities and inform the design 

of future activities.

Additionally, in FY 2019, NASA designed a content 

management platform aligned to the performance 

assessment and evaluation strategy that integrates 

multiple legacy systems, and where possible, 

allows for the automation of manual data collection 

processes used across the Agency. Building upon 

requirements gathered from stakeholders and 

subject matter experts, the design team will create 

data modeling for implementation and migration of 

existing systems in FY 2020.

NASA STEM Engagement encompasses all endeavors Agency-wide to attract, engage and educate K-12 

and higher education students and to support educators, educational institutions and professional organizations in STEM fields. 
Part 2—Strategic Goal 3

NASA’s FY 2021 Volume of Integrated Performance 95

Develop

Performance Goal 3.3.5: Provide opportunities for students to contribute to 

NASA’s aeronautics, space, and science missions and work in exploration and 

discovery.

2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019

None before FY 2018 Green Green

FY 2019 Annual Performance Indicators

STEM-19-3: Conduct a multiple case study focused on NASA STEM engagement higher education challenges, competitions, and internships 

to build knowledge about how these activities: 

a) contribute to NASA’s aeronautics, space, and 

science missions; b) align to evidence-based 

effective practices for STEM learning; and c) 

recruit and retain participants from groups historically underrepresented and/or underserved 

in STEM fields.

Green

STEM-19-4: Contribute to American technical 

capability by supporting the release of at least 

1,300 paper presentations and peer-reviewed 

research publications through STEM engagement investments.

Green

FY 2020–2021 Performance Plan

3.3.5: Provide opportunities for students to contribute to NASA’s aeronautics, space, and science 

missions and to work in exploration and discovery.

Number of paper presentations, peer-reviewed research 

publications, and (beginning in FY 2021 to include 

student-proposed solutions and products) resulting from 

STEM engagement investments

Fiscal Year 2020 2021

Target 1,300 TBD-Baseline from 

FY 2020

FY 2019 Performance Progress

NASA achieved the targets for both annual performance indicators, earning a green rating for this 

performance goal for FY 2019. 

The Establish Program to Stimulate Competitive 

Research (EPSCoR), National Space Grant 

College and Fellowship Project (Space Grant), 

and Minority University Research and Education 

Project (MUREP) grantee and awardee institutions reported 1,374 peer-reviewed publications, 

technical papers, and presentations during the 

2017–2018 academic year. Forty-eight percent of 

these peer-reviewed publications were authored or 

coauthored by students. This assesses the contributions to NASA’s missions and work through its 

investments in higher education.

During FY 2019, a STEM [science, technology, 

engineering, and mathematics] Engagement 

evaluation contract conducted a study to assess 

and characterize how the Agency’s higher education activities define and enable contributions to 

NASA’s work. This study included higher education 

challenges, where higher education students were 

challenged to develop design solutions to authentic NASA real-world STEM questions, provided by 

the Office of STEM Engagement and the Human 

Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate. 

Findings showed that work-based learning and 

research experiences provided a means for higher 

education students to contribute to NASA missions 

through research, technology, and product development, as well as communication of these findings through technical papers and presentations.

NASA STEM Engagement encompasses all endeavors Agency-wide to attract, engage and educate K-12 

and higher education students and to support educators, educational institutions and professional organizations in STEM fields. 
ENABLE

On March 2, 2019, SpaceX launched an uncrewed version of SpaceX’s Crew Dragon to the International Space Station (watch a video of the 

launch). Before the capsule could go on this demonstration flight, it was rigorously tested. This photo shows the Crew Dragon being lowered into 

NASA’s In-Space Propulsion Facility—the world’s only facility capable of testing full-scale upper-stage launch vehicles and rocket engines under 

simulated high-altitude conditions—at NASA’s Plum Brook Station in Sandusky, Ohio, in June 2018. Photo credit: SpaceX

STRATEGIC GOAL 4

Optimize capabilities and operations
Part 2—Strategic Goal 4

NASA’s FY 2021 Volume of Integrated Performance 97

Enable

LEAD OFFICE

Mission Support Directorate (MSD)

GOAL LEADER

Robert Gibbs, Associate Administrator, 

MSD

Budget

FY $M

Actual 2019 $123.8

Enacted 2020 $116.2 

Requested 2021 $121.0

Outyear

2022 $121.0

2023 $121.0

2024 $121.0

2025 $121.0

Strategic Objective 4.1: Engage in partnership 

strategies

NASA is supporting cooperative, reimbursable, funded and 

unfunded initiatives through domestic and international partnerships, 

as well as contracts. 

NASA has several control measures in place to ensure that the 

Agency receives value from its partnerships and that these activities 

align to NASA’s Mission. NASA provides standardized guidance and 

training to stakeholders, and potential partnerships are evaluated at 

several levels in advance of being finalized. Once completed, the 

Agency assesses those partnerships that used NASA resources 

to determine how beneficial the agreement was to furthering the 

Agency’s objectives. Results inform future partnership determinations. 

NASA’s 2019 Strategic Review determined that this strategic objective shows satisfactory progress. NASA continues to establish 

appropriate collaborations and acquisitions to achieve the Agency’s 

Mission. Contract consolidations have resulted in efficiencies and 

reduced transaction costs in procurement. 

The Agency will continue developing partnerships that enable innovation and discovery. Similarly, NASA will seek additional ways of 

Above: Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison (second from left) poses for a picture with NASA astronaut Alvin Drew (left) and former 

NASA astronauts Andy Thomas (second from right) and Pam Melroy (right) following the signing of a letter of intent between NASA and 

the Australian Space Agency on September 21, 2019, to build on over 60 years of collaboration in space exploration between the two 

countries and commit to expanding cooperation. The Office of International and Interagency Relations guides and coordinates NASA’s 

international partnerships. Photo credit: NASA/Joel Kowsky
Part 2—Strategic Goal 4

NASA’s FY 2021 Volume of Integrated Performance 98

Enable

reducing redundancies and applying project management and supply chain management principles 

to acquisition processes. Cross-agency initiatives 

and communities of practice will continue to standardize practices and tools that improve interoperability, consistency, and availability.

FY 2019 Performance Summary for Strategic Objective 4.1

Performance Goals (PGs) Annual Performance 

Indicators (APIs)

Summary of Performance for PGs and APIs Contributing to Strategic Objective 4.1, FY 2014–2019

Note: FY 2018 and FY 2019 contribute to Strategic Objective 4.1, as established by the NASA 2018 Strategic Plan. For FY 2014 through 

FY 2017, individual PGs and APIs were assigned to a strategic objective based on contributing work.
Part 2—Strategic Goal 4

NASA’s FY 2021 Volume of Integrated Performance 99

Enable

Performance Goal 4.1.2: Achieve savings for the Agency through acquisition 

reforms

2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019

Green Green Green Green Green Green

FY 2019 Annual Performance Indicators

AMO-19-9: Achieve savings in at least 70 percent of identified procurement initiatives through 

increased contract efficiencies and reduced 

transaction costs in NASA procurements.

Green

AMO-19-10: Achieve savings in at least 70 percent of identified procurement initiatives through 

effective use of both Federal-level and Agencylevel strategic sourcing approaches.

Green

FY 2020–2021 Performance Plan

No performance goal after FY 2019. A new performance goal for Strategic Objective 4.1 is on page 

page 101.

FY 2019 Performance Progress

NASA achieved this performance goal for FY 2019 

by achieving the majority of its planned acquisition 

initiatives, with a focus on achieving savings for 

the Agency through acquisition reforms. For the 

“Category Management” cross-agency priority 

goal, which focuses on increasing efficiencies and 

eliminating redundancies in Federal acquisitions, 

NASA has achieved overall savings at both the 

Agency and Federal levels. This initiative and the 

cost savings/avoidance have generated efficiencies and savings across the Agency and are 

expected to continue and, in some cases, increase 

in coming years. 

NASA established an initiative to increasingly 

procure more of its common goods and services 

using an enterprise acquisition approach that 

enables NASA to eliminate redundancies, increase 

efficiency, and deliver more value and savings for 

its acquisition programs. As of the end of FY 2019, 

20 percent of enterprise procurement strategies 

have been approved. Approved enterprise procurement strategies currently exist for the Aircraft 

Operations, Human Capital, Propellants, Project 

Planning and Control, and Subscriptions product 

service lines, with more due to be strategically procured in FY 2020. NASA has achieved cost savings/avoidance by reducing the cost of getting the 

work done (i.e., Agency administrative or transaction costs) and will continue to achieve efficiencies 

and savings across the Agency.

The Office of Procurement provides innovative, 

effective, and efficient acquisition solutions, optimizing Agency capabilities and operations and enabling 

NASA’s missions.
Part 2—Strategic Goal 4

NASA’s FY 2021 Volume of Integrated Performance 100

Enable

Performance Goal 4.1.3: Develop and implement the multiyear NASA Small 

Business Strategic Plan, which will promote and increase small business programs and outreach through strategic collaborative efforts with internal and 

external partners and stakeholders

2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019

None before FY 2018 Green Green

FY 2019 Annual Performance Indicators

AMO-19-11: Strengthen and promote small business awareness and participation by utilizing 

innovative techniques to benefit the Agency’s 

small business program, including through the 

consolidation of Agency-level small business 

activities in specific, pre-determined geographical areas.

Green

AMO-19-12: Implement a set of pre-award 

procurement activities designed to increase 

opportunities for small businesses.

Green

FY 2020–2021 Performance Plan

No performance goal after FY 2019. A new performance goal for Strategic Objective 4.1 is on page 

page 101.

FY 2019 Performance Progress

NASA achieved this performance goal for 

FY 2019 by expanding its small business outreach 

efforts. NASA participated in the International 

Space Summit hosted by the U.S. Department 

of Commerce in Hartford, Connecticut, a 

“Government Match” event in Billings, Montana, 

and outreach events at Arizona State University 

in Glendale, Arizona, and at the University of 

Kansas in Lawrence, Kansas. NASA also continued its involvement in the “Technology Infusion 

Road Tour,” for Historically Black Colleges 

and Universities (HBCUs) and Minority Serving 

Institutions (MSIs), at New Mexico State University 

in Las Cruces, New Mexico. Throughout the fiscal 

year, NASA centers continued to host local outreach events on site.

In FY 2019, NASA obligated 17.4 percent of all 

eligible contracts to small businesses, exceeding 

the goal of 16.0 percent. NASA also achieved 

7.6 percent for Small Disadvantaged Businesses, 

exceeding the target of 5.0 percent.

The Office of Small Business Programs promotes 

and integrates small businesses into the competitive 

base of contractors that support NASA’s space exploration, scientific discovery, aeronautics research, and 

center operations

Percentage of Eligible Contracts Obligated to Small 

Businesses, FY 2014–2019

In FY 2019, NASA obligated 17.3 percent of eligible contracts to 

small businesses, exceeding its target of 16 percent. NASA has 

exceeded its annual target for the past five fiscal years.
Part 2—Strategic Goal 4

NASA’s FY 2021 Volume of Integrated Performance 101

Enable

FY 2020–2021 Performance Plan: New Performance Goal

Performance Goal 4.1.1: Maintain the number o

active partnership agreements with domestic, interagency, and international partners that support and 

enable NASA’s Mission.

Number of active partnership agreements with domestic, 

interagency, and international partners

Fiscal Year 2020 2021

Target 2,671 2,671
Part 2—Strategic Goal 4

NASA’s FY 2021 Volume of Integrated Performance 102

Enable

LEAD OFFICE

Human Exploration and Operations 

Mission Directorate (HEOMD)

GOAL LEADER

Altonell (Toni) Mumford, Deputy 

Associate Administrator for Policy and 

Plans, HEOMD

Budget

FY $M

Actual 2019 $3,017.0

Enacted 2020 $2,690.3

Requested 2021 $2,696.7

Outyear

2022 $2,655.5

2023 $2,705.1

2024 $2,728.6

2025 $2,723.3

Strategic Objective 4.2: Enable space access and 

services.

NASA uses private and government capabilities to ensure that people, payloads, and data can be delivered to and from space. NASA 

achieves this through a portfolio of services and strategic capabilities, including launch services for robotic missions, commercial 

space transportation for crew and cargo, ground- and space-based 

communications, and specialized test facilities.

The 2019 Strategic Review determined that NASA’s progress for this 

strategic objective was satisfactory. At the time of the review, both 

partners had transitioned from the spacecraft design phase and 

were preparing for qualification and acceptance testing. However, 

neither partner was able to achieve the final milestones of launching 

crew members to the International Space Station nor certifying their 

crew transportation systems by the end of FY 2019, and NASA rated 

the agency priority goal (4.2.2) red.

During FY 2018, NASA launched six missions aboard six different

launch vehicles from both the east and west coast launch bases. In 

December 2018, a new Venture-class rocket, which are designed 

specifically for small payloads, successfully launched a series of 

CubeSats, demonstrating that small, emerging commercial launch 

providers can achieve the necessary performance and reliability 

Above: On March 4, 2019, the SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft’s nose cone opens to reveal its docking mechanism as it approaches 

the International Space Station’s (ISS’s) Harmony module as part of the Demonstration Mission-1 on March 4, 2019. The Crew Dragon 

is the first Commercial Crew vehicle to visit ISS. The Crew Dragon would automatically dock moments later to the international docking 

adapter attached to the forward end of Harmony. For this first demonstration flight, the Crew Dragon did not carry a crew. Photo credit: 

NASA
Part 2—Strategic Goal 4

NASA’s FY 2021 Volume of Integrated Performance 103

Enable

for future missions. However, continued technical problems with the Pegasus XL launch vehicle 

delayed the launch of the Ionospheric Connection 

Explorer (ICON) from October 2018 to October 

2019. 

The space communications network services have 

consistently maintained better than 99 percent 

delivery for NASA and other customers. NASA is 

completing a sustaining project that is upgrading ground stations that provide the critical links 

between Earth and missions in space. NASA continues to pursue interoperable space communications and navigation, better enabling international 

cooperation. The Agency reached agreement with 

six partner member agencies and six observer 

agencies on a lunar communication and navigation 

architecture baseline, a critical resource for a lunar 

gateway and its related vehicles. 

In addition, the Agency’s rocket propulsion and 

space environment test facilities met their targets 

for readiness. NASA is reviewing under-utilized 

facilities to determine where capabilities should be 

upgraded or removed from the portfolio.

FY 2019 Performance Summary for Strategic Objective 4.2

Performance Goals (PGs) Annual Performance 

Indicators (APIs)

Summary of Performance for PGs and APIs Contributing to Strategic Objective 4.2, FY 2014–2019

Note: FY 2018 and FY 2019 contribute to Strategic Objective 4.2, as established by the NASA 2018 Strategic Plan. For FY 2014 through 

FY 2017, individual PGs and APIs were assigned to a strategic objective based on contributing work.

Ratings may not total 100 percent due to rounding.
Part 2—Strategic Goal 4

NASA’s FY 2021 Volume of Integrated Performance 104

Enable

Performance Goal 4.2.1: Provide cargo transportation to support on-orbit crew 

members and utilization

2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019

Green Yellow Green Green Green Green

FY 2019 Annual Performance Indicators

ISS-19-9: Complete at least three flights, 

delivering research and logistics hardware to 

the International Space Station (ISS), by U.S.-

developed cargo delivery systems.

Green

FY 2020–2021 Performance Plan

4.2.1: Provide cargo transportation through commercial partners to support the International Space 

Station (ISS)

Number of commercial cargo missions launched/delivered to ISS

Fiscal Year 2020 2021

Target 4 4

FY 2019 Performance Progress

Five commercial cargo missions were successfully 

launched to the ISS in FY 2019, delivering cargo 

and research supplies.

• Northrop Grumman Cygnus in November 

2018 (NG-10) and April 2019 (NG-11)

• SpaceX Dragon in December 2018 

(SpaceX-16), May 2019 (SpaceX-17), and July 

2019 (SpaceX-18)

The International Space Station Division, part 

of the Human Exploration and Operations 

Mission Directorate, manages commercial resupply 

services for ISS.

The Northrop Grumman Antares rocket, with Cygnus resupply spacecraft onboard, launches from NASA’s Wallops Flight 

Facility in Virginia on April 17, 2019. The cargo resupply mission 

delivered about 7,600 pounds of science and research, crew 

supplies, and vehicle hardware to the ISS. Photo credit: NASA/

Bill Ingalls

SpaceX’s Dragon lifts off on a Falcon 9 rocket from Cape 

Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida on May 4, 2019, with more 

than 5,500 pounds of research, equipment, cargo, and supplies 

for the ISS. Photo credit: SpaceX
Part 2—Strategic Goal 4

NASA’s FY 2021 Volume of Integrated Performance 105

Enable

Performance Goal 4.2.2: Facilitate the development of and certify U.S. industry-based crew transportation systems while maintaining competition, returning International Space Station (ISS) crew transportation to the United States

(Agency Priority Goal)

2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019

Green Green Green Yellow Yellow Red

FY 2019 Annual Performance Indicators

CS-19-1: Continue monitoring partner milestone 

progress toward identifying and closing certification products, in alignment with negotiated 

contract milestones, including the completion 

by at least one of NASA’s industry partners of its 

Certification Review.

Red

FY 2020–2021 Performance Plan

No performance goal after FY 2019. A new performance goal for Strategic Objective is on page 

112.

FY 2019 Performance Progress

By the end of FY 2019, neither SpaceX nor Boeing 

had completed a demonstration flight and, therefore, did not complete their certification reviews. 

As a result, NASA closed out this FY 2018-2019 

agency priority goal with a red rating. 

In March 2019, SpaceX conducted an uncrewed 

flight test (Demonstration Mission-1) of its Crew 

Dragon capsule. The Crew Dragon autonomously 

docked to the ISS and returned to Earth five days 

later. Boeing’s first uncrewed orbital flight test is 

scheduled for early FY 2020 from Cape Canaveral 

Air Force Station. 

After successful completion of an uncrewed flight 

demonstration, the crew transportation system 

(which includes the capsule, launch vehicle, and 

ground and mission operations) will be certified to 

meet NASA’s crew transportation requirements. 

Once certified, the crew transportation system is 

ready for a crewed flight demonstration. These 

steps ensure that each crew transportation option 

is safe, reliable, and cost-effective. A crew transportation system will be available for normal operations after successful completion of the crewed 

flight demonstrations.

The Commercial Crew Program, part of the 

Human Exploration and Operations Mission 

Directorate, is partnering with U.S. industry to fly 

human space transportation systems

On March 6, 2019, Vice President Mike 

Pence (right) and NASA Administrator 

Jim Bridenstine (left) spoke with 

Expedition 58 flight engineer Anne 

McClain, of NASA, and flight engineer 

David Saint-Jacques, of the Canadian 

Space Agency (right and left on-sreen, 

respectively), about the arrival of 

SpaceX’s Crew Dragon spacecraft 

at the ISS as part of Demonstration 

Mission-1. The Crew Dragon can be 

seen on the center television monitor 

as it began to approach the Harmony 

module for docking. Photo credit: 

NASA/Joel Kowsky
Part 2—Strategic Goal 4

NASA’s FY 2021 Volume of Integrated Performance 106

Enable

Performance Goal 4.2.3: Invest financial and technical resources to stimulate 

efforts within the private sector to develop and demonstrate safe, reliable, and 

cost-effective space capabilities. 

2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019

Green Green Green Green Green Green

FY 2019 Annual Performance Indicators

CS-19-2: Continue monitoring partner milestone 

progress based on agreement content, including the launch of Orbital ATK’s first Mission 

Extension Vehicle (MEV).

Green

FY 2020–2021 Performance Plan

No performance goal after FY 2019. A new performance goal for Strategic Objective 4.2 is on page 

112.

FY 2019 Performance Progress

NASA’s commercial partners continue to develop 

their set of capabilities with support from NASA. 

Boeing conducted environmental qualification 

testing to validate their CST-100 Starliner spacecraft’s ability to withstand the harsh environments 

of launch, ascent, and spaceflight. Boeing also 

completed the initial qualification series of parachute drop tests using a high-altitude balloon, and 

working with NASA, completed a series of tests 

to continue proving the reliability of the Starliner’s 

parachute systems. Boeing, United Launch 

Alliance (ULA), NASA, and the Department of 

Defense (DoD) teamed up for integrated rehearsals of mission phases and various emergency 

escape and recovery scenarios. By the end of the 

fiscal year, Boeing completed 36 of their 44 milestones.

SpaceX conducted a series of parachute tests 

that provided unique insight into parachute loading, behavior, and reliability, and helped to further 

refine the design (watch a video of the September 

19, 2019, test). Teams from NASA, SpaceX, and 

DoD continued to rehearse launch day operations, mission phases, and communication in both 

normal and emergency scenarios. Teams also 

practiced removing astronauts from the Crew 

Dragon spacecraft to the company’s recovery 

boat, rehearsing steps they will take after splashdown of SpaceX’s Demo-2 mission, which will be 

the company’s first flight with a crew onboard. By 

the end of the fiscal year, SpaceX completed 22 of 

their 32 milestones.

The Commercial Crew Program, part of the 

Human Exploration and Operations Mission 

Directorate, is partnering with U.S. industry to fly 

human space transportation systems

NASA astronauts Sunita Williams (jumping 

from the capsule) and Barry “Butch” Wilmore 

(emerging from the capsule) rehearse exiting Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner spacecraft 

without assistance in the unlikely event of an 

emergency splashdown. The training exercise, 

which occurred April 27, 2019, in preparation 

for Boeing’s first crewed test, took place several miles off the coast of Cape Canaveral near 

NASA’s Kennedy Space Center. Photo credit: 

NASA
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Performance Goal 4.2.4: Review the current state of the NASA test capabilities, known test requirements, and test requests, and ensure their availability to 

meet the Nation’s needs.

2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019

Green Green Green Green Green Green

FY 2019 Annual Performance Indicators

SFS-19-2: Sustain 90 percent availability of test 

facilities to support NASA and other customers’ 

planned test requirements.

Green

FY 2020–2021 Performance Plan

4.2.3: Maximize the availability of propulsion 

test facilities that support NASA’s planned test 

requirements

Percent availability

Fiscal Year 2020 2021

Target 90% 90%

FY 2019 Performance Progress

NASA had zero facility-caused delays during 

FY 2019, resulting in a 100 percent readiness level 

to perform scheduled tests. During the fiscal year 

NASA provided support for 743 hot fire tests and 

five thermal vacuum tests.

NASA’s Rocket Propulsion Test program, part 

of the Human Exploration and Operations 

Mission Directorate, manages rocket propulsion test 

facilities, activities, and resources.

NASA’s Space Launch System core stage pathfinder is positioned 

in the B-2 Test Stand at Stennis Space Center on September 27, 

2019, in preparation for the Green Run test series. Photo credit: 

NASA
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Performance Goal 4.2.5: Complete Launch Services Program (LSP) objectives 

for all NASA-managed expendable launches

2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019

Green Green Green Green Green Green

FY 2019 Annual Performance Indicators

SFS-19-3: Sustain a 100 percent success rate 

with the successful launch of NASA-managed 

expendable launches as identified each fiscal 

year on the Launch Services Flight Planning 

Board manifest.

Green

SFS-19-4: Complete acquisitions on time for 

NASA-managed expendable launches. Green

FY 2020–2021 Performance Plan

4.2.4: Complete Launch Services Program (LSP) 

objectives for all NASA-managed expendable 

launches

Percentage of expendable launch objectives successfully completed

Fiscal Year 2020 2021

Target 100% 100%

FY 2019 Performance Progress

NASA did not have any LSP-managed launches 

in FY 2019. However, NASA earned a green rating 

for this performance goal by supporting a number 

of expendable launch vehicle acquisitions, all of 

which were completed on time, and by completing 

the Flight Readiness Review for the Ionospheric 

Connection Explorer (ICON) launch on September 

24, 2019. ICON was air-launched from an L-1011 

Stargazer aircraft aboard a Pegasus XL on 

October 10 (FY 2020).

NASA’s Launch Services Program, part of the 

Human Exploration and Operations Mission 

Directorate, is responsible for acquiring and launching expendable launch vehicles.
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Performance Goal 4.2.6: Maintain a minimum of 95 percent delivery of the 

Space Communications network services that support NASA and other customers’ mission success.

2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019

Green Green Green Green Green Green

FY 2019 Annual Performance Indicators

SFS-19-5: Maintain a minimum of 95 percent 

delivery of the Space Communications network 

services that support NASA and other customers’ mission success.

Green

FY 2020–2021 Performance Plan

4.2.5: Maintain the delivery of Space Communications network services.

Percent of delivery

Fiscal Year 2020 2021

Target 96% 96%

FY 2019 Performance Progress

The aggregate performance of NASA’s three 

networks—the Deep Space Network, the Space 

Network, and the Near Earth Network—was above 

99.5 percent for FY 2019, resulting in a green 

rating for this performance goal. These networks 

provide communications for missions ranging from 

polar low Earth orbit to beyond the solar system.

Space Communications and Navigation, part of 

the Human Exploration and Operations Mission 

Directorate, manages NASA’s ground-based communications facilities and services and the Tracking and 

Data Relay Satellites

Deep Space Network Now

The real-time status of communications 

with NASA’s deep space explorers
Part 2—Strategic Goal 4

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Performance Goal 4.2.7: Replace the aging Deep Space Network (DSN

infrastructure

2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019

Green Green Green Green Green Green

FY 2019 Annual Performance Indicators

SFS-19-6: Continue the Deep Space Network 

Aperture Enhancement Project (DAEP) at the 

Madrid Deep Space Communications Complex 

(MDSCC) by completing the construction 

milestones to lift the antenna reflector for Deep 

Space Station (DSS)-56 and to deliver the 

20-kilowatt transmitter for DSS-53 by the end of 

FY 2019.

Green

FY 2020–2021 Performance Plan

No performance goal after FY 2019.

FY 2019 Performance Progress

NASA achieved both FY 2019 milestones, resulting 

in a green rating for this performance goal. 

On November 15, 2018, the antenna reflector for 

DSS-56 was placed by crane on top of its pedestal at the MDSCC in Spain. NASA began building 

DSS-56 in September 2017. NASA also began 

building DSS-53 in 2017. The 20-kilowatt transmitter for DSS-53 was delivered during FY 2019 and 

placed in storage until required onsite for installation. On August 28, the antenna reflector for DSS53 was lifted into position. 

At the Goldstone Deep Space Communications 

Complex in California, NASA completed development and assembly of the 20 kilowatt transmitter 

for DSS-23.

Space Communications and Navigation, part of 

the Human Exploration and Operations Mission 

Directorate, manages NASA’s ground-based communications facilities and services and the Tracking and 

Data Relay Satellites

The antenna reflector for DSS-56 is hoisted onto its pedestal in 

November 2018. DSS-56 is one of the newest 34-meter antennas under construction at MDSCC. Photo credit: NASA/Centro 

de Entrenamiento y Visitantes
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Performance Goal 4.2.8: Ensure the strategic availability and maintenance of 

facilities that are necessary to meet the long-term needs and requirements of 

the Agency

2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019

Green Green Green Green Green Green

FY 2019 Annual Performance Indicators

SC-19-1: Achieve a minimum of 90 percent 

overall availability of Space Environment Testing 

Management Office (SETMO) portfolio of assets, 

which are necessary to meet the long-term 

needs and requirements of the Agency.

Green

FY 2020–2021 Performance Plan

4.2.6: Maximize the availability of the Space 

Environment Testing Management Office (SETMO) 

portfolio of assets to meet NASA’s current and future 

test facility needs

Percent of overall availability of SETMO portfolio assets

Fiscal Year 2020 2021

Target 90% 90%

FY 2019 Performance Progress

NASA accomplished 99.8 percent overall availability of its SETMO portfolio assets, exceeding the 

FY 2019 target of 90 percent. NASA’s workforce 

performs essential preventive maintenance to 

ensure that its key capabilities and critical assets 

will continue to be available in the future to support 

the missions that require them. Core capabilities 

include thermal vacuum chambers, simulators, and 

the Arc Jet Complex. NASA implements strategic 

investment decisions to sustain, enhance, replace, 

modify, or dispose of facilities based on NASA’s 

and national needs.

The Space Environment Testing Management 

Office, part of the Mission Support Directorate, 

manages NASA’s shared capabilities and assets used 

to conduct testing in a simulated space environment.

The Space Environments Complex thermal 

vacuum chamber, located at NASA’s Plum 

Brook Station in Ohio, stands ready to test

the recently completed Orion spacecraft 

in September 2019. This was Orion’s last 

major testing before being integrated with 

the Space Launch System for Artemis 1. 

The vacuum chamber—the largest in the 

world—will replicate the extreme hot and 

cold temperatures that Orion will experience 

while flying through space. Photo credit: 

NASA
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FY 2020–2021 Performance Plan: New Performance Goal

Performance Goal 4.2.2: Provide NASA crew 

transportation through commercial partners to low 

Earth orbit

Number of commercial crew missions launched

Fiscal Year 2020 2021

Target 2 2
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LEAD OFFICE

Technical Authorities: Office of the Chief 

Engineer (OCE), Office of the Chief 

Health and Medical Officer (OCHMO), 

and Office of Safety and Mission 

Assurance (OSMA)

GOAL LEADER

Mark Weyland, Director, Medical Policy 

and Ethics

Budget

FY $M

Actual 2019 $175.3

Enacted 2020 $195.6 

Requested 2021 $184.0

Outyear

2022 $184.0

2023 $184.0

2024 $184.0

2025 $184.0

Strategic Objective 4.3: Assure safety and mission 

success

NASA uses discipline experts, known as Technical Authorities, to 

provide authoritative and independent decisions on application 

of requirements across the Agency’s programs and projects. This 

includes evaluating hardware, software, environmental conditions, 

and human performance expectations. Technical Authorities identify 

hazards, including the impacts of new requirements and departures 

from existing requirements, and evaluate risk acceptability. NASA 

uses these decisions to assure that risks are addressed or mitigated 

to an acceptable level, improving the likelihood that missions, programs, and operations will be completed safely and successfully. 

The 2019 Strategic Review determined that NASA’s progress in this 

area was a focus area for improvement. The technical authorities 

continue to provide sound, relevant, and independent advice to 

NASA’s programs, projects, and leadership. However, the review 

determined that the Health and Medical Technical Authority’s 

(HMTA’s) resources are not sufficient to meet the demand for the

HMTA to deliver critical responsibilities, such as providing timely risk 

identification for human spaceflight systems. In FY 2021, NASA is 

redirecting resources to the HMTA to ensure they will be able to successfully control the number of variances made to human spaceflight 

systems standards, requirements, and policies.

Above: NASA officials cut the ribon on the newly renamed Katherine Johnson Independent Verification and Validation (IV&V) Facility

in Fairmont, West Virginia, on July 2, 2019. Just as Ms. Johnson’s calculations kept crews safe during the Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo 

programs, NASA’s IV&V Facility has contributed to the safety and success of NASA’s highest-profile missions since 1993. Photo credit: 

NASA
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FY 2019 Performance Summary for Strategic Objective 4.3

Performance Goal (PG) Annual Performance 

Indicators (APIs)

Summary of Performance for PGs and APIs Contributing to Strategic Objective 4.3, FY 2014–2019

Note: FY 2018 and FY 2019 contribute to Strategic Objective 4.3, as established by the NASA 2018 Strategic Plan. For FY 2014 through 

FY 2017, individual PGs and APIs were assigned to a strategic objective based on contributing work.
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Performance Goal 4.3.1: Assure the safety and health of NASA’s activities and 

reduce damage to assets through the development, implementation, and oversight of Agency-wide safety, reliability, maintainability, quality assurance, and 

health and medical policies and procedures

2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019

Green Green Green Green Green Green

FY 2019 Annual Performance Indicators

AMO-19-13: Achieve zero fatalities or permanent 

disabling injuries to the public resulting from 

NASA activities during FY 2019.

Green

AMO-19-14: Maintain a Total Case Rate and 

Lost Time Case Rate below 1.0 cases per 100 

employees.

Green

AMO-19-15: Reduce damage to NASA assets 

(excluding launched flight hardware) by two 

percent per year through FY 2019, compared to 

an FY 2010 baseline (in real dollars).

Green

AMO-19-16: During FY 2019, keep the number 

of variances made in any single human spaceflight program to below five percent of the total 

number of program requirements derived from 

Office of the Chief Health and Medical Officer 

(OCHMO) standards and policies.

Green

FY 2020–2021 Performance Plan

No performance goal after FY 2019. New performance goals for Strategic Objective 4.3 are on 

page 117.

FY 2019 Performance Progress

NASA met this performance goal for the year by 

achieving all of the annual performance indicators. 

NASA establishes applicable safety, engineering, and health policy directives and procedural 

requirements, and assures that the directives and 

requirements are appropriately implemented. 

This enables risk-informed decision-making by 

providing independent assessments of the technical challenges, independent technical analysis 

of safety and mission critical products, and risks 

encountered by programs and projects. 

In FY 2019, there were no fatalities at NASA, nor 

were there any injuries to the public. The costs 

associated with damage to NASA non-mission failure damage was $1 million, well below the target 

of $3.6 million (see the chart on the next page). 

NASA also maintained a total case rate for injury 

and illness of 0.24 cases per 100 workers, and a 

lost time case rate of 0.05 cases per 100 employees (see the chart on the next page). Additionally, 

NASA continued its achievements by keeping the 

number of variances made in any single human 

spaceflight program to below five percent of the 

total number of program requirements. 

Meeting these targets enables NASA to accomplish all of its missions safely and in the most 

cost-effective ways. While two of the three technical disciplines are implementing their plans, 

NASA’s Health and Medical Technical Authority 

(HMTA) is at risk of not being able to provide the 

level of oversight needed to achieve future health 

and safety targets in FY 2020 and beyond. Given 

the cadence of NASA’s human spaceflight missions, the FY 2021 budget increases resources 

for the HMTA to improve its ability to develop the 

appropriate standards, assess and advise programs on implementation, prioritize amongst and 

between programs, or evaluate requests for waiver 

or risk mitigations for all NASA programs that are in 

development, in a time-critical manner.

The Office of Safety and Mission Assurance, 

Office of the Chief Health and Medical Officer, 

and Office of the Chief Engineer ensure safety and 

mission success by providing independent oversight of 

NASA’s programs and projects. They are supported 

by the NASA Safety Center and the Katherine 

Johnson IV&V Facility
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Costs Associated with Damage to NASA Assets (Excluding Flight Hardware), FY 2010–2019

In FY 2019, NASA achieved its goal of limiting non-mission failure damage costs to $1.0 million, which is below the FY 2010 baseline 

level of $7.5 million and the lowest actual costs achieved during the decade of fiscal years measured.

Total Case Rates, NASA Versus Federal Government Average, FY 2010–2019

In FY 2019, NASA had 0.24 non-fatal cases of injury and illness per 100 employees. Since FY 2010, NASA consistently achieved its 

target of having fewer than 1 case per 100 employees. NASA also had a much lower total case rate per 100 employees than the average 

for the Federal Government, which includes the Executive, Legislative, and Judicial Branches, and the U.S. Postal Service.
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FY 2020–2021 Performance Plan: New Performance Goals

4.3.1: Achieve zero fatalities or permanent disabling 

injuries to the public resulting from NASA activities.

Number of fatalities or permanent disabling injuries

Fiscal Year 2020 2021

Target 0 0

4.3.2: Reduce damage to NASA assets (excludin

launched flight hardware)

Previous year’s costs (due to damage to NASA assets) 

reduced by two percent

Fiscal Year 2020 2021

Target 2% below FY 2019 

actual

2% below FY 2020 

actual

4.3.3: Ensure the health, safety and performance o

NASA astronauts and pilots

Number of non-concurrence determinations and percentage of program variances.

Fiscal Year 2020 2021

Target

Zero non-concurrence determinations and five 

percent or fewer 

program variances

Zero non-concurrence determinations and five 

percent or fewer 

program variances
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LEAD OFFICE

Mission Support Directorate (MSD) 

and Office of the Chief Human Capital 

Officer (OCHCO)

GOAL LEADER

Robert Gibbs, Associate Administrator, 

MSD

Budget

FY $M

Actual 2019 $156.3

Enacted 2020 $166.5

Requested 2021 $176.1

Outyear

2022 $164.8

2023 $164.8

2024 $164.8

2025 $164.8

Strategic Objective 4.4: Manage human capital.

NASA is cultivating a diverse and innovative workforce with the

right balance of skills and experience to provide an inclusive work 

environment in which employees that possess varying perspectives, education levels, life experiences, and backgrounds can work 

together and remain fully engaged in the Mission.

The 2019 Strategic Review determined that NASA made noteworthy 

progress. The Agency delivered services with a high level of customer satisfaction and a cost of under $5 thousand per employee

serviced, both favorable marks when benchmarked against other 

Federal agencies. NASA invested in numerous business strategies 

that will pay dividends in efficiency and effectiveness over the next 

several years. These include the ongoing consolidation of routine 

services and establishing a human resources business partner role 

to help address customer requirements. Implementing advancements from research studies will fundamentally change the way that 

NASA recruits, hires, retains, engages, and rewards a highly skilled, 

highly motivated workforce. 

NASA’s equal employment opportunity (EEO) programs continued 

to improve processes to proactively address awareness and options 

for redress. The Agency worked on identifying potential barriers to 

Above: Early career team members at Langley Research Center test and run simulations on the Low Earth Orbit Flight Test of an 

Inflatable Decelerator (LOFTID) in October 2019. “People who have been here for decades are excited to mentor. It’s a fast-paced, 

exciting learning environment,” said Beth Rieken (second from left), a research aerospace engineer hired in 2018. She added that 

internships are the gateway for other young researchers who might like to work at NASA. Photo credit: NASA/David C. Bowman
NASA’s FY 2021 Volume of Integrated Performance

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EEO, including statistical disparities in workforce 

representation and on implementing strategies 

that, in the next two to three years, to help eliminate these issues.

In positioning the Agency for longer-term success, 

NASA conducted a “future of work” research study, 

outlining key insights, challenges, and opportunities. This requires realigning value with changing 

nature of work, providing the flexibility and mobility 

needed to match people with opportunities and 

embracing technology to modernize human capital 

service delivery.

FY 2019 Performance Summary for Strategic Objective 4.4

Performance Goals (PGs) Annual Performance 

Indicators (APIs)

Summary of Performance for PGs and APIs Contributing to Strategic Objective 4.4, FY 2014–2019

Note: FY 2018 and FY 2019 contribute to Strategic Objective 4.4 as established by the NASA 2018 Strategic Plan. For FY 2014 through 

FY 2017, individual PGs and APIs were assigned to a strategic objective based on contributing work.
NASA’s FY 2021 Volume of Integrated Performance

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Performance Goal 4.4.1: Define and build diverse workforce skills and competencies needed for the Agency’s Mission.

2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019

Green Green Green Green Green Yellow

FY 2019 Annual Performance Indicators

AMO-19-20: Sustain NASA’s Innovation Score, 

as measured by the Innovation-related questions of the Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey 

(FEVS), by taking actions such as refining and 

updating human capital policies, programs, and 

systems to support and encourage innovation to 

meet NASA’s missions.

Green

AMO-19-34: Ensure that NASA’s workforce has 

an appropriately-balanced skill and grade mix 

to meet current and future workforce needs by 

achieving an Agency hiring goal of 50 percent 

hires or intern conversions to be at entry and 

mid-level positions on the General Schedule 

(GS) pay scale (i.e., the GS-11 level or below or 

GS-12 level with a Ph.D.).

Yellow

FY 2020–2021 Performance Plan

4.4.1: Sustain NASA employees’ perceptions of 

innovation climate, as measured by the Innovationrelated questions on the Federal Employee 

Viewpoint Survey (FEVS), through Human Capital 

programs and tools that support NASA employees

Agency FEVS Innovation score

Fiscal Year 2020 2021

Target 84% 84%

FY 2019 Performance Progress

NASA rated this performance goal yellow for 

FY 2019 because the Agency was slightly below 

the target to meet early career hiring of 50 percent and only achieved 42 percent, as measured 

by hires or intern conversions to be at entry and 

mid-level positions on the GS pay scale. These 

positions are defined by NASA as GS-11 level or 

below or GS-12 level with a Ph.D. These positions 

are necessary for NASA to continue to grow and 

remain an industry leader. 

Even though NASA did not achieve a green rating, 

the Agency still met the target of improving NASA’s 

Innovation Score, from 83 percent to 84 percent, 

as measured by the innovation-related questions 

of the FEVS, which measures employees’ perceptions of their workplace experiences, leadership, 

and culture (see the table below). NASA continues 

to improve this score by refining and updating 

human capital policies, programs, and systems to 

support and encourage innovation to meet NASA’s 

missions. 

NASA’s Innovation Score, 2016–2019

2016 2017 2018 2019

81.0% 82.7% 83.0% 84.0%

The Innovation score is based on NASA civil servant responses to the following three questions: 

• I feel encouraged to come up with new and better 

ways of doing things.

• I am constantly looking for ways to do my job better.

• Creativity and innovation are rewarded.

NASA has redesigned the way human capital 

services are delivered through the use of Human 

Resources Business Partners (HRBPs). HRBPs 

are more engrained in the organizations they are 

servicing, enabling the Agency to more strategically hire, develop, and manage its workforce. 

NASA also gained more flexible hiring authorities 

and refined hiring processes to improve efficiency. 

This will allow the Agency to hire skilled employees 

faster and more competitively, helping NASA meet 

the challenge of landing the first woman and the 

next man on the Moon by 2024 while also fulfilling 

other parts of its Mission. NASA increased its focus 

on strategic workforce planning by developing a 

new process, which allows the Agency to increase 

its agility and alignment to future mission needs. 

NASA also launched a new People Analytics 

branch. This future-focused capability is concentrated on better understanding the implications of 

decisions for NASA’s people, and factoring that 

insight into decision making, strategic planning, 

and even the day-to-day experience of working at 

NASA. 

The Office of the Chief Human Capital Officer, 

part of the Mission Support Directorate, helps 

NASA maintain an adaptable and skilled workforce 

through strategic workforce planning, management 

services, and staff training and development.
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Performance Goal 4.4.2: Sustain equal opportunity (EO) and diversity and 

inclusion (D&I) programs and processes that help to proactively prevent discrimination, achieve more equitable and inclusive work environments, and 

more efficiently address EO concerns

2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019

Green Green Green Green Green Green

FY 2019 Annual Performance Indicators

AMO-19-21: Sustain employee perceptions 

of the workplace as measured by the Federal 

Employee Viewpoint Survey (FEVS) Inclusion 

Index percentages.

Green

AMO-19-35: Increase efficiency in equal employment opportunity (EEO) programs (such as 

EEO complaints processing, anti-harassment, 

and reasonable accommodations), demonstrated by achieving at least 85 percent timely 

processing of matters raised in FY 2019.

Green

AMO-19-36: Identify any existing barriers to 

equal employment opportunity, as reflected in 

statistical disparities in workforce representation, 

and implement strategies to eliminate identified 

barriers within two to three years.

Green

FY 2020–2021 Performance Plan

4.4.2: Sustain NASA employees’ perceptions 

of inclusion, as measured by the New Inclusion 

Quotient (New IQ) index scores on the annual 

Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey (FEVS), through 

Diversity and Equal Opportunity programs and tools 

that support NASA employees

Agency FEVS New IQ Index score

Fiscal Year 2020 2021

Target 70% 70%

FY 2019 Performance Progress

NASA achieved this performance goal by meeting 

targets for providing an inclusive work environment and efficiently addressing equal employment 

opportunity challenges. NASA workforce diversity 

and inclusion efforts continue to result in improved 

employee perceptions relating to fairness and 

career advancement as measured by the most 

recent FEVS Inclusion Index. 

FEVS New IQ Index Scores, 

NASA Versus Federal Government, FY 2015–2019

Fiscal Year NASA Federal Government

2015 74% 57%

2016 76% 58%

2017 78% 60%

2018 78% 61%

2019 79% 62%

NASA achieved its goal for FY 2019 by improving its FEVS IQ 

index scores over FY 2018. NASA leads the Federal Government 

in its overall New IQ index scores from the Office of Personnel 

Management’s annual FEVS. The New IQ index is comprised of 

questions relating to employees’ perceptions of fairness, openness, cooperation, support, and empowerment. 

NASA also offers Alternative Dispute Resolution 

(ADR) at a rate of 89 percent at the informal stage 

and 59 percent at the formal stage, both of which 

are above the government-wide average. Timely 

completion of EEO Counseling improved from 

75 percent in FY 2018 to 88 percent in FY 2019. 

All investigations were 100 percent on time in 

FY 2019. Additionally, 89 percent of Final Agency 

Decisions pending at the end of FY 2018 were 

resolved, reflecting an upward trend for the past 

two fiscal years.

The Office of Diversity and Equal Opportunity

leads diversity and civil rights policies, programs, and 

services, enabling the universe of available talent to 

contribute inclusively and equitably to NASA.
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LEAD OFFICE

Office of the Chief Information Officer 

(OCIO) and Enterprise Protection 

Program

GOAL LEADER

Renee Wynn, Chief Information Officer, 

and Ray Taylor, Principal Advisor for 

Enterprise Protection

Budget

FY $M

Actual 2019 $538.2

Enacted 2020 $550.7 

Requested 2021 $549.5

Outyear

2022 $549.5

2023 $549.5

2024 $549.5

2025 $549.5

Strategic Objective 4.5: Ensure enterprise protection.

NASA’s enterprise protection approach requires collaboration across 

all parts of the Agency as well as with NASA’s Federal and commercial partners. NASA is conducting comprehensive vulnerability, 

susceptibility, and mitigation assessments of existing and planned 

architectures, requirements and policies, technology, systems, workforce, and other relevant factors. Analysis of these assessments will 

result in strategic, actionable recommendations to reduce protection 

risk. NASA is partnering with the Department of Homeland Security 

to modernize, and consolidate where appropriate, the Agency’s 

cybersecurity infrastructure in alignment with the National Institute of 

Standards and Technology (NIST) cybersecurity framework. 

The 2019 Strategic Review determined that NASA made satisfactory progress on this strategic objective as it addresses Office of 

Inspector General recommendations and identified weaknesses. 

For FY 2018 and 2019, NASA received an overall ‘Managing Risk’ 

(green) rating on the Federal Information Security Management Act 

(FISMA) Risk Management Assessment. This was an improvement 

from the ‘High Risk’ (red) score received for FY 2017. By the end 

of FY 2019, NASA increased its personal identity verification (PIV) 

authentication for unprivileged access to 90 percent. NASA uses 

PIV authentication for 100 percent of privileged user accounts to its 

network.

Above: Members of the Artemis 1 launch team participate in validation testing inside Firing Room 1 in the Launch Control Center at 

NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on July 11, 2019. The simulation was designed to validate the firing room consoles and communications systems, as well as the new Spaceport Command and Control System, which will operate, monitor and coordinate ground 

equipment for Artemis 1. The security of these systems is paramount to launch safety. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett
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At the end of FY 2018, NASA released an interim 

directive that established the roles and responsibilities for the Agency’s enterprise protection 

functions, including the Enterprise Protection 

Program, the position of Principal Advisor for 

Enterprise Protection, and the Enterprise Protection 

Board. NASA’s Enterprise Protection Program 

worked with the Science Mission Directorate on 

protecting space-based assets, resulting in a new 

Agency policy and position. NASA established a 

cross-Agency team to focus on issues concerning 

mission ground-systems security.

Increased insight into mission systems and networks will improve the Agency’s ability to strategically manage related cybersecurity risk. NASA is 

in the process of deploying continuous monitoring 

capabilities across the Agency’s complex ecosystem, including the mission environment, to increase 

visibility and strengthen its risk management capability. NASA is also updating policy and developing 

a baseline for its operational technology systems 

that are part of the assets on the NASA Critical 

Infrastructure (NCI) list. Looking forward, NASA is 

executing its Mission Support Future Architecture 

Program, which will integrate mission support 

capabilities across the Agency into an enterprise 

architecture to drive further optimization, strategic 

capabilities, and improved protection.

FY 2019 Performance Summary for Strategic Objective 4.5

Performance Goals (PGs) Annual Performance 

Indicators (APIs)

Summary of Performance for PGs and APIs Contributing to Strategic Objective 4.5, FY 2014–2019

Note: FY 2018 and FY 2019 contribute to Strategic Objective 4.5 as established by the NASA 2018 Strategic Plan. For FY 2014 through 

FY 2017, individual PGs and APIs were assigned to a strategic objective based on contributing work.

Ratings may not total 100 percent due to rounding.
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Performance Goal 4.5.1: Safeguard NASA’s data and IT assets by implementing cybersecurity and privacy capabilities.

2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019

Yellow Green Red Yellow Yellow Yellow

FY 2019 Annual Performance Indicators

AMO-19-23: Enforce a 30-minute inactivity timeout for remote access security. Green

FY 2020–2021 Performance Plan

4.5.1: Safeguard NASA’s data and IT assets by implementing cybersecurity and privacy capabilities.

Percentage of cybersecurity capability cross-agency 

priority (CAP) goals met from Performance.gov

Fiscal Year 2020 2021

Target 100% 100%

FY 2019 Performance Progress

NASA identified four internal targets to achieve 

this performance goal—software asset management, intrusion detection and prevention, hardware 

asset management, and high value asset access 

management—to indicate incremental progress 

toward the FY 2020 IT cross-agency priority goal 

on Performance.gov. While not fully meeting all 

four targets, NASA achieved a yellow rating as the 

Agency continues to strengthen its other cybersecurity capabilities and maintained the highest 

overall score of ‘Managing Risk’ on the Federal 

Information Security Management Act (FISMA) Risk 

Management Assessment in FY 2019.

At the end of FY 2019, NASA achieved 89 percent 

of the Agency’s software assets being covered 

by a whitelisting capability, exceeding its target of 

75 percent. NASA achieved five out of six intrusion detection and prevention metrics, exceeding 

its target of meeting three out of six metrics, and 

100 percent of email traffic is analyzed using the 

required email authentication protocols. 67 percent 

of NASA’s hardware assets are covered by a capability to detect and alert upon the connection of an 

unauthorized hardware asset, nearly meeting its 

target of 75 percent. For high value asset management, only 12 percent require all users to authenticate using a multifactor authentication method, 

missing the target of 75 percent. Additionally, 100 

percent of NASA’s remote connections time out 

after 30 minutes of inactivity. This configuration 

implements a FISMA requirement to help secure 

access to the Agency’s network and systems by 

terminating remote connections after a period of 

inactivity and requiring remote users to reauthenticate to regain access.

To meet the strategic goal of increasing the resiliency of NASA’s enterprise systems by assessing 

risks and implementing comprehensive, economical, and actionable solutions, NASA will continue 

efforts to enable the detection and alert functionality of its network access controls across the 

Agency’s hardware assets. NASA’s cybersecurity 

program will also continue working with system 

owners across the Agency to provide technical 

personal identity verification enforcement solutions 

for high value asset systems to enable broader 

implementation of these controls and resiliency for 

these systems.

The Office of the Chief Information Officer 

(OCIO) manages the information technology (IT) and 

data that enable NASA’s missions. Through strategic 

partnering across NASA and with the Department of 

Homeland Security (DHS), the OCIO is ensuring that 

critical mission and infrastructure systems have resilient cybersecurity, back-up, and disaster recovery 

capabilities
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Performance Goal 4.5.2: Improve the security and resiliency of NASA’s operational technology (OT) systems to ensure safe and secure operation of NASA’s 

critical infrastructure in a manner consistent with guidance from the National 

Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)

2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019

None before FY 2019 Green

FY 2019 Annual Performance Indicators

AMO-19-24: Identify at least 95 percent of the 

operational technology systems that are part of 

the assets on the NASA Critical Infrastructure 

(NCI) list.

Green

FY 2020–2021 Performance Plan

4.5.2: Improve the security of the NASA operational technology (OT) systems that are part of NASA 

Critical Infrastructure (NCI) in order to ensure they 

operate safely and securely in the face of the changing threat environment.

Percentage of OT systems that are part of NCI that have 

been assessed and granted an Authorization to Operate 

(ATO) in accordance with the Risk Management Framework (RMF), as outlined in National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) 800-37 and NASA policies 

and requirements

Fiscal Year 2020 2021

Target 100% 100%

FY 2019 Performance Progress

NASA achieved this performance goal by identifying 95 percent of the operational technology systems that are part of NASA’s critical infrastructure 

by the end of FY 2019, as planned. The next step 

will be to attain formal approval of the system lists 

by each of the NASA center’s leadership.

Identification of these systems will enable NASA 

to ensure that operational technology systems that 

are part of the Agency’s critical infrastructure are 

using the latest guidance and best practices to 

address the changing threat environment.

The Enterprise Protection Program is working 

with the Office of the Chief Information Officer, 

Office of Protective Services, Office of Strategic 

Infrastructure, Office the Chief Engineer, and 

mission directorates to ensure the security of NASA’s 

operational technology
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LEAD OFFICE

Mission Support Directorate (MSD)

GOAL LEADER

Robert Gibbs, Associate Administrator, 

MSD

Budget

FY $M

Actual 2019 $1,976.8

Enacted 2020 $2,055.8

Requested 2021 $2,321.1

Outyear

2022 $2,321.2

2023 $2,321.2

2024 $2,321.2

2025 $2,321.2

Strategic Objective 4.6: Sustain infrastructure 

capabilities and operations

Above: Marshall Space Flight Center officially opened its newest environmentally friendly building on Earth Day, April 22, 2019, with a ribbon cutting ceremony that included (from left) David Burns, Manager of Marshall’s Science and Technology Office; Roy Malone, Director 

of Marshall’s Office of Center Operations; Calvin Williams, NASA Assistant Administrator for the Office of Strategic Infrastructure; Col. 

Sebastien Joly, Commander of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Mobile District; Marshall Director Jody Singer; U.S. Senator Doug 

Jones of Alabama; Bobby Watkins, Manager of Marshall’s Human Exploration Development and Operations Office; and Marshall Deputy 

Director Paul McConnaughey. Building 4221 is designed to rigorous Federal guidelines on energy and water efficiency and is Marshall 

Space Flight Center’s ninth Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED)-certified facility. Photo credit: NASA/Emmett Given

NASA is providing the facilities, tools, and services required to efficiently manage, operate, and sustain the infrastructure necessary to 

meet mission objectives. NASA has adopted a facilities maintenance 

and operation philosophy that proactively pursues and adopts the 

safest, most cost-effective blend of reliability-centered maintenance 

techniques, sustainability practices, and safety procedures. An

Agency facilities master plan establishes priorities (over a 20-year 

projection) for construction, demolition, and maintenance. NASA 

uses a centralized approach in providing standardized, timely, and 

accurate business support for services.

In spring 2019, NASA’s Strategic Review assessed this to be a 

focus area for improvement, an area also identified as a challenge 

in the 2019 Report on NASA’s Top Management and Performance 

Challenges. NASA continues to address issues and challenges 

related to its aging infrastructure. While the Construction of Facilities 

program has focused on modernizing and repairing infrastructure, 

NASA has seen increased facility failures and, as a result, has 

only reduced spending on unscheduled maintenance by only one 
Part 2—Strategic Goal 4

NASA’s FY 2021 Volume of Integrated Performance 127

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percent from the FY 2015 baseline. NASA must 

increase efforts to address the deferred maintenance backlog and prioritize and optimize maintenance investments.

NASA is implementing new strategies to address 

assets that require the most attention and continue 

to correct long-standing performance problems 

to ease maintenance requirements. Substantial 

progress in maintenance of facilities will require 

significant and steady investment. NASA will 

continue to use existing management systems, 

processes, technologies, and decision-making 

to influence both short- and long-term planning, 

aided by enhanced data collection and analyses. 

NASA will also collaborate with Federal agencies, 

like the Department of Energy’s Federal Energy 

Management Program, to develop innovative solutions to further drive success.

Note: FY 2018 and FY 2019 contribute to Strategic Objective 4.6 as established by the NASA 2018 Strategic Plan. For FY 2014 through 

FY 2017, individual PGs and APIs were assigned to a strategic objective based on contributing work.

Ratings may not total 100 percent due to rounding.

FY 2019 Performance Summary for Strategic Objective 4.6

Performance Goals (PGs) Annual Performance 

Indicators (APIs)

Summary of Performance for PGs and APIs Contributing to Strategic Objective 4.6, FY 2014–2019
Part 2—Strategic Goal 4

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Performance Goal 4.6.1: Between 2018 and 2022, support the demolition and 

elimination of obsolete and unneeded facilities

2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019

Green Green Green Green Green Green

FY 2019 Annual Performance Indicators

COF-19-1: Dispose of 20 facilities or structures 

during 2019 to reduce the Agency’s footprint. Green

FY 2020–2021 Performance Plan

4.6.1: Demolish and eliminate obsolete and unneeded facilities to reduce the Agency’s overall footprin

Square footage or facilities reduced

Fiscal Year 2020 2021

Target 100,000 square feet 

or 20 facilities

100,000 square feet 

or 20 facilities

FY 2019 Performance Progress

NASA demolished 25 facilities or structures during 

the fiscal year, exceeding the target of 20 facilities or structures. Demolitions included five facilities at Glenn Research Center, one at Langley 

Research Center, two at Wallops Flight Facility, one 

at Goddard Space Flight Center, three at the Jet 

Propulsion Laboratory, one at the Jet Propulsion 

Laboratory Canberra, two at Marshall Space Flight 

Center, one at Michoud Assembly Facility, three 

at Johnson Space Center, and six at Kennedy 

Space Center. NASA’s demolition program eliminates inactive and obsolete facilities, improves 

energy efficiency, reduces the Agency footprint, 

and saves operations and maintenance expenses. 

Demolishing these facilities also eliminates safety 

and environmental liabilities.

The Office of Strategic Infrastructure, part of the 

Mission Support Directorate, strategically manages NASA’s assets and capabilities to meet mission 

needs and support Agency operations
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Performance Goal 4.6.2: Ensure that NASA continues progress towards implementing the targets and goals reflected in its annual Sustainability Pl

1 More information on NASA’s Sustainability Report and Implementation Plan and scorecard is available from the Office of Management and Budget’s Office of Federal Sustainability.

2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019

Green Yellow Yellow Green Green Yellow

FY 2019 Annual Performance Indicators

AMO-19-27: Reduce energy intensity (energy 

consumption per gross square feet, or Btu/

gsf) to meet the target set by the Office of 

Management and Budget (OMB) for FY 2019 

in the OMB Scorecard for Efficient Federal 

Operations/Management.

Yellow

AMO-19-28: Meet sustainable building inventory 

target (percentage of gross square footage of 

inventory meeting guiding principles) set by 

the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) 

for FY 2019 in the OMB Scorecard for Efficient 

Federal Operations/Management.

Green

AMO-19-29: Ensure that a percentage of electricity consumed is generated from renewable 

energy sources, to meet the target set by the 

Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for 

FY 2019 in the OMB Scorecard for Efficient 

Federal Operations/Management.

Green

FY 2020–2021 Performance Plan

4.6.2: Improve NASA’s ability to operate facilities 

sustainably and reduce overall resource demands.

Percentage of sustainability goals met annually in the 

Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Scorecard for 

Efficient Federal Operations/Management

Fiscal Year 2020 2021

Target 100% 100%

FY 2019 Performance Progress

NASA achieved the targets for only two of the three 

annual performance indicators, resulting in a yellow rating for this sustainability performance goal. 

Please note that due to data lags and the reporting 

cycle for the Sustainability Plan, the following is 

an assessment of FY 2018 performance against 

FY 2018 targets.1

NASA’s sustainable building inventory achieved 

23 percent of the Agency’s gross square footage, 

greatly exceeding the FY 2019 target of at least 

15 percent. NASA also exceeded the 7.5 percent renewable energy target, with 15 percent of 

the Agency’s electricity coming from renewable 

sources. NASA reduced energy use intensity (EUI) 

39 percent in FY 2018 compared to the FY 2003 

baseline. This greatly exceeded part of the 

FY 2018 target to reduce EUI 30 percent compared to FY 2003, but was a 1 percent increase 

from FY 2017. 

Overall, NASA continues to increase operational 

efficiency and reliability, reduce risk exposure, 

and enable mission success. Key initiatives 

include the launch of a cyclical Existing Building 

Commissioning Program, installation of new renewable solar energy systems, and the construction of 

four new high-performance sustainable buildings. 

These and other ongoing strategic measures will 

position NASA to better meet the Agency’s sustainability goals.

The Office of Strategic Infrastructure, part of the 

Mission Support Directorate, strategically manages NASA’s assets and capabilities to meet mission 

needs and support Agency operations
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NASA Building Energy Use Intensity (Btu Per Gross Square Foot), 2003 Baseline–2018

NASA’s EUI for 2018 was 130,901 British thermal units (Btus) per square foot, which was a 1 percent increase from 2017. However, 

NASA achieved significant EUI reductions from the 2003 baseline through 2013 and, as of 2016, surpassed the 30 percent reduction 

target established by the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007. NASA is now finding fewer remaining low-cost/high-return 

investment opportunities, and the increase in EUI from 2017 to 2018 is due to challenges that NASA now regularly faces. A large renewable energy system was down for part of 2018, so NASA received fewer credits for that system than in the prior year. That factor alone 

moved the Agency from an annual decrease in EUI to an increase.

NASA Renewable Energy Use, 2008–2018

For 2018, NASA exceeded its target for renewable energy use—7.5 percent of all energy, as set in the Energy Policy Act of 2005—by 

producing 15 percent of its energy from renewable sources. Since 2012, NASA has increased its use of renewable power sources. 

For example, the Jet Propulsion Laboratory’s Project Formulation Building, which was constructed 30 years ago, was awarded the 

Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold for Existing Buildings due to a number of continuing best practices, 

including installation of a 285 kW rooftop solar array. The building’s energy consumption is 73 percent more efficient than comparable 

buildings. Johnson Space Center’s new combined heat and power plant combusts natural gas in turbines, which produce electricity 

and contributes to the production of steam and chilled water. The unit provides about two-thirds of the center’s electricity and reduces 

pressure on Houston’s electricity grid when demand is high.
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Performance Goal 4.6.3: Between 2018 and 2019, demonstrate increased 

facility reliability by reducing spending on unscheduled maintenance by one 

percent annually

2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019

None Red Red Green Green

FY 2019 Annual Performance Indicators

AMO-19-30: Reduce spending on unscheduled 

maintenance (out of total maintenance spending) by at least one percentage point.

Green

FY 2020–2021 Performance Plan

4.6.3: Demonstrate increased facility reliabili

Percent reduction in unscheduled maintenance from 

previous year’s actual unscheduled maintenance

Fiscal Year 2020 2021

Target

1% below FY 2019 

actual unscheduled 

maintenance

1% below FY 2020 

actual unscheduled 

maintenance

FY 2019 Performance Progress

NASA performs scheduled maintenance on its 

equipment to keep it in good operating condition. When equipment fails, NASA must perform 

unscheduled maintenance to repair it. The percentage of unscheduled maintenance spending to 

total maintenance spending is an indicator of the 

overall condition of the equipment. More unscheduled maintenance indicates that the equipment has 

become unreliable, and unplanned failures and 

outages become more frequent, which can delay 

mission activities, such as manufacturing and 

testing. In FY 2019, the ratio of unscheduled maintenance to total maintenance was 24.2 percent, 

which achieved the targeted 1 percent reduction of 

30.9 percent and met the long-term goal set by the 

Agency in FY 2015.

Ratio of Unscheduled Maintenance to Total Maintenance, 

FY 2015 (Baseline)–2019

Reduce unscheduled maintenance by one percent from the previous fiscal year’s percentage of unscheduled maintenance to 

total maintenance.

Fiscal Year Target Ratio Actual Ratio

2015 (Baseline) 31.6% 31.6%

2016 30.6% 37.1%

2017 36.1% 32.9%

2018 31.9% 31.5%

2019 30.9% 24.2%

The Office of Strategic Infrastructure, part of the 

Mission Support Directorate, strategically manages NASA’s assets and capabilities to meet mission 

needs and support Agency operations