NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION 

Workforce Transition Strategy 

Initial Report 

 

Space Shuttle and Constellation Workforce Focus 

March 2008
NASA Workforce Transition Strategy – Table of Contents Page 2 

Table of Contents

1.0 Introduction Page 3 

2.0 Background Page 4 

3.0 Workforce Initiatives Page 11 

4.0 Distribution of Workload and Tasks to Centers Page 17 

5.0 Workforce Projection Page 19 

6.0 The Road Ahead Page 24 

Appendix A: Constellation Work Assignments to NASA Centers Page 25 

Appendix B: NASA Non-Sensitive Integrated Acquisition Roadmap Page 28 

Appendix C: Multi-Program Integrated Milestones Page 33

March 2008 
NASA Workforce Transition Strategy – 1.0: Introduction Page 3 

1.0 Introduction

This report responds to direction in the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2008 (P.L. 110-161): 

“The Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration shall prepare a strategy for 

minimizing job losses when the National Aeronautics and Space Administration transitions from the Space 

Shuttle to a successor human-rated space transport vehicle. This strategy shall include: (1) specific 

initiatives that the National Aeronautics and Space Administration has undertaken, or plans to undertake, to 

maximize the utilization of existing civil servant and contractor workforces at each of the affected Centers; 

(2) efforts to equitably distribute tasks and workload between the Centers to mitigate the brunt of job losses 

being borne by only certain Centers; (3) new workload, tasks, initiatives, and missions being secured for the 

affected Centers; and (4) overall projections of future civil servant and contractor workforce levels at the

affected Centers. The Administrator shall transmit this strategy to Congress not later than 90 days after the 

date of enactment of this Act. The Administrator shall update and transmit to Congress this strategy not less 

than every six months thereafter until the successor human-rated space transport vehicle is fully 

operational.”

The transition from Space Shuttle to Constellation over the next few years provides a rare 

opportunity to reinvigorate the Nation’s space exploration capabilities. During that time, NASA’s 

greatest challenge and top priority will be to safely fly out the Space Shuttle manifest, complete 

assembly of the International Space Station (ISS), and honor commitments to our international 

partners prior to retiring the Shuttle in 2010, all while developing the new Constellation space 

systems and preparing them for flight as soon as possible after the Shuttle’s last mission. 

Through this period, NASA’s greatest asset will continue to be its people – the thousands of 

individuals across the country in both government and industry who conceive, design, build, 

operate, and manage an ambitious program of space exploration on behalf of the Nation. At the 

same time, our greatest challenge over the next several years will be managing this extremely 

talented, experienced, and geographically dispersed workforce as we transition from operating 

the Space Shuttle to utilizing the International Space Station and expanding our reach to the 

Moon, Mars, and beyond. This report describes NASA’s strategy for meeting this challenge, 

integrated across programs, Centers, and our industry partners. Because this is a dynamic 

process, future versions of this report will provide updates to both this strategy and the 

underlying data which drives NASA’s strategic and tactical plans. 

NASA’s most critical resource, and the one which will be most crucial to the success of this 

initiative, is the highly skilled workforce that will turn the Nation’s space exploration policy into a 

reality. Today, a large portion of the Agency’s skilled civil servant and contractor workforce is 

focused on the safety of ongoing mission operations. Much of the experience and expertise 

within this workforce is required for the Constellation program to succeed. However, the effects 

of the transition will not be the same for everyone. While approximately 80 percent or more of 

NASA’s budget will continue to pay for the purchase of contractor products, goods, and 

services, the nature of the work being done will change. NASA’s human spaceflight workforce 

will shift from being focused primarily on operating spacecraft to a recurring cycle of spacecraft 

development and operations. NASA recognizes and values the dedication of its Space Shuttle 

workforce and will leverage this resource, where feasible, by engaging those men and women in 

challenging future work that capitalizes on their unique skills and abilities to the maximum extent 

practical. 

All data in this report are NASA’s best estimates as of March 2008. The maturity of the data will 

improve over time and will be updated in future versions of this strategy.

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NASA Workforce Transition Strategy – 2.0: Background Page 4 

2.0 Background

NASA is managing human spaceflight workforce issues within the broader context of the U.S. 

Space Exploration Policy and the Agency’s overall transition efforts. The NASA Human Space 

Flight Transition Plan (TCB-001) describes the processes by which the Agency manages and 

integrates all of the strategic and tactical aspects of transition, including workforce. To augment 

these transition processes and ensure close cooperation and partnering between NASA and 

industry, a Human Capital Council, comprised of human resources directors from the prime 

contractors and Centers, has been formed and meets quarterly. Supporting the efforts of the 

Human Capital Council, NASA and its prime contractors conduct frequent formal and informal 

Technical Interchange Meetings including a broad range of participants. 

In addition to these standing Agency transition processes, NASA also tightly integrates 

transition workforce planning into its acquisition and budget development activities. NASA uses 

a strategic acquisition approach for make/buy decision and contracting. For example, a seniorlevel leadership forum reviews and approves Center acquisition strategies. Criteria during these

reviews include any impacts of decisions on the health of the workforce at NASA’s Centers, and 

any new programs, major program shifts, or major new institutional initiatives are coordinated 

through this process. Acquisition strategy planning decision meetings will occur semi-annually, 

synchronized to the President’s budget development, as well as when any significant new 

mission element or program is proposed. 

The annual Planning, Programming, Budgeting, and Execution (PPBE) process involves 

planning, analysis, recommending requirements, and developing decision packages as part of 

the Agency’s development of the President’s budget request. Transition workforce planning 

across the programs, the institutions, and Headquarters has shaped the last several budget 

development cycles and will continue to be a critical component of the budget process. 

NASA’s contractor workforce is vital to success. The Agency and its Space Shuttle prime 

contractors have developed and implemented a range of personnel management tools to help 

safely manage operations through retirement. It is important to note that while NASA directly 

plans and controls its civil servant workforce, the Agency does not determine the personnel 

levels of the contractor workforce. Instead, NASA purchases the products and services they 

provide as part of the national human spaceflight workforce and aerospace industrial and 

supplier base. NASA expects that many of its contractors will apply their human spaceflight 

workforce to the design, development, test, and integration of new human spaceflight and 

support systems. At the same time, containing workforce costs for exploration is key because 

NASA’s new systems must cost less to produce, process, launch, and operate or the Agency 

will not have the resources to return to the Moon. 

March 2008 
NASA Workforce Transition Strategy – 2.0: Background Page 5 

NASA Organization and Current Workforce Distributions

The Space Operations Mission Directorate (SOMD) oversees NASA’s operational space 

capabilities, including the Space Shuttle, International Space Station, Launch Services, Space 

Communications and Navigation, and Rocket Propulsion and Test programs. The 2008 Space 

Shuttle workforce includes approximately 15,000 contractors and 1,700 civil servants in 

locations across the country (Figure 1). 

Figure 1: Major Space Shuttle Program Facilities 

The Exploration Systems Mission Directorate (ESMD) oversees the Constellation, Human 

Research, Exploration Technology Development, and Lunar Precursor Robotic Programs, as 

well as the Commercial Orbital Transportation Services (COTS) project through the Commercial 

Crew and Cargo Program Office. Constellation Program work takes place across NASA’s ten 

Centers and at prime contractor and subcontractor locations throughout the country. The 

Constellation Program project elements include the Orion Crew Exploration Vehicle (CEV), the 

Ares I crew launch vehicle, and extravehicular activity systems. NASA’s first new Constellation 

human spaceflight capabilities will be Orion and Ares I, which will be followed by the

development of the Ares V heavy-lift launch vehicle, the Altair lunar surface access module, and 

other systems necessary to support the exploration of the Moon, Mars, and beyond. Figures 2 

and 3 highlight the Constellation Program Center work distribution. 

March 2008 
NASA Workforce Transition Strategy – 2.0: Background Page 6 

Figure 2: NASA Center Constellation Work 

Figure 3: Constellation Work Distribution Nationwide 

March 2008 
NASA Workforce Transition Strategy – 2.0: Background Page 7 

To manage an efficient and cost-effective transition of workforce, facilities, and contractor 

support from the Space Shuttle Program to the new Constellation Program, the NASA 

leadership team must ensure that our workforce skills are rebalanced to meet the evolved focus 

of the Agency, and effectively communicate our actions and goals to all of our stakeholders, 

most importantly our employees. 

Figure 4: Space Shuttle’s Legacy and Constellation’s Future 

While there will be a gap between flights of Shuttle and Ares I/Orion, a great deal of 

development activity is planned during this time, including Orion abort testing at White Sands 

Test Facility (WSTF), the Ares I-Y flight test at Kennedy Space Center (KSC), J-2X engine 

integrated development and testing at Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) and Stennis Space 

Center (SSC), and new testing and operations facility construction at SSC and KSC. NASA 

may schedule additional flight tests as requirements and program plans continue to mature. 

These and many other development and construction activities across all NASA Centers will 

provide the workforce with many opportunities to remain engaged with meaningful work 

between flights of Shuttle and Orion. Transition also provides an opportunity for NASA to forge 

a new line of business – to re-invent, re-invigorate, and re-vitalize the Nation’s spirit and 

capacity for human space exploration. 

Overall, NASA will spend the same amount on skilled labor as it has during the Space Shuttle 

era, but with a growing emphasis in the near term on the design of new vehicles to explore 

beyond Earth orbit. Further, NASA is committed to ensuring that all ten Centers remain fully 

capable of leveraging their unique resources and rich heritage by supporting Exploration work 

as well as NASA’s scientific and research missions. 

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NASA Workforce Transition Strategy – 2.0: Background Page 8 

NASA’s new systems must cost less to produce, process, launch, and operate or the Agency 

will not have the resources to further develop the vehicles and systems needed to return to the 

Moon. As NASA transitions, some of the workforce will move from Space Shuttle and ISS 

operational work to new vehicle design, development, test and evaluation (DDT&E) work. 

Regional workforce impacts of shifting from “vehicle processing” and “operations” to DDT&E 

activities are becoming clearer and will be outlined in subsequent sections of this report. 

Reducing the impacts to specific regions will require the assignment of specific Constellation 

development, test and manufacturing work to affected NASA Centers as the Space Shuttle is 

retired. Since upcoming Constellation contracts are competitively awarded, NASA cannot 

provide exact contractor workforce numbers or the location of the work performed beyond 

already awarded current work assignments. However, where possible, this report will provide 

forecast estimates for these assignments while still preserving the integrity of future acquisition 

activities. 

As future procurements are conducted, contractors selected, and contracts awarded, a more 

comprehensive public assessment will become available during 2008 and 2009. For example, 

this past year, NASA announced the winning contractors for the Ares I Upper Stage and Ares I 

Instrument Unit, but the contracts for the Ares V Core Stage, Earth Departure Stage, and for 

Altair have not yet been completed. Selection of contractors for these efforts will greatly

influence contractor employment in the locations in which the work is performed. For those 

contracts that were awarded recently, NASA is still working with industry to refine contract 

related information, such as workforce levels. Further, the systems remain under development 

and the workforce requirements for the ground operations and launch processing for Orion/Ares 

at KSC are still being determined, with the program attempting to minimize the cost of 

operations of the new systems. As both requirements and plans solidify during the current and 

future budget cycles, NASA will have more precise information on the workforce impacts in 

particular areas. 

NASA Transition Workforce Strategy

NASA’s strategic approach to ensuring that critical skills are retained is fundamentally simple: 

provide a clear career path to challenging and exciting follow-on work in Constellation and on 

other programs, maintain NASA’s quality workplace by providing a collaborative and creative 

environment, and support career development and learning opportunities. NASA is committed 

to transitioning the key Space Shuttle civil servant workforce to other Agency programs as is 

necessary using tools such as workforce synergy, matrixing, detailing, and retraining. In 

addition, Centers identify opportunities for the placement of employees with needed skills in 

other organizations. 

March 2008 
NASA Workforce Transition Strategy – 2.0: Background Page 9 

Three key documents form the foundation for the NASA transition workforce strategy: 

• NASA Workforce Strategy, 2006 

http://nasapeople.nasa.gov/HCM/WorkforceStrategy.pdf

• NASA Human Capital Plan for Mission Execution, Transition, and Retirement of the Space 

Shuttle Program, 2006

www.nasa.gov/pdf/218792main_SSP_human_capital_plan.pdf

• NASA Human Space Flight Transition Plan (currently being updated as the NASA Transition 

Plan, 2008). 

http://spaceoperations.nasa.gov/tran_plan.pdf), 

NASA has created seven goals focused on the human spaceflight workforce: 

NASA’s Human Space Flight Workforce Goals 

1. Enable a capable and committed workforce to fly the Shuttle as safely as possible until its 

retirement in 2010 and complete the ISS in a manner consistent with NASA’s International Partner 

commitments. 

2. Make available the workforce required to advance Constellation to initial operating capability, both 

during the period of completing the Shuttle manifest through fiscal year 2010 and the period 

between the last Shuttle mission and the first Constellation mission.

3. Retain critical skills through the gap between the last Shuttle mission and the first Constellation 

mission.

4. Use the experienced, dedicated and skilled Shuttle and ISS industry workforce to the maximum 

extent required to implement Constellation. 

5. Maintain ten “healthy” NASA Centers. 

6. Identify and manage workforce geographic dislocation. 

7. Maximize workforce efficiency and knowledge transfer through workforce sharing and synergy 

among NASA programs. 

From these goals, NASA has created three specific workforce objectives: 

NASA’s Human Spaceflight Workforce Objectives

1. Retain the skills for Space Shuttle operations to safely execute the remaining Space Shuttle 

missions; 

2. Manage the transition of appropriate Space Shuttle workforce into Constellation development; and 

3. Retain the skills after Shuttle retirement that are needed to safely prepare for and execute the

Constellation Initial Operational Capability (IOC) in 2015 and flight operations beyond. 

NASA is committed to working with the aerospace contractor community on workforce issues. 

The Agency’s industry partners have a range of transition, retention, and staffing tools available 

to maintain critical skills to meet their contractual obligations required for safe Space Shuttle 

mission execution. Specific impacts will be unique to each contractor, depending in part on its 

March 2008 
NASA Workforce Transition Strategy – 2.0: Background Page 10 

role in future Constellation work and its skill set. NASA is also committed to the equitable 

distribution of tasks and workload among the Centers, leveraging the core technical capabilities 

of NASA’s workforce and infrastructure, and limiting the impact of workforce changes to local 

communities of workforce changes. In the end, though, Constellation program requirements will 

drive Constellation’s workforce size and skills needs. 

NASA has provided the Space Shuttle prime contractors with a number of opportunities to help 

safely manage the Shuttle operations through FY 2010 and to prepare the contractor workforce 

for Shuttle retirement. This includes opportunities for employees to do work on several different 

NASA programs, acquire skills retraining, and in selected cases, receive retention bonuses. 

NASA remains committed to working with its industry, supplier, and research partners to craft 

and implement strategies to minimize disruption, upheaval, and economic impact, while 

maximizing support vital for Shuttle missions and program requirements. 

NASA buys products and services from industry, and does not determine contractor workforce 

levels. However, the Agency has made a substantial investment in training an industrial human 

spaceflight workforce with unique skills. NASA believes that the highly skilled, experienced, and 

dedicated human spaceflight workforce of the Space Shuttle and International Space Station 

programs will be employed by successful bidders for future Constellation development work, but 

the geographic distribution and quantity of each type of work continues to be determined as 

NASA competes and selects contractors to design and develop Constellation. As Constellation 

contractors further define their vehicles through successful design reviews, suppliers and 

vendors will be selected and the implications for the contractor workforce will become clearer. 

While NASA maintains internal Government estimates for likely future contractor costs and 

workforce at NASA Centers for future contracts, these estimates are procurement sensitive and 

not released to the public. In some cases, NASA is still formulating the acquisition strategy and 

developing detailed procurement plans, including the division of work between civil servants and 

contractors and the Center at which the work will be conducted. Ultimately, Constellation 

program requirements will drive the workforce size and skills needs in the acquisition process. 

See Appendix C, “NASA Non-Sensitive Integrated Acquisition Roadmap”, for more details. 

March 2008 
NASA Workforce Transition Strategy – 3.0: Workforce Initiatives Page 11 

3.0 Workforce Initiatives 

NASA has undertaken a number of specific initiatives aimed at meeting its workforce goals. 

The total civil servant workforce level is expected to remain relatively constant through the 

transition from Space Shuttle to Constellation. NASA contractors are primarily responsible for 

implementing any initiatives needed to keep a skilled and robust contractor workforce in place 

and ready to perform its critical function of delivering products and services. NASA has been 

strongly engaged with its contractor partners in these activities at both the strategic and tactical

levels. 

Important milestones for NASA workforce planning include the design milestones for 

Constellation Program, the development contract start dates for Constellation, and the 

retirement of the Shuttle by the end of FY 2010. Constellation Design Reviews and the Space 

Shuttle manifest are shown on the NASA Multi-Program Integrated Milestones (MPIM) chart 

(Appendix D), and Constellation Procurement milestones are shown on the NASA NonSensitive Integrated Acquisition Roadmap (Appendix C). By completing the Constellation 

design reviews, NASA and its prime contractors determine in detail what work needs to be 

performed to develop Constellation vehicles, and by awarding the prime contracts for IOC, 

NASA determines who in industry is going to perform the work, where it will be performed, and 

what quantity of which skills are needed to deliver the products and services. 

As NASA reaches the end of the Space Shuttle Program, specific Space Shuttle contract 

actions will be used to retain workers needed for Space Shuttle even as new Constellation work 

is competed with industry. NASA is assisting in the development and implementation of 

contract workforce retention plans for each Space Shuttle prime contractor, with a focus on 

communication and future work. In some cases, prime contractors are implementing monetary 

retention incentives. As appropriate, the contractor community is using a range of tools, such 

as cross-training, to demonstrate a future path for employees, as well as embedding personnel 

with operational experience in the design phases of Constellation’s vehicles 

Additional initiatives will continue to be worked as part of the current budget development 

process, and NASA will provide updates to the status of these items in future updates to this 

report. 

Space Shuttle Workforce Surveys

Background: The safety and success of the Space Shuttle Program depends on a skilled, 

focused, and motivated workforce. As the retirement of the Space Shuttle approaches, there is 

a large and growing need to ensure that there are enough skilled team members to support safe 

operations through the conclusion of the Space Shuttle Program. Annual surveys of the Space 

Shuttle civil servant and contractor workforce help NASA leadership monitor trends and refine 

communications and incentive activities aimed at retaining these critical workforce capabilities. 

Status: The confidential 2007 Shuttle Employee Survey involved over 2,800 civil servant 

employees at KSC, JSC, MSFC, and SSC. The survey included employees who charged time 

to the Space Shuttle Program from October 2006 to May 2007. The survey was web-based and

conducted between June 25 and July 13, 2007. Response rates from the four Centers were 

quite good, ranging from about 34 to 44 percent. 

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NASA Workforce Transition Strategy – 3.0: Workforce Initiatives Page 12 

General observations from 2007’s survey include: 

• There continues to be a great deal of goodwill toward the Space Shuttle Program. 

• Sixty-five percent of employees indicated that they will stay until the end of the program. 

• Employees are nervous about the future, both their own and the Agency’s. They are 

concerned about having meaningful work now and in the future, and about job security. 

• Employees are concerned about the funding stability of the Constellation program. 

These observations indicate a continuing need to improve communication at the Agency, 

Center, and program level. At the Agency level, NASA needs to continue to share the U.S. 

Space Exploration Policy, plans, and vision. At the Center level, the human spaceflight Centers 

must address workforce issues and concerns. At the program level, the three human 

spaceflight programs have to provide employees the status of Space Shuttle transition and 

retirement activities, plus information on new contracts and program progress. 

Workforce Synergy, Matrixing, Detailing, and Cross-Training

Background: NASA uses the matrix form of management (or organizational structure) to 

support its multiple programs. In this approach, the functional skills (such as engineering, 

operations, etc.) are “sourced” within a Center and the program(s) tap into the expertise as 

needed. For example, the structural engineering function resides within the engineering 

organization allowing the managers and structural engineers to support not only the Shuttle 

Program, but potentially the Station and Constellation Programs as well. Not only does this 

allow for cross-training and broader skill development, but helps supervisors manage peaks and 

valleys in workload. 

To build crossover skills for employees, NASA has made a concerted effort to share civil 

servant and contractor workforce across the programs (especially between Space Shuttle, ISS, 

and Constellation). This workforce synergy enables the Constellation Program to make steady 

progress towards its development and operational goals while ensuring the continuing

availability of the critical skills necessary to safely and efficiently execute the remaining Space 

Shuttle missions. In addition, this synergy encourages transferring lessons learned, accounting 

for operations needs in spacecraft systems design, and showing employees the future of human 

spaceflight with the Constellation Program. NASA is providing the tools, training, and time for 

civil servant and contractor workers to gain experience and skills on new processes that NASA 

will implement for Orion and Ares. This hands-on experience will increase employee familiarity 

with the new techniques and qualify them for future work. 

In addition, Centers are partnering with the programs to look for opportunities for retraining. For 

example, KSC identified several likely positions for Fuel Cell Engineers currently supporting the 

Shuttle Program to transition to Constellation in support of Cryogenic Systems or Environment 

and Crew Life Support Systems (ECLSS). Currently, the KSC training and development office 

is in the process of creating training plans that will identify the precise pathway for these 

individuals to transition to the new roles. 

Status: NASA is tracking and comparing civil servant time spent on Space Shuttle, ISS, and 

Constellation. Based on the 2007 Shuttle Workforce Survey (the second year the survey has 

been taken), over 57 percent of those responding provide regular support to programs and 

March 2008 
NASA Workforce Transition Strategy – 3.0: Workforce Initiatives Page 13 

projects outside of the Space Shuttle Program. The following data is for civil servant employees 

at each of the four main human spaceflight Centers that supported more than one program in 

2007. The trends are showing increasing use of this effective practice, even with the 

unforeseen impacts of the additional work required to repair the Space Shuttle external tank 

damaged during the hail storm in 2007 and the engine cut-off (ECO) sensor challenges during 

STS-122. The following shows the percentage of civil servant employees at each of the four 

main human spaceflight centers that supported more than one program (Space Shuttle, ISS, 

and Constellation) in December 2007: 

 

• Kennedy Space Center (KSC) 56 percent 

• Johnson Space Center (JSC) 61 percent 

• Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) 56 percent 

• Stennis Space Center (SSC) 83 percent 

Figure 5 shows the number of civil servants working full-time for Space Shuttle, ISS, 

Constellation, Center Management and Operations (CM&O), “Other”, as well as the number of 

employees who split their time between multiple programs. The data is current as of January 

2008. 

Figure 5: Transition of Civil Servant Employees

Based on workforce synergy metrics, from October through June of 2007, the number of civil 

servants charging to both the Space Shuttle and Constellation programs increased by 33 

March 2008 
NASA Workforce Transition Strategy – 3.0: Workforce Initiatives Page 14 

percent, while the number charging to both the ISS and Constellation increased by 23 percent. 

In addition, Shuttle contractor workforce has been used for Constellation Program tasks. 

Examples of synergy across the programs include the following: 

• On STS-118, Shuttle Orbiter Endeavor was powered up before its mission using a new 

“paperless” process as a test of future procedures for the Orion spacecraft. 

• For STS-120, a single Solid Rocket Booster was stacked one segment at a time to gather 

engineering information for the Ares I-X launcher, which will also use segmented solid 

rockets stacked singly. The Space Shuttle Program has also begun demonstrating new 

paperless, electronic procedures for processing solid rocket motors in the Rotation, 

Processing, and Surge Facility (RPSF) and the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB). 

• The United Space Alliance (USA) Space Programs Operation Contract (SPOC) workforce is 

being used by Constellation to process the Ares I-X vehicle for the first Constellation test 

flight (scheduled for April 2009). The first Constellation flight of Ares will be conducted by 

many contractor personnel from the Space Shuttle workforce.

• Pratt & Whitney-Rocketdyne’s Space Shuttle Main Engine employees across all sites spend 

approximately 20 percent of their time on other programs. Some examples of areas where 

this is occurring are combustion devices engineering, manufacturing engineering, electrical 

engineering, software engineering and business operations in support of J-2X development 

for Ares I and Ares V. 

• Constellation’s Orion project is defining a Relative Navigation Sensors Development Test 

demonstration, which would be conducted on a Space Shuttle flight in 2009 or 2010. This 

test would demonstrate operation of Orion navigation sensors on the Shuttle as it navigates 

near the ISS, similar to Orion’s initial missions planned to the Station. 

• To help retire the risk of Ares I first stage thrust oscillations, a Space Shuttle reusable solid 

rocket booster will be instrumented to simultaneously measure pressure, sound pressure 

level and acceleration in 2009 and 2010. 

NASA has also assigned specific work tasks to Space Shuttle Government and contractor 

organizations to prepare their staffs for future positions, while providing work needed today for 

Constellation. Expanded industry workforce skills can be developed in a variety of ways under 

Space Shuttle contracts. In some cases, Constellation tasks are added to Shuttle contracts and 

Shuttle workers are able to broaden their skills applicability to Constellation work by performing 

actual contract tasks. 

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NASA Workforce Transition Strategy – 3.0: Workforce Initiatives Page 15 

Workforce Skills Mapping

Background: The purpose of the Space-Shuttle-to-Constellation Workforce and Skills Mapping 

activity is to provide the requisite baseline data necessary to facilitate Agency management of 

personnel and skill needs across the portfolio, develop appropriate transition strategies, uncover 

potential problems, and test assumptions about mitigation actions. 

Status: Phase I of the mapping activity, completed in the fall of 2007, focused on the civil 

servant workforce. In this phase, the four traditional human spaceflight centers (JSC, KSC, 

MSFC, and SSC) compared Constellation’s project needs with Shuttle workforce becoming 

available after the Shuttle Program ends, and assessed how well this demand and supply 

matched at a skills level. The Phase I assessment was designed to help the Agency uncover 

issues related to migration of workforce from Shuttle to Constellation after 2010, so that Centers 

and programs could add or refine human capital strategies for the placement and training of civil 

servant workforce in time for the major transition years of 2010 and 2011.

Although Constellation workforce demand projections at each Center used in Phase I were 

considered preliminary (particularly the projections for fiscal years 2013 through 2015), the 

study nonetheless resulted in the identification of a few skill mix issues at each Center that 

would likely remain even as Constellation demand is further refined. Furthermore, Phase I 

yielded more detailed information about how the Centers were planning to migrate specific skills 

to the Constellation program post-2010, and identified a set of issues for each Center that 

required specific near-term actions or special attention during the fiscal year 2010 budget 

planning cycle. 

Phase II, currently underway and nearly complete, focuses on contractor data for on, near, and 

off-site contractor personnel, and expands the scope to all ten NASA Centers from the previous 

four human spaceflight operations centers. The purpose of this phase is to bring more 

quantitative rigor and detail to contractor workforce supply and demand projections. Phase III, 

scheduled for the third and fourth quarter of fiscal year 2008, will refresh the Phase I civil 

servant data with new information available from the fiscal year 2010 planning cycle, assess the 

validity of initial findings, and check progress of mitigation actions undertaken as a result of 

Phase I. The Agency will continue to refresh both civil servant and contractor data as part of the 

budget planning cycle each year between now and 2011. 

Communications

Background: NASA’s workforce surveys have indicated that communication is the key to 

managing the workforce during transition. NASA and its prime contractors are engaged in a 

robust communications effort at all levels to ensure that the workforce is kept informed of 

current programs and future plans. The Agency is utilizing many tools and media options to 

make this possible, and the effectiveness of these tools is continually evaluated in both surveys 

and by monitoring various media metrics. 

Status: The recent establishment of the external Space Shuttle transition website at 

www.nasa.gov/transition is an important step towards providing ready and open access to key 

NASA transition information. Additionally, a host of internal secure websites, newsletters, 

supervisor talking points, and monthly news articles add new elements to the NASA toolkit for 

March 2008 
NASA Workforce Transition Strategy – 3.0: Workforce Initiatives Page 16 

communicating with the workforce. Notable among the tools in use are Rendezvous magazine 

and other periodical publications. 

In addition, a number of other communications methods and products are used, such as 

manager talking points, program websites, feedback groups, all-hands meetings, Transition 

“road shows,” and quarterly program updates. Public briefings at symposia, conferences, and 

industry events are also frequently conducted to ensure the widest audience possible

Figure 6: Examples of NASA Publications to Communicate with Shuttle Workforce 

March 2008 
NASA Workforce Transition Strategy – 4.0: Distribution of Workload and Tasks to Centers Page 17 

4.0 Distribution of Workload and Tasks to Centers 

Background: New work assignments from ESMD have been distributed across the various 

Centers to not only leverage resident capabilities and expertise, but also mitigate some of the 

effects of Space Shuttle retirement. Analysis of current and projected workforce needs resulted 

in the following considerations being viewed as primary drivers behind workforce and workload 

allocation:

• geographical location of the work and workforce demographics; 

• acquisition approach; 

• degree of heritage system or support infrastructure composition in new vehicle architecture; 

• unique skill set requirements or resources available; 

• dynamics in work assignments and future assignment allocations; 

• Operations/Development/Sustaining Engineering definitions, budgeting and mission splits,

and transition funding; 

• contractor-unique workforce issues; and 

• NASA’s repeated cycling from predominantly operations to development work as new 

systems are developed and fielded.

A sound baseline of data from which to build is fundamental to the success of NASA’s evolving 

workforce strategy, and the results of the current workforce initiatives are central to any 

equitable evaluation of re-distribution, tailoring, or modifications to existing or projected Agency 

workload. However, each NASA Center has specific and unique capabilities and resources to 

execute their core competency mission areas. Awarding lunar contracts as soon as possible 

provides evidence of emerging opportunities, reduces workforce concern about the end of the 

Shuttle Program, and facilitates workforce strategy development and mitigation plans. 

Status: NASA has made Exploration lunar lead and support role and work assignments that 

leverage expertise across the NASA Centers and facilities. These work assignments are 

provided in the table in Appendix A. 

NASA is analyzing the costs and refining the method of retiring the Space Shuttle after its last

mission in 2010. Space Shuttle Transition and Retirement work plans have been approved 

though the end of the Space Shuttle Program in 2010, but plans and costs for the remaining 

work to be conducted after 2010 are still being studied and are expected to be defined at the 

time the President’s 2010 Budget Request is submitted in Congress in February 2009. 

The following Center breakdown highlights the trends and major Transition-related activities that 

are and will be occurring that impact workforce utilization and future projections. 

Johnson Space Center

JSC continues program management and mission operations for the International Space Station 

after the Space Shuttle’s last mission in 2010. Management of Orion development continues, 

as well as mission operations capability development to enable Orion’s first piloted spaceflight. 

Design and development of the Altair Lunar Surface Access Module does not begin on a large 

March 2008 
NASA Workforce Transition Strategy – 4.0: Distribution of Workload and Tasks to Centers Page 18 

scale until 2011 and beyond. JSC’s projected contractor workforce level is slightly lower in FY 

2011 after the completion of the Space Shuttle Program. 

Marshall Space Flight Center 

MSFC continues management and sustaining engineering of the Space Shuttle’s propulsion 

systems until completion of the last Space Shuttle mission in 2010. MSFC continues the design 

and development of the Ares I Crew Launch Vehicle from 2005 to 2015, while design and 

development of the Ares V Cargo Launch Vehicle will take place in 2011 and beyond. MSFC’s 

projected contractor workforce level is approximately level over the years, due to more Ares V 

design work commencing right after Space Shuttle completes its last mission. 

Kennedy Space Center

KSC completes Space Shuttle launch and landing work in 2010. In 2007, NASA started the 

construction of facilities modifications to KSC to prepare for the Ares I-X test flight in 2009, as 

well as for the later launch of Ares vehicles. NASA does not gather comprehensive workforce 

information for construction of facilities work, so not all of this work is included in Agency 

projections. NASA is still studying the tasks and contracts required for ground processing of the 

integrated Orion/Ares I vehicle, and only Government internal estimates are available for budget

and workforce. A Request for Information (RFI) for Constellation Ground Processing Services 

was released in February 2008, which will be followed by industry brief in the late summer of 

2008 and a Request for Proposals in spring 2009. Contract selections and awards are 

expected in 2010. Analysis of the results from this RFI and follow-on activity is expected to 

have a significant impact on workforce planning at KSC and will be documented in future 

updates to this plan. KSC’s contractor workforce is expected to decrease from FY 2010 to FY 

2011. Work required at KSC to retire the Space Shuttle after 2010 is still being refined and is 

not included in these estimates. These estimates also do not include work still under

negotiation between NASA Centers or prime contractors and subcontractors which will probably 

be reallocated to the launch site. . 

Stennis Space Center

SSC is transitioning from support of Space Shuttle Main Engine propulsion testing to propulsion 

test development for Constellation’s new J-2X and RS-68B engines. Significant construction of 

facilities activities, including the A-3 Test Stand, is currently underway. 

Michoud Assembly Facility

The Michoud Assembly Facility (MAF) will complete production of External Tanks for the Space 

Shuttle in 2010. Starting in 2008, MAF will begin preparations to start production assembly of 

upper stage tanks by Boeing for the Ares I launch vehicle. Lockheed Martin plans to use MAF 

for selected Orion Launch Abort System developments. NASA will select a new multi-program 

Facility Operations and Maintenance contractor in early FY 2009; NASA is still studying the 

scope and work required to conduct that function for all the NASA programs which will use MAF, 

so those estimates are not included. Production and test of the Ares V Core Stage and Ares V 

Earth Departure Stage begin ramping up in FY 2011; NASA is still studying the tasks and 

contracts for Ares V work, so these elements are not included in the estimates for MAF. NASA 

is considering early Ares V risk reduction and skill retention manufacturing tasks at MAF, but in 

2008 these are only being evaluated for a later decision. Work required at MAF to retire the 

Space Shuttle External Tank production after 2010 is still under study and is not included in 

these estimates. 

March 2008 
NASA Workforce Transition Strategy – 5.0: Workforce Projections Page 19 

5.0 Workforce Projections 

Background: NASA’s projections for Center civil servant and contractor workforce levels are 

based on data from the Space-Shuttle-to-Constellation Workforce Mapping activity and updates 

to civil servant full-time equivalent (FTE) and contractor work-year equivalent (WYE) 

requirements from the Agency budget planning process. This is an evolving effort and will be 

updated accordingly as the data and information are further refined. 

Status: NASA’s bottom-up estimates in 2007 and early 2008 show a lower number of contractor work 

year equivalents in FY 2011 than in FY 2010 because: 

1. Space Shuttle work, which ends in FY 2010, is well defined, with predictable contractor 

workforce information provided by the existing contractors based on extensive experience. 

2. As a mature, operational program, Space Shuttle budget maintains a low level of annual 

budget reserve. The direction of budget reserve to solve problems (by paying staff 

overtime or surge skills) does not drive gross change in the workforce distribution between 

various sites. 

3. Given that the Constellation Program’s Ares I and Orion projects are still in their early 

phases, work to be conducted at the production, assembly, and launch sites is still not fully 

defined, nor are contractor work year equivalents fully mapped to the correct work location 

(see KSC estimates, below). 

4. NASA is planning the work to be contracted for vehicle processing and operations. Once 

the planning is competed and providers selected, the industry workforce levels will be

clearer. NASA’s internal assessment is that less vehicle processing and operations labor 

will be needed to launch two Orion/Ares I missions each year to the International Space 

Station than that required to maintain the Space Shuttle for flight. 

5. Current estimates are that several thousand fewer contractor positions may be required at 

KSC for that work after FY 2010, but more accurate information will not be available until 

vehicle processing contact work planning is better defined. These numerical estimates are 

based on work assigned to KSC during the FY 2009 formulation process negotiated with 

companies to provide these contracted products and services, these numbers will be 

based on internal Government estimates. 

6. Because the Constellation Program is still early in development and has not yet gone 

through Preliminary Design Review, budget reserves in later fiscal years (starting FY 

2011) are not yet allocated to specific work, as the final allocation will be based on what 

challenges occur during development; these will not be identified for several years. 

7. The Constellation lunar work for Ares V and Altair - including early technology 

development for these efforts – is in the early stages of planning, so the work allocation 

and time phasing are still internal Government estimates until the final phasing is 

confirmed. This leads to less work being explicitly defined in FY 2011 and beyond than 

that supported by the budget; these data will be better defined over the next year. 

March 2008 
NASA Workforce Transition Strategy – 5.0: Workforce Projections Page 20 

8. NASA has not yet authorized the exact work which will be conducted to close-out and 

retire the Space Shuttle after FY 2010, primarily at KSC, MAF, and Shuttle Prime 

Contractor sites. That work will be better defined later in 2008 as part of the current 

budget process. 

9. NASA does not uniformly gather data from contractors conducting construction of facilities 

projects, as these are not long-term, contracted efforts involving R&D. However, 

modification of facilities to support future Constellation development and operations has 

already started. Work will continue on construction of facilities for this through the gap in 

flights between Shuttle and Constellation. Some estimates are included, but these are not 

inclusive 

10. NASA does not gather data from companies participating via Space Act Agreement in the 

Commercial Orbital Transportation Services (COTS) activity, nor will NASA collect data 

from the follow-on Commercial Cargo services for ISS, as these are purchased services. 

After the last Space Shuttle mission, NASA will increase the percentage of budget going to 

procure these services and they will likely comprise part of the overall NASA contractor 

figures. 

Specific Workforce Information by Center/Location 

Note on contractor workforce estimate numbers: In order to project probable contractor

workforce levels in the future, NASA gathers information from contractors on their current work, 

makes internal Government estimates, and estimates allocation of future budget reserves not 

yet assigned to any contract. These can include NASA estimates of future budget reserves 

according to pro-rata distributions or technical risk assessments, as well as estimates of the 

percentage of funds used to design and develop new and unique products versus raw materials 

or purchased services. Contractor workforce projections for these years therefore may contain 

data which are the sum of: (a) defined, approved work on contract; (b) the Government’s 

estimate of work not yet awarded or negotiated (i.e., procurement-sensitive information); (c) an 

informed estimate for budget reserves allocated to mitigate not-yet-identified future technical 

problems; and (d) potential work not yet assigned by the Government but under internal 

consideration. The details of these estimates cannot be made public, as potential bidders could 

use that information to determine the Government’s “should cost” estimate, or existing

contractors could use that information to propose work up to that level. Additionally, many of 

the specific contractual details are still being refined as NASA continues to develop the 

appropriate acquisition strategies to meet its mission objectives at best value to the Nation. 

Pursuant to P.L.110-161, Table 1 provides specific annual civil servant and contractor workforce 

projections for the four human spaceflight Centers (as well as MAF) that are most affected by 

the Shuttle-to-Constellation transition, including a low and a high range based on the variability 

in data inputs discussed above. 

March 2008 
NASA Workforce Transition Strategy – 5.0: Workforce Projections Page 21 

Category FY08 FY09

FY08-09

Delta FY10

FY09-10

Delta FY11

FY10-11

Delta FY12

FY11-12

Delta FY13

FY12-13

Delta

Nationwide

Shuttle + Constellation FTEs 4,700 4,400 -300 4,200 -200 4,100 -100 4,200 100 4,300 100

Shuttle + Constellation WYEs (low) 20,900 20,200 -700 18,700 -1,500 12,500 -6,200 14,100 1,600 15,100 1,000

Shuttle + Constellation WYEs (high) 21,000 20,300 -700 19,100 -1,200 13,800 -5,300 15,700 1,900 17,000 1,300

Kennedy Space Center

Shuttle + Constellation FTEs 1,000 1,000 0 1,000 0 1,000 0 1,000 0 1,000 0

Shuttle + Constellation WYEs (low) 8,000 7,300 -700 6,400 -900 1,600 -4,800 2,200 600 2,400 200

Shuttle + Constellation WYEs (high) 8,000 7,400 -600 6,700 -700 2,300 -4,400 3,100 800 3,800 700

Johnson Space Center

Shuttle + Constellation FTEs 1,400 1,400 0 1,400 0 1,200 -200 1,200 0 1,300 100

Shuttle + Constellation WYEs (low) 5,900 6,000 100 6,000 0 3,700 -2,300 3,800 100 3,500 -300

Shuttle + Constellation WYEs (high) 5,900 6,200 300 6,600 400 5,500 -1,100 5,700 200 5,800 100

Marshall Space Flight Center

Shuttle + Constellation FTEs 1,200 1,200 0 1,200 0 1,200 0 1,300 100 1,300 0

Shuttle + Constellation WYEs (low) 2,700 2,900 200 2,900 0 2,800 -100 3,000 200 3,100 100

Shuttle + Constellation WYEs (high) 2,700 3,100 400 3,500 400 4,400 900 5,100 700 5,500 400

Stennis Space Center

Shuttle + Constellation FTEs 100 100 0 100 0 100 0 100 0 100 0

Shuttle + Constellation WYEs (low) 300 300 0 300 0 200 -100 200 0 100 -100

Shuttle + Constellation WYEs (high) 300 300 0 300 0 200 -100 200 0 100 -100

Michoud Assembly Facility

Shuttle + Constellation WYEs (low) 1,900 1,400 -500 800 -600 600 -200 600 0 600 0

Shuttle + Constellation WYEs (high) 1,900 1,400 -500 800 -600 1,100 300 1,100 0 1,100 0

Caveats:

3) FTE = Civil Servant Full Time Equivalent.

4) WYE = Contractor Work Year Equivalent.

5) See pages 19 - 20 of the March 2008 Workforce Transition Strategy, "Workforce Projections", for further notes on this table.

Space Shuttle and Constellation Workforce Estimates - as of March 2008

NOTE CAVEATS BELOW

1) This table covers civil service and contractor personnel working on the Space Shuttle and Constellation programs at the Centers noted; it

does not display the total Center workforce, and it does not include students involved with the programs.

2) "Nationwide" workforce estimates include personnel working on the Shuttle and Constellation programs beyond the Centers noted in the

table.

Increasing Uncertainty

Table 1: Human Spaceflight Center Workforce Trends (Shuttle and Constellation Only) 

FY 2008 – FY 2013 

NASA has focused its analysis to this point on the retirement of the Shuttle, which primarily 

affects the four human spaceflight Centers. As part of the FY 2010 budget formulation process 

and Shuttle-to-Constellation Workforce Mapping activity, estimates are being developed for 

transition impacts to other NASA Centers and future Constellation work package assignments. 

However, the number of civil servants and prime contractors supporting Shuttle today at the 

other Centers is small. While the Shuttle workforce at these Centers is declining towards zero 

in FY 2010, the overall impact of Shuttle retirement at these Centers will be relatively minor. For 

example, in FY 2008 there are approximately 25 civil servants and prime contractors that 

support Space Shuttle at Ames Research Center in California, 36 at Dryden Flight Research 

Center in California, 6 at Glenn Research Center in Ohio, 33 at Goddard Space Flight Center in 

Maryland, and 14 at Langley Research Center in Virginia. Though mature estimates will not be 

available until the FY 2010 budget formulation and Workforce Mapping activities later this year, 

Constellation work at these Centers is likely to exceed present Shuttle demand. 

The data in Table 1 (including estimates of Constellation workforce at all ten Centers) will be 

continue to be updated in future versions of this strategy. 

Focusing on the Shuttle and Constellation elements alone, Nation-wide, NASA plans to spend 

roughly the same amount of money on the purchase of products and services from its 

contractors as before. Presently, the budget and workforce distributions are well known for the 

existing Shuttle program, while the Constellation aspects are continually being refined as 

previously discussed. Requirements maturation, budget allocations, future contract awards, 

March 2008 
NASA Workforce Transition Strategy – 5.0: Workforce Projections Page 22 

and reserve expenditures on currently unknown future cost, schedule, technical, and safety 

risks will better define the precise workforce, skill, and locational needs of the projects. 

Figure 7: Space Shuttle and Constellation Budget Systems FY 2009 Budget 

As the Space Shuttle Program begins to phase out, the Shuttle prime contractors project that 

contractor workforce will begin to be drawn down. Using these data, NASA estimates that the 

total contractor reductions across all NASA Centers will be between 1,000 – 2,000 people in FY 

2009 and between 2,000 – 3,000 people in FY 2010. These are the same projections that were 

presented as part of the President’s FY 2009 budget roll-out and are consistent with the original 

Shuttle phase-out plan. 

During the same period, Constellation work requirements will increase. Contractor workforce 

synergy and Constellation work definition have served to lessen overall contractor workforce 

reductions. NASA is attempting to capture a portion of the Shuttle workforce for required 

Constellation work. NASA believes that many experienced Shuttle workers will be employed in 

the new Constellation contracts. 

As of the time of this report, not all of the Constellation work content that is expected to follow 

Orion/Ares I initial and full operational capability has been included in the Space Shuttle 

Workforce Mapping effort. It is anticipated that future content will be updated in future updates 

to this plan at the time of the President’s FY 2010 Budget Request. 

While the above estimates represent progress in defining workforce requirements at NASA 

Centers, the requirements should be considered preliminary and subject to change as work is 

better defined and contracts are awarded. Though student and Co-Op employees are not 

March 2008 
NASA Workforce Transition Strategy – 5.0: Workforce Projections Page 23 

included in the FTE estimates, NASA expects that the number of student and Co-Op workers 

will remain relatively constant. Contractor workforce needed for Space Shuttle transition and 

retirement, as well as COTS launch workforce, is not included in the above projections, given 

the uncertainty related to the work requirements at this time and the nature of the relationship 

between the Agency and its COTS partners. Facility construction work is also not included in 

these estimates. A full list of caveats is noted on pages 19 and 20 of this report. NASA will 

provide Congress with civil servant and contractor workforce projections in future updates to this 

plan. 

NASA has workforce estimates from 2007 which were used to generate the President’s 2009 

Budget to Congress. These were preliminary and subject to change – these estimates only 

portray the work assigned to NASA Centers and industry as of late 2007. NASA is analyzing 

updated information as the Agency prepares the Presidents 2010 Budget Request. The 

President’s 2009 Budget Request provides a preliminary look at how workforce would change 

from FY 2007 to FY 2012 if NASA does not assign additional design, development, 

manufacturing, test, integration or operations work to be conducted at KSC or MAF. 

March 2008 
NASA Workforce Transition Strategy – 6.0: The Road Ahead Page 24 

6.0 The Road Ahead 

In a short span of years, NASA has taken long strides in the formulation of strategies and 

programs that will take us back to the Moon and on to Mars and other destinations in the solar 

system. The Agency is continuing to transition from the Space Shuttle to new Exploration 

Systems; this transition is the largest and most daunting since the end of the Apollo Program 

and the beginning of the Space Shuttle Program. To implement it, NASA is focused on 

managing the evolution from current operations of the Space Shuttle to future operations of 

Constellation and emerging commercial services, in a safe, successful and smooth process. 

This joint effort between the Space Operations and Exploration Systems mission directorates 

includes the utilization and disposition of resources, including real and personal property, 

personnel, and processes, to leverage existing Shuttle and Space Station assets for future 

Exploration activities, including the Orion Ares I, and Ares V projects. Formalized Transition 

Boards are working to successfully achieve this outcome, and, to date, NASA has met all of its 

milestones and disposition targets. Acquisition, budget, and workforce planning are closely 

integrated and will continue to mature over the upcoming years. 

The Agency will continue to keep the Congress informed of progress on Transition activities, 

and will provide biannual updates to this report. 

March 2008 
NASA Workforce Transition Strategy – Appendix A: Constellation Work Assignments to NASA Centers Page 25

Appendix A: Constellation Work Assignments to NASA Centers 

Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, California

ESMD Manage Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite Project; support Exploration life support; lead radiation dosimetry and medical 

sensor technology development; support space human factors standards; support ISS Exploration experiment development; lead piloted 

spacecraft handling qualities. 

Constellation In program integration, support for program planning and control including data systems support; safety, reliability and quality assurance; 

system engineering and integration; and test and evaluation. 

Mission 

Operations 

Provide tools for flight controllers; develop new applications for the Constellation training program; support multiple mission operations 

planning and development tasks. 

Orion Lead thermal protection system advanced development; support aero/aero-thermal database development; support flight software and 

guidance, navigation and control. 

Ares I Lead integrated systems health management; aborts lead including blast analysis for Ares abort; lead for launch abort system software 

requirements, interface and verification; launch abort system flight instrumentation and health management; provide high fidelity

aero/aerothermal models and analysis and simulated assisted risk assessments. 

Constellation 

Work

Announced 

10-30-07 

Support lunar architecture work for Constellation Program system engineer; build mission operations simulation capabilities; lead Ares V 

integrated health management; support Ares V payload shroud development at NASA’s Glenn Research Center; subsystem lead for 

lunar lander and lunar surface systems integrated health management; support concepts for lunar surface extravehicular activity suit lock 

and concept trade studies for Moon suit; support lunar surface mobility; support lunar in situ resource utilization systems.

Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, California 

ESMD Support NASA’s Ames Research Center on piloted spacecraft handling qualities. 

Constellation In program integration, support test and evaluation. 

Ground 

Operations 

Support definition and planning for Orion ground operations including launch abort and landing and recovery tests, re-entry and landing

profiles, and range safety requirements. 

Orion Lead abort flight test integration and operations; abort test booster procurement; flight test article and abort test booster integration; flight 

test article design, assembly, integration and test; independent analysis and oversight of flight test articles. 

Constellation 

Work

Announced 

10-30-07 

Support mission operations simulation capabilities; support ground and flight test operations for lunar projects. 

Glenn Research Center, Cleveland, Ohio

ESMD Lead cryogenic fluid handling, propulsion, fission power and energy storage projects; support Exploration life support; support Exploration 

medical capability and exercise technologies development. 

Constellation In program integration, support for safety, reliability and quality assurance; system engineering and integration; and test and evaluation. 

EVA 

Systems 

Manage power and communications avionics informatics subsystems for low Earth orbit and lunar extravehicular activities; support 

extravehicular activity systems power, avionics and software disciplines. 

Orion Lead service module and spacecraft adapter integration; produce service module and spacecraft adapter flight test articles and 

pathfinders; support integration analysis and system engineering and integration; vehicle environmental qualification at Plum Brook. 

Ares I Lead upper stage thrust vector control subsystem development; lead upper stage electrical power and power distribution system

development; lead developmental flight instrumentation package; support upper stage system engineering and integration; J-2X thermal 

and vacuum testing at Plum Brook; support vehicle integrated design analysis; lead upper stage module development for Ares I-X test 

flight. 

Constellation 

Work

Announced 

10-30-07 

Support lunar architecture work for Constellation Program system engineer; lead Ares V power, thrust vector control and payload shroud

development; lead Earth departure stage orbital environments testing at Plum Brook; subsystem lead for lunar lander ascent stage 

propulsion; and ascent and descent stage power generation, management and energy storage systems; lead lunar lander environmental 

testing at Plum Brook; support for lunar lander project integration and descent stage propulsion subsystems; lead lunar surface systems 

power generation and management, energy storage systems and element environmental testing; subsystem lead for passive thermal 

systems and surface element communications; support lunar surface in situ resource systems and surface mobility systems. 

March 2008 
NASA Workforce Transition Strategy – Appendix B: Non-Sensitive Integrated Acquisition Roadmap

Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland 

ESMD Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Project management and integration. 

Constellation In program integration, support safety, reliability and quality assurance; system engineering and integration; and test and evaluation. 

Orion Communications and tracking support. 

Constellation 

Work

Announced 

10-30-07 

Lead program requirements for unpressurized cargo carriers; lead Orion unpressurized cargo carrier; support lunar architecture work for 

Constellation Program system engineer; subsystem lead for lunar lander avionics; support lunar surface systems avionics and surface 

element communications; provide extravehicular activity tools and equipment. 

Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California 

ESMD Navigation support for Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite; lead Advanced Environmental Monitoring and Control Project. 

Constellation In program integration, support safety, reliability and quality assurance; system engineering and integration; and test and evaluation. 

Orion Support thermal protection system advanced development. 

Constellation 

Work

Announced 

10-30-07 

Support lunar architecture work for Constellation Program system engineer; lunar lander project support including spacecraft design; 

guidance, navigation and control; life support systems, and avionics; lead specific robotic surface mobility; support environmental 

monitoring and control and surface system local element communications. 

Johnson Space Center, Houston, Texas 

ESMD Human Research program management and integration; Commercial Orbital Transportation Services Project (COTS) management and 

integration; lead autonomous landing and hazard avoidance technology; in situ resource utilization; thermal, surface and extravehicular

activity systems, and life support projects. 

Constellation Program management and integration; extravehicular activity systems project management and integration; extravehicular activity

hardware development including suit, vehicle interface, tools and ground support equipment; manage life support, pressure garment and 

crew survival subsystems; mission operations project management and integration including Mission Control Center and training and 

mockup facilities.

Ares I and 

Ares V 

Support program and mission operations interface.

Orion Project management and integration; lead crew module and vehicle integration, government-provided hardware, flight test execution and 

parachutes. 

Constellation 

Work

Announced 

10-30-07 

Lunar lander and lunar surface systems project management and integration including lunar architecture work; element lead for lunar 

lander crew module/ascent stage; lead crew habitation and environmental control and life support subsystems; subsystem support for 

ascent stage propulsion, propulsion testing, and project avionics and structures; lead lunar surface crew habitation, environmental control 

and life support systems, and human mobility systems; support lunar surface in situ resource utilization systems. 

Kennedy Space Center, Kennedy Space Center, Florida 

ESMD Support Exploration experiments on the ISS. 

Constellation In program integration, support safety, reliability and quality assurance; system engineering and integration; and test and evaluation. 

Ground 

Operations 

Project management and integration; responsible for achieving all Agency ground operations objectives allocated to the launch and 

landing sites; lead design, development, test and engineering and logistics activities for all ground processing, launch and recovery

systems; lead ground processing, launch and landing operations planning and execution. 

Orion Ground processing including ground support equipment; launch operations; and recovery support during design, development, test and

engineering; prime contractor oversight and independent analysis.

Ares I Ground processing, launch operations, and recovery support during design, development, test and engineering; lead launch operations

planning and execution for Ares I-X and other flight demonstrations.

Constellation 

Work

Announced 

10-30-07 

Support lunar architecture work for Constellation program system engineer; ground operations and assembly for Orion Block 1 and Ares I 

low Earth orbit operations phase; Ares V ground processing, launch operations and recovery support during design, development, test 

and engineering; final assembly of and ground processing support for human lunar lander; lunar surface habitat management and 

integration; lead for lunar surface in situ resource utilization systems; support surface systems logistics concepts. 

March 2008 
NA

March 2008 

SA Workforce Transition Strategy – Appendix B: Non-Sensitive Integrated Acquisition Roadmap

Langley Research Center, Hampton, Virginia 

ESMD Exploration Technology Development Program management and integration; lead structures, mechanisms and materials and 

supportability projects; support autonomous landing and hazard avoidance technology project with lead for sensors; deputy management 

for radiation protection element. 

Constellation In program integration, support safety, reliability and quality assurance; system engineering and integration; and test and evaluation. 

Orion Lead launch abort system integration and crew module landing system advanced development; produce flight test and pathfinder articles 

for crew module, launch abort system and separation rings; support aero/aerothermal; guidance, navigation and control; avionics

software; and displays and controls; independent analysis and system engineering and integration support. 

Ares I Lead aerodynamic characterization of integrated launch vehicle stack, aerodynamic database development, and aeroelasticity test and 

analysis; support structural design and analysis; guidance, navigation and control development; flight mechanics and trajectory analyses; 

support systems engineering and upper stage design, development, test and engineering; lead vehicle integration activities and crew 

module and launch abort simulator design and fabrication for Ares I-X. 

Constellation 

Work 

Announced 

10-30-07 

Support lunar architecture work for Constellation Program system engineer; lead Ares V aerodynamics; support Ares V systems 

engineering, structures and materials engineering, and payload shroud structures; build mission operations and simulation capabilities; 

subsystem lead for lunar lander structures and mechanisms including ascent and descent stages; support lunar lander project integration; 

support lunar lander and lunar surface systems crew habitation (radiation protection); lead lunar surface systems structures and 

mechanisms including support to habitat, mobility and in situ resource systems. 

Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, Alabama 

ESMD Lunar Precursor Robotic Program management and integration. 

Constellation In program integration, support program planning and control; safety, reliability and quality assurance; system engineering and 

integration; and test and evaluation. 

Orion Support launch abort systems and service module; support abort test booster requirements development and validation. 

Ares I and 

Ares V 

Project office management and vehicle integration for Ares I and Ares V; Ares I first stage development and management and Ares V first 

stage management; Ares I upper stage design and development; J-2X engine development and management; manage upper stage 

production contracts at NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility; lead Ares I-X avionics, roll control system, and first stage modifications; Ares 

V Earth departure stage development, test and oversight; core stage development, test and oversight; core stage (RS-68) engine 

management. 

Constellation 

Work 

Announced 

10-30-07 

Support lunar architecture work for Constellation Program system engineer; element lead for lunar lander descent stage; subsystem lead 

for lunar lander descent stage propulsion; subsystem support for lunar lander ascent stage propulsion, propulsion testing, project 

avionics, life support, and structures; support project integration; support lunar surface systems life support, habitat, structures and in situ

resource systems. 

Michoud Assembly Facility, New Orleans, Louisiana 

Constellation Manufacturing of Ares I upper stage, Ares V stages, and Orion structure. 

Stennis Space Center, Stennis Space Center, Mississippi 

Constellation In program integration, support system engineering and test and evaluation. 

Ground 

Operations 

Support design, development, test and evaluation of propellant test and delivery systems; ground engine checkout facility simulation and 

analysis; engine and launch facility planning and development. 

Ares I Focused program management and integration for rocket propulsion testing; lead sea-level development, certification and acceptance 

testing for flight upper stage assembly, upper stage engine and main propulsion test article including facility modifications and test 

operations; lead altitude development and certification testing for upper stage engine. 

Constellation 

Work 

Announced 

10-30-07 

Lead Ares V liquid rocket systems and stage testing at sea level and altitude; support lunar lander descent stage propulsion testing. 

White Sands Test Facility, Las Cruces, New Mexico 

Constellation Orion Abort Test Booster Test Site. 
NASA Workforce Transition Strategy – Appendix B: Non-Sensitive Integrated Acquisition Roadmap 

March 2008 Appendix B: NASA Non-Sensitive Integrated Acquisition Roadmap 

Ares 1-X Ares 1-Y Or-1 Or-2 Or-3 Or-4 Or-5 Or-6 Or-7

FY08 FY09 FY10 FY11 FY12 FY13 FY14 FY15 FY16 

SSP 

SPOC 

External Tank 

MAF Manufacturing Support & Facilities Ops Contract # 

Resuable Solid Rocket Motor 

Space Shuttle Main Engine 

Hardware Acceptance Test - Follow-on 

Test Operations Services 

Shuttle Remote Manipulator System (RMS) 

Shuttle Remote Manipulator follow-on 

Laser Camera System/ Space Vision System 

Strategic Planning and Bus. Mgmt. Svcs. S

FLIGHT OPERATIONS 

Mission Support Operations (MSOC) 

Facilities Development and Operations Contract (FDOC) # 

NBL/SVMF Ops. Contract (NSOC) 

NBL/SVMF Ops. Contract (NSOC) Extension 

Integrated Mission Operations Contract (IMOC) 

EVA - Support for Shuttle and ISS... 
NASA Workforce Transition Strategy – Appendix B: Non-Sensitive Integrated Acquisition Roadmap 

March 2008 

Ares 1-X Ares 1-Y Or-1 Or-2 Or-3 Or-4 Or-5 Or-6 Or-7

FY08 FY09 FY10 FY11 FY12 FY13 FY14 FY15 FY16 

ISS

USOS Completion and Sustaining Engineering 

USOS Completion and Sustaining Engineering Extension 

ISS Program Integration and Control S

Mission Integration Contract (MIC) S 

ISS Cargo Mission Contract (CMC) #

Checkout Assy & Payload Processing Serv. (CAPPS) # 

40 Spare Batteries 

Progress and Soyuz Services 

APAS, Toilet and other ISS Hardware

ISS Commercial Resupply Services # 

COTS

COTS Demonstration SAA (SpaceX) # 

COTS Demonstration SAA (Orbital Sciences Corp.) #
NASA Workforce Transition Strategy – Appendix B: Non-Sensitive Integrated Acquisition Roadmap 

March 2008 NASA Workforce Transition Strategy – Appendix B: Non-Sensitive Integrated Acquisition Roadmap March 2008 
NASA Workforce Transition Strategy – Appendix B: Non-Sensitive Integrated Acquisition Roadmap 

March 2008 

Ares 1-X Ares 1-Y Or-1 Or-2 Or-3 Or-4 Or-5 Or-6 Or-7

FY08 FY09 FY10 FY11 FY12 FY13 FY14 FY15 FY16 

ARES I 

First Stage DDT&E 

Main Propulsion System - Pre-valve # Main Propulsion System - Pre-valve # 

US Main Prop Sys - H2 & GOX Vent and Relief Valve # 

US Reaction Control System - Thrusters # 

Thrust Vector Control - Actuator Assembly # 

Thrust Vector Control - Turbine Pump Assembly # 

Design and Construction of Vibroaccoustic Facility # 

Upper Stage DDT&E and Production # 

Ares I Instrument Unit Avionics DDT&E and Production # 

Ares I/Ares V J-2X Engine DDT&E 

Mfg. and deliver Al-Li ingots and rolled thin plates # 
NASA Workforce Transition Strategy – Appendix B: Non-Sensitive Integrated Acquisition Roadmap 

Acquisition Plan in Development

Ares 1-X Ares 1-Y Or-1 Or-2 Or-3 Or-4 Or-5 O

FY08 FY09 FY10 FY11 FY12 FY13 FY14 FY15 F

Cx GROUND OPS 

USTDC Project Support - Cx Facilities 8 

A & E Basic Ordering Agreements # 

Multiple Award IDIQ Contracts - General Construction # 

Pad B Lightning Protection Construction # 

Mobile Launcher Construction # 

LCC Firing Room 1 Construction # 

Pad B Egress Design # 

VAB Platform Design # 

KSC Cx Ground Support and Ares 1-X Support 

Ground Processing Services # 

March 2008 
NASA Workforce Transition Strategy – Appendix C: Multi-Program Integrated Milestones 

Appendix C: Multi-Program Integrated Milestones (as of January 25, 20March 2008