Preparing Tech for Spaceflight

Have you ever wondered what it takes to get a technology ready for spaceflight?

NASA has a Technology Readiness Level (TRL) assessment system.

Here is a graphic from NASA that explains TRL 1-9. It has a lot of text, which I will explain below.

TRL 1 means you just have collected some observations.

TRL 2 means you have developed plans to take those observations and design a technology around it.

TRL 3 means you have done some analysis and / or proof of concept on that technology.

TRL 4 means you have tested it in a laboratory environment.

TRL 5 means you have tested components in a relevant evironment for spaceflight.

TRL 6 means you have tested the whole system in a relevant environment for spaceflight.

At this point it is ready for flight.

TRL 7 means you have tested a system prototype - in space.

TRL 8 is when the system becomes flight qualified.

TRL 9 is when the system has been flight proven with successful operations during a mission.

How can kids test their tech?

1) Observe

2) Hypothesize

3) Analyze and build

4) Test a prototype

5) Test real components

6) Assemble components and test again

Now it's "ready for flight!"

Here's a link to a related blog post about the process of refining and retesting. A big part of this is clearly defining success and failure.

STEAMMA