February 2025 workshop: Architecture 101 (industry and academia deck)¶
Document: 2025-ia-workshop-architecture-101.pdf, 19 slides, 3,539,427 bytes, from
https://www.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/, fetched 2026-10-01T18:28:04Z (sources/manifest.csv). Title
slide: "Architecture 101", "February 2025", "Julie Grantier, Deputy Manager for Integration, Strategy and
Architecture Office, NASA – ESDMD - SAO" (slide 1); footer "February 2025", "Moon to Mars Architecture
Workshops". Part of the industry and academia set on the
Architecture Workshops page. Text:
sources/text/docs/2025-02-2025-ia-workshop-architecture-101.txt; images in
sources/raw/slides/2025-02-2025-ia-workshop-architecture-101/.
The copy. The international partners' deck is a near-copy (84% of its text, per
sources/workshops-screening.md), with another science presenter:
Architecture 101, international deck.
Rank and method. A briefing, older than ADD Rev C (SCHEMA, "Workshop slides"): an introduction to the architecture as it stood after Revision B, for a roundtable (slide 17). All 19 slides were read in the text layer. The images of the text-poor slides (1, 13, 14, 15, 16) were viewed, and those of slides 9, 10, 11, 17 and 19, which carry charts or labels the text layer drops. No "Moon Base" in the text (searched). Most of the deck restates material the wiki already has from the 2024 executive overview and the 2023 strategy document; this page records the slides and what they add.
Summary. Why NASA explores, the objectives and their method, architecting from the right, the segments, sub-architectures and elements, the partner pre-formulation process with the fictional "Lunar Coffee Maker", the products, then a science section by the Science Mission Directorate (the "26 Science Objectives", and pictures of the hardware each of six science objectives or goals uses), discussion prompts for industry, and all 31 white papers of 2022–2024 by focus. New against the documents: the elements laid on a Human Lunar Return → Foundational Exploration "notional timeline" with partner badges; the coffee maker redrawn on the pre-formulation swim lanes, with an "Area of Partner Interest" and associated sub-architectures; and the white papers' Moon, Mars and cross-cutting grouping for 2022 and 2023.
Slides¶
| Slide | Title (as printed) | Content |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Architecture 101" | Title, presenter (above) |
| 2 | "Why We Explore…" | The three pillars with one line each (Science; Inspiration; National Posture: "What is done, how it's accomplished, and who participates affect our world, quality of life, and humanity's future."), a link to the 2023 strategy document (Why Moon to Mars) |
| 3 | "NASA's Moon to Mars Objectives" | "In contrast to a capabilities-based approach, an objectives-based approach focuses on the big picture, the 'what' and 'why,' before prescribing the 'how.'"; "five inter-related principles", the 2022 document's (Objective decomposition) |
| 4 | "Exploration Objectives Categories and Goals" | The ten goals in one line each: the 2024 overview's lines, including its three 2024 rewordings (SE, AS, LI) (the wiki's comparison; 2024 overview) |
| 5 | "Architecting from the Right" | "Applies rigorous systems engineering approaches to identify the architecture needs, understand relationships and gaps between systems, and underpin analysis to identify the most effective and efficient solutions." "Architecture process provides a transparency in development not previously available" |
| 6 | "NASA's Moon to Mars Architecture" | The process figure, as in the Architecture Updates deck (slide 6 there) |
| 7 | "Architecture Segments" | As in the Architecture Updates deck, slide 5 |
| 8 | "Sub-Architectures" | All twelve with one line each, and the overviews' definition of "Sub-Architecture" (Sub-architectures) |
| 9 | "Architecture Elements" | The elements on a notional timeline |
| 10 | "Partner Pre-formulation Process" | The swim-lane chart |
| 11 | "Concept Maturity Mapped to Process" | "Fictional Example: Lunar Coffee Maker" |
| 12 | "Architecture Products" | As in the Architecture Updates deck, slide 7 (ADD Rev B, overview, white papers; "Revision B Published December 13"). The text layer carries two white papers' text from the thumbnails; not cited |
| 13 | "Architecture and Science" | Section title: "Brad Bailey, Deputy Associate Administrator for Exploration, Science Mission Directorate, NASA – SMD" |
| 14 | "M2M Objectives – 26 Science Objectives" | The six science goals' tables |
| 15–16 | "Science Enabled by Architecture" | Six science objectives or goals, with hardware pictures |
| 17 | "Architecture 101" | A card labeled "ROUNDTABLE" (image): "Moon to Mars Architecture Workshop", "Room 125"; "Julie Grantier, Deputy Manager for Integration, ESDMD, SAO"; "Shatel Bhakta, Lunar Architecture Lead, ESDMD, SAO"; "Brad Bailey, Assistant Deputy Associate Administrator for Exploration, SMD" |
| 18 | "Questions and Discussion" | Discussion prompts |
| 19 | "Architecture White Papers" | All 31 by year and focus |
The elements (slide 9)¶
Read from the image. Eighteen tiles in two rows on either side of a green arrow running from "Human Lunar Return" to "Foundational Exploration", labeled "notional timeline":
- Top row: Exploration Ground Systems, Space Launch System, Orion Spacecraft, Commercial Lunar Payload Services, Exploration EVA Systems, then "Human-Class Delivery Lander" over "SpaceX Starship" and "Blue Origin Mark 2 Cargo", then "New for 2024" over "Initial Surface Habitat" and "Lunar Surface Cargo Lander".
- Bottom row: "Near Space Network" and "Deep Space Network" (grouped "NSN / DSN"), "SpaceX Starship" and "Blue Origin Blue Moon" (grouped "Human Landing System"), "Lunar Communications Relay and Navigation Systems", Gateway, Gateway Logistics Element, Lunar Terrain Vehicle, Pressurized Rover.
- "International Partnerships" key, as colored dots on the tiles: Canadian Space Agency, European Space Agency, Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency. ESA's dot is on Orion; all four are on Gateway; JAXA's is on the Pressurized Rover.
- "Element | A notional exploration system that enables a set of functions." (the overviews' definition; 2024 overview).
The tiles are the 2024 overview's spread, with "Near Space Network" where the spread has "Near Earth Network" (2024 overview). The wiki doesn't read segments from the tiles' left-to-right order: the slide calls it "notional", and ADD Rev C gives each element's segments on its one-pager (Elements). The Lunar Utility Rover and Lunar Nuclear Fission System are absent, as expected before Rev C. The four dots on Gateway and JAXA's on the Pressurized Rover agree with the overview's badges; ESA's dot on Orion fits Rev C's ESA-built service module (Orion) (the wiki's comparisons).
Pre-formulation (slides 10–11)¶
"Partner Pre-formulation Process" (slide 10), subtitled "Exploration Systems Development Mission Directorate". The swim-lane chart of the 2024 international partnerships paper's Figure 2: the milestones ACR, EI, MCR and ASM with the same captions ("Overt decision to proceed with maturation of concept assessed for priority, budget, and strategy"; "Evaluates feasibility of proposed mission concept(s) and its fulfillment of architecture needs and objectives"; "Transition from SAO to M2MPO for implementation …"), lanes for "International Partners" and "Industry Partners", and the three numbered notes. The industry lane has "Industry BAA, RFI, etc.", as in 2024 (the wiki's comparison against its transcription of Figure 2). A year later, the Rome deck's version has "Partner Pre-Phase A" in that lane (RT-1).
"Concept Maturity Mapped to Process. Fictional Example: Lunar Coffee Maker" (slide 11). The 2024 overview's coffee maker (2024 overview) redrawn on the same swim lanes, with one "Partner" lane. As printed, read from the image:
- "Area of Partner Interest: In-Space Food Systems"; "Architectural Gap: Provide coffee to lunar astronauts"; "Associated Sub-Architectures": icons for Human Systems, Habitation Systems and Logistics Systems.
- "Joint Capability Studies: Examine the trade space while developing concepts." (Espresso Machine, French Press, Drip Coffee), between "ACR" and "EI".
- "Element Definition: Establish best solution to fulfil the architecture needs within partner and system constraints" (Espresso Concepts 1 to 3), between "EI" and "MCR".
- "Pre-Phase A: Select concept for formulation; prepare for mission concept review." ending in the "Lunar Coffee Maker Element" at "MCR".
- The partner lane: "Studies", "EI", "Partner Pre-Phase A/B" and "Industry BAA, RFI, etc.", "MCR".
Against the 2024 figure (the wiki's comparison): "Architectural Gap" where 2024 has "FICTIONAL CAPABILITY GAP"; the area of interest and the sub-architectures are new; and the slide stops at the mission concept review, where 2024 runs on to the acquisition strategy and the hand-off to the Moon to Mars Program Office.
Architecture and science (slides 13–16)¶
An SMD section inside the deck.
- "M2M Objectives – 26 Science Objectives" (slide 14). Six overlapping pages, one per science goal, each with its objective table: Lunar/Planetary Science (LPS-1 to -4), Heliophysics Science (HS-1 to -4), Human and Biological Science (HBS-1 to -3), Physics and Physical Science (PPS-1, -2), Science-Enabling (SE-1 to -7), Applied Science (AS-1 to -6). The pages overlap and cover parts of each other; the wiki didn't compare the small-print wording. 4 + 4 + 3 + 2 + 7 + 6 = 26, the 2023 strategy document's "Science: Six goals with 26 objectives" (Objectives).
- "Science Enabled by Architecture" (slides 15–16). One row each for LPS-1, LPS-2 and LPS-3 (slide 15) and HBS-1, HBS-2 and "HS" (slide 16), each with a science picture (credits as printed: "Keane et al", "LGN", "ESA"; "Pexels", "NASA", "ESA") and an arrow to seven unlabeled pictures of exploration hardware. The rows differ in one or two pictures; LPS-2's and HS's rows include a large radio dish. The slides have no words besides the codes and credits, so the wiki doesn't map these objectives to elements from them. ADD Rev C leaves the mapping of science payloads to objectives as forward work (Utilization Systems).
Discussion prompts (slide 18)¶
"Discussion Prompts", as printed:
- "Have you read the Architecture Definition Document? How is your organization using it to inform your investments and strategies? Are there changes in the documentation or process that would be useful to industry or academia?"
- "What future white paper topics would be helpful to your organization?"
- "Do you see opportunities for your organization to integrate with the architecture? Do you have questions about where your organization fits in the pre-formulation process? Do you know how to engage with NASA?"
- "What additional products or information would best help your organization to understand and engage with the architecture?"
- "How can NASA help industry forecast where gaps exist and when they need to come on-line?"
The white papers by focus (slide 19)¶
"White Papers | Answer questions, communicate NASA's latest thinking, and characterize architecture challenges." A table by year, each title shaded by focus (key: "Moon-Focused", "Mars-Focused", "Cross-Cutting"; read from the image):
| Year | Moon-focused | Mars-focused | Cross-cutting |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 (6) | Why NRHO: The Artemis Orbit; Why Artemis will Focus on the Lunar South Pole Region | Mars Transportation | Gateway: The Cislunar Springboard; Systems Analysis of Architecture Drivers; Mars-Forward Capabilities to be Tested at the Moon |
| 2023 (13) | Lunar Communications and Navigation Architecture; Lunar Site Selection; Analytical Capabilities In-situ vs. Returned; Safe and Precise Landing at Lunar Sites | Mars Communications Disruption and Delay; Mars Mission Abort Considerations; Mars Surface Power Generation; Key Mars Architecture Decisions; Round-Trip Mars Mission Mass Challenges; Human Health and Performance for Mars Missions | Lunar Logistics Drivers and Needs; Surface Extravehicular Activity Architectural Drivers; Exploration Lessons Learned from the Space Station |
| 2024 (12) | Lunar Mobility Drivers and Needs; Lunar Surface Cargo; Priority Science Enabled through Architecture; Lunar Reference Frame | Mars Crew Complement Considerations; Mars Surface Power Tech Decision; Mars Entry, Descent, and Landing Challenges; Mars Ascent Propellant Considerations | Humans in Space to Accomplish Science Objectives; Responsible Exploration; International Partnerships; Architecture-Driven Technology Gaps |
The 2024 column is the 2024 overview's grouping. NASA's White Papers page lists five papers for 2022 and twelve for 2023: it leaves off "Systems Analysis of Architecture Drivers" and "Key Mars Architecture Decisions", the two the 2025 "Architecture Definition" paper supersedes (White Papers page). In February 2025 both were still on the list (the wiki's comparison). "Lunar Logistics Drivers and Needs" (2023) is shaded cross-cutting, though its title says lunar. Of the 31, the wiki holds the twelve 2024 papers; the 2022 and 2023 papers are not among the sources (open question 30).
Oddities¶
As printed, images checked:
- Brad Bailey is "Deputy Associate Administrator for Exploration" on slide 13 and "Assistant Deputy Associate Administrator for Exploration" on slide 17.
- "to fulfil" (slide 11).
- The international copy keeps "useful to industry or academia" in its first prompt (slide 18 there).
Related pages¶
Architecture 101, international deck · Architecture Updates deck · 2024 executive overview · RT-1 · Elements · Objectives · White Papers page · Architecture definition process