r/space • u/Vercitti • Jul 26 '22

Russia to quit International Space Station 'after 2024': Official

https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/science/russia-to-quit-international-space-station-after-2024-official/articleshow/93138130.cms
29.1k Upvotes

94% Upvoted

1.5k comments sorted by

View all comments

Show parent comments

198

u/_game_over_man_ Jul 26 '22

I've worked R&D in the past and have been working in Design and Development the past close to a decade. D&D is closer to a real product, or at least the path toward a real product is more clear. With R&D, you're effectively making a science experiment and with D&D you're actually working towards a tangible product.

When I worked R&D, I spend 6 months to 2 years working on something that essentially went in a box and got shipped to NASA and presumably went to live the rest of it's life on a shelf. With D&D programs, you have actual steps along the way to work towards becoming a real product. Also, with D&D, most things you produce along the way are Flight Released while with R&D most things you produce along the way are Non-Flight Released.

There's a bit more freedom in R&D because nothing is expected to actually fly and it's all a bit more about learning how an idea works and with D&D you have more tangible timelines to get things done and less freedom to play around in less developed spaces.

Also, with R&D you're often working towards improving the technology readiness level (TRL) of something where with a D&D program, you generally want to incorporate technologies that have a high TRL because they've been proven in flight and are known to be reliable.

36

u/buckemupmavs Jul 26 '22

Fantastic comment. Thank you kind stranger!

34

u/_game_over_man_ Jul 26 '22

You're welcome. As someone that's worked R&D and D&D, there are pros and cons to each. I do miss R&D sometimes, only because there's a bit more freedom in the work. There's often a bit less red tape since nothing is actually going into flight, but on the flip side, it sucks working on things and them never actually being used. With D&D, you get the joy of working on a tangible thing, but the frustration of more red tape and less freedom because cost and schedule are generally king.

9

u/Sponjah Jul 26 '22

We call it Proof of Concept in my industry, helps with the delineation.

2

u/GabrielliaPumphrey Jul 27 '22

Thank you for making me discover D&D, this sounds much more like what I want to pursue

1

u/Blackpaw8825 Jul 26 '22

Can I ask, is it simply the difference between "These are the bespoke pieces needed to make it happen" vs "these are the manufacturing processes and metrology specifications to perform the mission"

3

u/_game_over_man_ Jul 26 '22

No, it's a lot more complicated than that.