NASA Procedures and Guidelines
This Document is Obsolete and Is No Longer Used. Check the NODIS Library to access the current version: http://nodis3.gsfc.nasa.gov
NPR 7120.10A Eff. Date: February 21, 2017 Cancellation Date:	Technical Standards for NASA Programs and Projects
| TOC | Preface | Chapter1 | Chapter2 | Chapter3 | Chapter4 | AppendixA | AppendixB | AppendixC | ALL |

Chapter 1. Technical Standards

1.1 Overview

1.1.1Technical standards are important to the Agency for many reasons, including but not limited to:

a. Complying with legal and other requirements.

b. Citing technical requirements or specifications in contracts, grants, and other types of agreements to ensure contractors are held accountable for delivering the products or services to achieve program or project needs.

c. Capturing lessons learned to provide a rationale for recommendations and requirements or to share success factors and new technology.

d. Facilitating engineering excellence in development studies and operations.

e. Providing a common base for interoperability.

f. Preventing conflict and duplication of effort.

g. Fostering and supporting reuse and sharing.

1.2 General Provisions Governing Technical Standards

1.2.1 A technical standard is not "self-imposing," i.e., it is not mandatory for use by a performing entity unless:

a. Required by U.S. law or NASA directive, or

b. Invoked by other NASA requirements documents (e.g., contracts, including but not limited to, the JPL (FFRDC) contract, program and project documents, grants, and agreements).

1.2.2 Requirements in technical standards and specifications are identified by using the word "shall" and denote mandatory compliance by programs and projects when selected and used as program and project requirements.

Note: When developing NASA technical standards, endorsing voluntary consensus standards, or invoking them as requirements, the following should be considered: the potential effect on the economy and of applicable Federal laws and policies, including laws and regulations relating to antitrust, national security, small business, product safety, environment, metrication, technology development, international trade, intellectual property and copyright, privacy and security, and conflicts of interest.

1.2.3 Approved NASA technical standards are reviewed at least once every 5 years or as the need arises and revised, revalidated, inactivated for new design, editorially or administratively changed, or cancelled.

1.2.4 In NASA technical standards, verifiable requirement statements are numbered and indicated by the word "shall." Rationale for why the requirement is necessary should be provided for the user. To facilitate requirements selection and verification by NASA programs and projects, a Requirements Compliance Matrix is provided as an appendix in each NASA technical standard and specification. The Requirements Compliance Matrix should be used in coordination with the explanatory and guidance text in the body of the NASA technical standard or specification.

1.2.5 Technical standards are accessible at https://standards.nasa.gov.

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