NASA Procedural Requirements

NPR 7120.10B Effective Date: June 01, 2022 Expiration Date: June 01, 2027

Subject: Technical Standards for NASA Programs and Projects

Responsible Office: Office of the Chief Engineer

Chapter 1. Technical Standards

1.1 Overview

1.1.1 Technical 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 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 In NASA technical standards, verifiable requirement statements are numbered, identified by using the word “shall,” and denote mandatory compliance by programs and projects when selected and used as program and project requirements. 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.

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 five years or as the need arises and revised, revalidated, inactivated for new design, editorially or administratively changed, or cancelled.

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

DISTRIBUTION:
NODIS

This document does not bind the public, except as authorized by law or as incorporated into a contract. This document is uncontrolled when printed. Check the NASA Online Directives Information System (NODIS) Library to verify that this is the correct version before use: https://nodis3.gsfc.nasa.gov.