What enabling technologies provide the best return on investment?
This study outlines the structure of a process that can help make decisions about advanced technology investment. The process conducts a systematic flow-down analysis of scientific investigation goals and measurements for a mission class, of the corresponding mission and system concepts, and of the enabling technologies needed to achieve the desired investigations. A series of examples elucidate how a systematic technology investment process can make substantial contributions toward binding confluent interests in science and technology. The examples can be generalized to a broader scope of investigations, mission concepts and enabling technologies.
