NASA's non-linear Space Shuttle design can guide today's innovators: Study

A recent study published in the Strategic Management Journal analyzes NASA’s non-linear design process behind the Space Shuttle, the world’s first reusable spacecraft. Researchers from the University of Texas McCombs School of Business examined extensive archival materials from 1969 to 1971 to map the shuttle’s design evolution. They found that NASA employed a distinctive approach involving two intertwined processes: oscillation and accumulation. Oscillation involved deliberately stepping back from a current design focus to explore alternative solutions before returning with new insights, while accumulation referred to progressively meeting more performance goals by building on knowledge gained from each iteration. This synergistic use of oscillation and accumulation enabled NASA to balance competing demands such as payload capacity, reusability, fuel efficiency, size, weight, and cost. The study highlights how this non-linear, iterative design strategy allowed NASA engineers to temporarily abandon superior solutions—such as switching from advanced liquid hydrogen fuel back to kerosene—to test other components and accumulate broader knowledge. This approach required humility and flexibility but