NASA Needs Strategic Plan to Manage Orbital Debris Efforts; Risks Increasing for Satellites, Space Station, National Research Council “Although NASA’s meteoroid and orbital debris programs have responsibly used their resources, […]
Safety
Posted inISS News
Emptying The Space Station of Humans?
Space station could be at risk if crews are forced to leave temporarily, USA Today “NASA International Space Station Program Manager Mike Suffred says evacuation is a distinct possibility in […]
Posted inSafety
Terry Wilcutt Is The New Safety AA
NASA Names Terry Wilcutt Agency Safety Chief “Terrence W. Wilcutt has been appointed NASA’s chief of safety and mission assurance, effective Sept. 1. Wilcutt is a retired Marine colonel and […]
Posted inCommercialization
Monopolizing ISS Access
Russian space agency won’t let private US spacecraft dock with ISS until reliability proven, AP “Russian news agencies are quoting a top space official as saying Russia won’t permit a […]
Posted inSafety
Software and Risk
A Not-So-Simple Truth, Wayne Hale “February is a month for introspection for me, and the events of 8 years ago have been on my mind. In the Columbia accident investigation […]
Posted inCommercialization
Certifying Spacecraft – Then and Now
CertifyingSoyuz, Wayne Hale “So as new human certification ratings are proposed, they rely heavily on new standards and specifications, requirements for analysis, engineering calculation, computer simulation, piece-part testing and just […]
Posted inSafety
NASA OIG: Launch Services Training
Final Memorandum Assessing Launch Services Program’s Interim Response Team Training Requirements “While the mishap plans we reviewed appropriately identified roles and responsibilities for managing contingency actions, NASA has not established […]
Posted inSafety
Tug of War Over Commercial Space Safety?
FAA, NASA Vie for Authority Over Commercial Space Safety, WS Journal “Congress hasn’t yet voted on White House proposals to outsource manned space flights to private enterprise, but the concept […]
Posted inSLS and Orion
Fragola on Safety: If You Say Something Often Enough …
Obama Plans Florida Forum to Discuss NASA’s Future, NY Times “Joseph R. Fragola, a safety consultant, said the review had found no critical flaws for Constellation. “Money is the problem,” […]
Posted inSafety
Human Rating A Spacecraft
Wayne Hale’s Blog: Human Rating A Spacecraft “Recently you may have heard about former astronaut Scott Parazynski’s adventure to climb Mt. Everest. He carried a sliver of a moon rock […]