About

The Office of Safety and Mission Assurance (OSMA) assures the safety and enhances the success of all NASA activities through the development, implementation and oversight of agencywide safety, reliability, assurance and space environment sustainability policies and procedures. OSMA includes the Mission Assurance Standards and Capabilities Division, Missions and Programs Assessment Division, Institutional Safety Management Division, and NASA Safety Center, as well as the Independent Verification and Validation Program.

Responsible for

Establishing and assuring compliance with NASA Safety and Mission Assurance (SMA) strategies, policies and standards
Fostering early integration and life cycle implementation of Safety, Reliability, Maintainability and Quality Assurance (SRM&QA) into NASA's programs and operations
Improving methodologies for risk identification and assessment and providing recommendations for risk mitigation and acceptance
Performing independent SMA assessments and process verification reviews
Providing analysis and recommendations for critical agency safety decisions
Sponsoring the innovation and rapid transfer of SRM&QA technologies, processes and techniques to improve safety and reliability and reduce the cost of mission success

People

Nathan Vassberg

Acting Chief

Nathan Vassberg is the acting chief of OSMA at NASA. He is responsible for policy and oversight of all Safety and Mission Assurance activities across the agency’s centers and programs.

Frank Groen

Deputy Chief

Dr. Frank J. Groen is the deputy chief of OSMA at NASA. In this position, he is responsible for executive leadership, policy direction, functional management and coordination for agency-wide program and institutional SMA activities.

Organizational Chart

OSMA

This organizational chart shows the various areas of OSMA, the relationships between these areas and staff information.

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Divisions

The Office of Safety and Mission Assurance (OSMA) includes the Mission Assurance Standards and Capabilities Division (MASCD), Missions and Programs Assessment Division (MPAD), Institutional Safety Management Division (ISMD), and NASA Safety Center (NSC), as well as the Independent Verification and Validation (IV&V) Facility.

MASCD

Mission Assurance Standards and Capabilities Division

The Mission Assurance Standards and Capabilities Division (MASCD) fosters and continually advances the state of NASA’s Safety and Mission Assurance (SMA) through the development and promulgation of policy, standards, guidance, technical knowledge and capabilities.

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MPAD

Missions and Programs Assessment Division

The Missions and Programs Assessment Division (MPAD) is the primary interface between OSMA and the NASA Mission Directorates. MPAD supports the formulation and implementation of Safety and Mission Assurance objectives and requirements by the directorates and human spaceflight enterprises.

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ISMD

Institutional Safety Management Division

The Institutional Safety Management Division (ISMD) monitors, promotes and actively maintains and improves the Institutional Safety discipline areas and helps identify and mitigate Institutional Safety risks.

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NSC

NASA Safety Center

The NASA Safety Center (NSC) provides SMA expertise, information, verification and analysis to enable collaboration and learning while promoting a safe workplace and successful programs and projects.

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IV&V

Independent Verification and Validation

NASA's Katherine Johnson Independent Verification and Validation (IV&V) Program was established in 1993 as part of an agencywide strategy to provide the highest achievable levels of safety and cost-effectiveness for mission critical software.

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