Acting Chief of Safety and Mission Assurance (SMA) Nathan Vassberg started his aerospace career intending to work with airplanes. Yet early opportunities in SMA opened doors he hadn’t expected, and the work grabbed his interest immediately. That spark and the breadth of SMA work turned into a 35-year career for Vassberg. His experience working on all major human spaceflight programs since the start of his career provides a unique perspective on vehicles, international partnerships and program integration.

NASA hosted the Science and Planetary Protection in Advance of Human Missions to Mars Workshop as the pathbreaker for a new series developed to engage the Mars science community in the planning process for precursor science, and ultimately human exploration, on Mars.

Software requirements analysis is a pivotal stage in the software development life cycle. It ensures that documented requirements accurately reflect operational needs and establish a solid foundation for design, development and implementation. Poorly defined requirements can lead to significant setbacks, including costly rework, safety risks and system failures. For NASA projects—where precision, safety and reliability are paramount—requirements analysis is not optional; it is a critical necessity.

The first release of NASA’s BioSTAR tool is here — and it’s ready to make life easier for Planetary Protection engineers across the agency! BioSTAR is an interactive, web-based tool that brings everything you need for estimating bioburden and building your Planetary Protection Equipment List (PPEL) together in one place.

The EEE Parts Bulletin for July 2025 provides recommendations on Electrostatic Discharge (ESD) control in semiconductor wafer fabrication.