James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) Program Manager Raynor Taylor received a NASA Yes-If Challenge Coin for raising a safety concern while visiting a NASA center. Since he brought up the concern, project personnel have created a clear path forward to practice better safety measures.

“Safety has to be paramount,” Taylor said. “When things might not be going right, you have to stop and raise an extra concern. It actually did change this particular project.”

Chief of Safety and Mission Assurance (SMA) Terry Wilcutt presented Taylor his coin at a Headquarters meeting of the senior staff of the Science Mission Directorate, explaining the history of the Yes-If coin and expanding on why Deputy Chief of SMA Hal Bell nominated Taylor for this recognition.

When presenting the coin, Wilcutt discussed the importance of the agency’s strong reporting culture. As he noted, it allows anyone at NASA to report a concern without a fear of reprisal.

Having worked at NASA for more than 20 years, in his current position Taylor works very closely with SMA and fosters a culture of “safety first” among his team. According to Taylor, the Yes-If Coin is an example of how NASA fosters this culture agency-wide.

“For me, what it shows is that it’s okay, and it’s also desired, to have concerns raised, and, equally importantly, one doesn’t get criticized for raising a concern,” Taylor expressed.