When it comes to Reliability and Maintainability (R&M), the public and private sectors’ objectives appear to be aligned. The 2020 theme for the annual R&M Symposium (RAMS) —  a conference focused on the latest technical practices and procedures presented through technical papers and tutorials — was, “R&M in a Model-Based Systems Engineering Environment.”

Learn the latest details on the release of the Orbital Debris Engineering Model, ORDEM 3.1, in this article from Orbital Debris Quarterly News, Volume 24, Issue 1, February 2020.

The Office of Safety and Mission Assurance’s Meteoroid Environment Office (MEO) recently released “A Meteoroid Handbook for Aerospace Engineers and Managers” (NASA/TM-2019-220142) to help educate programs across the agency about the environments their spacecraft could encounter during their missions and, in turn, help programs protect their spacecraft from potentially damaging threats.

The February 2020 issue of Orbital Debris Quarterly News is now available and includes the article “The Inaugural International Orbital Debris Conference,” republished here. 

This issue also includes the articles “U.S. National Space Council Announces Update to the USG ODMSP,” “Fifty-first SOZ Unit Breaks Up,” “Debris Assessment Software Version 3.0 Release,” and “The 2019 U.S. Government Orbital Debris Mitigation Standard Practices.” 

When something goes wrong, swift action is often necessary, especially in the case of a severe mishap or high-visibility mishap or close call. Knowing what to do ahead of these incidents can help in the aftermath.

When working with explosives, it’s essential to fully understand the hazards and potential risks to employees and facilities in the area should something go wrong. However, it’s also possible for non-explosive materials to become energetic in a way that poses similar, potentially deadly and damaging risks. These high-risk operations — whether relative to “traditional” explosives or energetic materials — need to be properly managed to ensure a safe work environment. How Explosives Safety Officers are assessing and managing that risk varies from center to center to accommodate the diverse environments and work being done. The following examples show how three unique NASA centers and facilities are managing these risks.

The Office of Safety and Mission Assurance’s Metrology and Calibration (MetCal) Program recently released “Handling, Transport, Storage, & Shipping of Measuring & Test Equipment” in SATERN. This one-hour course provides an overview of the proper physical handling, transporting, storing and shipping of Measuring and Test Equipment to help ensure it will continue to meet its accuracy specifications.

The Office of Safety and Mission Assurance is preparing to submit NASA-STD-8739.14, NASA Fastener Procurement, Receiving Inspection, and Storage Practices for NASA Mission Hardware for agencywide review in order to meet the planned May 6, 2020, publication date. 

On Oct. 1, the Office of Safety and Mission Assurance (OSMA) delegated a new program within the Quality Assurance discipline: Supply Chain Risk Management (SCRM). SCRM focuses on strategies, tools, techniques and guidance that generate knowledge about supplier risk and creates approaches for maximizing successful Quality outcomes throughout NASA’s supply chain for mission hardware.

The U.S. National Space Council announced the update to the U.S. Government (USG) Orbital Debris Mitigation Standard Practices (ODMSP). The announcement took place at the First International Orbital Debris Conference (co-sponsored by NASA) in Sugar Land, Texas.