The NASA Electronic Parts and Packaging Program is bridging gaps between engineering and assurance disciplines using a Model-Based Mission Assurance tool built around NASA-STD-8729.1, NASA Reliability and Maintainability (R&M) Standard for Spaceflight and Support Systems. The tool — the Systems Engineering and Assurance Modeling platform — is a web-based collaborative platform for modeling assurance cases that can be integrated with the models of the system. 

The Office of Safety and Mission Assurance recently named Elaine Seasly as the deputy Planetary Protection Officer. In this role, she will be supporting the Office of Planetary Protection in its efforts to promote the responsible exploration of the solar system by implementing and developing efforts that protect the science, explored environments and Earth.

NASA’s programs rely on robust supply chains to achieve mission success, resulting in many complex relationships that often cross between not only disciplines and projects, but contracts and suppliers. To ensure success, Safety and Mission Assurance professionals must look at the supply chain through a Risk Management perspective to help leaders make risk-informed decisions about the products and services that go into building the spacecraft, payloads and ground systems for the agency’s projects.

The NASA Metrology and Calibration (MetCal) Program released a new course in SATERN, “4:1 Test Accuracy Ratio for Compliance with ANSI/NCSL Z540.1-1994 (R2002) Sub-clause 10.2.b,” (SMA-HQ-WBT-217).

The Safety and Mission Assurance Directorate at Goddard Space Flight Center developed an integrated platform, the Meta information system, which currently encompasses 22 operational applications for Goddard and NASA Headquarters’ Science Mission Directorate.

After each of NASA’s major mishaps — Apollo 1, Challenger and Columbia — the agency investigated the mishap and applied findings to future flights. As spaceflight became safer with the implementation of the lessons learned, mishap investigations also improved from each experience. With NASA preparing to fly three new crewed space vehicles in the coming years, clear understanding of the Mishap Investigation process with regards to Human Spaceflight and the underlying authorities and legal landscape of these investigations becomes paramount. 

NASA-STD-8719.9, Lifting Standard went into effect Nov. 2, 2018. The update consisted of slight technical changes, new recommended Lifting Device Equipment Manager minimum requirements and editorial cleanup. Because this standard went through a major revision three years ago, updates to this revision were minor. 

Stennis Space Center’s Safety and Mission Assurance (SMA) Directorate combined its safety data from seven separate databases to create a more streamlined collection of data. The center hopes the system, known as the SMA Crystal Ball, will eventually predict future safety incidents based on past data to help Stennis management better allocate center resources. 

Researchers completed 10 NASA Software Assurance Research Program (SARP)-sponsored research projects aimed to benefit Software Assurance processes across the agency and presented the results to the Software Assurance Working Group (SAWG). After SAWG selected initiatives in 2017, researchers were given a year to develop, analyze, test, record findings and present results.