SMA Leadership Profile: Johnny Nguyen
July 28, 2025
3-minute read
As director of the Missions and Programs Assessment Division in the Office of Safety and Mission Assurance, Johnny Nguyen leads Safety and Mission Assurance activities in support of NASA's diverse portfolio, including spacecraft, science payloads, launch vehicles, technology development and aeronautics.
Read More
Change 1 Published to NASA-STD-7919.1, NASA Commercial Aviation Services Standard
July 17, 2025
1-minute read
On May 5, 2025, NASA updated
NASA-STD-7919.1, NASA Commercial Aviation Services (CAS) Standard to Change 1. The standard, published on July 10, 2024, provides technical requirements for commercial aircraft flight operations and Change 1 clarifies flight operations requirements.
High-Volume Manufacturing and Parts Engineering for Space Applications Forum
July 07, 2025
1-minute read
In this webinar, Mark Porter, chief engineer for the Component Engineering and Assurance Office at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, provided insights on how to mitigate risk and maintain high standards in the design and integration of high-volume manufacturing parts produced for space missions.
9 OSMA Employees Receive Yes, If Awards
July 02, 2025
2-minute read
Russ DeLoach, NASA’s chief of Safety and Mission Assurance (SMA), recently presented seven employees with “Yes, If” awards to recognize their instrumental roles in support of NASA’s mission. Two NASA retirees also received "Yes, If" awards.
Kennedy‘s Cipo Presented With Yes, If Award for Ongoing Safety Advocacy
July 01, 2025
2-minute read
Zulaida (Zulie) Cipo, integration engineering support specialist for the Consolidated Operations, Management, Engineering and Test (COMET) contract at Kennedy Space Center, received the “Yes, If” award at a recent Office of Safety and Mission Assurance town hall meeting. Russ DeLoach, NASA’s chief of Safety and Mission Assurance (SMA), presented the award to Cipo in recognition of the initiatives she implemented to enhance safety at the center.
Read More
Burkhead and Wright Receive Yes, If Awards for Facilitating Learning Opportunity
July 01, 2025
2-minute read
Russ DeLoach, NASA’s chief of Safety and Mission Assurance, presented David Burkhead and Logan Wright, Explosive Safety Program leads at Wallops Flight Facility (WFF), with “Yes, If” awards to celebrate the positive approach the pair took to address a Wallops Range Safety Manual violation.
Read More
Zona Receives Yes, If Award for Safety Culture Contributions
July 01, 2025
3-minute read
Russ DeLoach, NASA’s chief of Safety and Mission Assurance, presented U.S. Air Force
Lt. Col. Denise Zona, former Human Factors and Safety Culture interagency advisor, with the “Yes, If” award at the recent Office of Safety and Mission Assurance (OSMA) town hall meeting. DeLoach presented this award in recognition of Zona’s agency contributions for fostering a culture of continuous improvement as the lead on the
Organizational Risk Safety Assessment (ORSA).
Michoud’s Dan Berlin Receives Yes, If Award
June 26, 2025
2-minute read
Dan Berlin, Space Launch Systems (SLS) critical systems program manager for Syncom Space Services at Michoud Assembly Facility, received the “Yes, If” award in recognition of his positive approach to managing the refurbishment of the Ederer crane in Michoud Building 110.
IV&V’s Joseph Irons and Roger Harris Receive Yes, If Awards
June 20, 2025
3-minute read
Joseph (Joe) Irons, director of Facilities Management for the Katherine Johnson Independent Verification and Validation (IV&V) Facility, and Roger Harris, Space Launch Systems (SLS) IV&V project manager, received “Yes, If” coins for their instrumental roles in support of IV&V’s mission.
Introducing the White Paper "Contracting Quality Early in the Program Lifecycle"
June 05, 2025
1-minute read
In today’s complex aerospace and defense programs, the cost of late-stage quality interventions continues to be a major contributor to schedule delays, rework and elevated risk. The white paper “Contracting Quality Early in the Program Lifecycle,” prepared by the Aerospace Industries Association (AIA) in collaboration with industry and government quality leaders, advocates for a critical shift: embedding Quality Assurance (QA) requirements at the very start of a program.