A recently published paper details knowledge gaps for crewed missions to Mars and methods for closing these gaps from a Planetary Protection (PP) standpoint. Multiple authors contributed to the paper, titled “Planetary Protection Knowledge Gap Closure Enabling Crewed Missions to Mars,” including Dr. J. Andy Spry, Senior Scientist at the SETI Institute and PP consultant at NASA Headquarters.

Manuel “Manny” Cordero, Information Technology security specialist for NASA’s Independent Verification and Validation (IV&V) Program and advisor for the agency’s Enterprise Protection Program (EPP), recently received a “Yes, If” coin for proactively increasing awareness about software security risks to protect NASA missions.

A reliable feedback channel provides crucial information for any high-functioning, continuously improving system. Process data and customer feedback are commonly used to refine manufacturing processes and quality management systems. 

The Office of Safety and Mission Assurance is currently engaged in a multi-year program to develop continued use fitness-for-service approaches and sustainment logic for aging ground-based Multi-Layered Pressure Vessels.

The February 2024 issue of Orbital Debris Quarterly News (ODQN) is now available. 

The October 2023 issue of Orbital Debris Quarterly News is now available.

NASA’s Range Flight Safety program recently released “UAS Range Flight Safety” (SMA-AS-WBT-300) to address the Range Flight Safety aspects of flying Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) at NASA. 

When OSIRIS-REx returns a sample of the asteroid Bennu to Earth on September 24, 2023, it will kick off a carefully orchestrated retrieval process. One thing the retrieval team won’t need to worry about is protecting Earth and its inhabitants from the sample.

The latest issue of Orbital Debris Quarterly News is now available. See the latest updates as of August 2023. 

NASA Chief of Safety and Mission Assurance Russ DeLoach recently presented two “Yes, If” coins to Ames Research Center personnel while visiting the center for the SMA Directors Meeting.