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.

The Safety Culture program is celebrating its 10-year anniversary at NASA. Over the past decade, program members have dedicated their time and energy to providing a platform for the NASA community to voice safety concerns without repercussion, communicating safety issues to agency and center leaders, and developing education to encourage contributions to Safety Culture in the workplace. After years of forming, developing and improving the Safety Culture program at NASA, the group is being honored for its tenacious efforts.

What does it mean to be the Safety and Mission Assurance (SMA) director at Goddard Space Flight Center? According to the man himself, Eric Isaac, it’s as the title implies: it’s about being a leader that promotes keeping people safe and assuring the mission.

NASA recently announced a media teleconference that will take place at 3:30 p.m. Eastern, Friday, Oct. 18, to discuss recommendations presented by the Planetary Protection Independent Review Board, established in June 2019 by Thomas Zurbuchen, associate administrator for the agency’s Science Mission Directorate.