Featured Story

John Livacich Receives Yes, If Coin for Approach to Safety

2-minute read
yes-if

John Livacich, Safety and Occupational Health manager at Ames Research Center, recently received a “Yes, If” coin for his proactive approach to mitigating risks and ensuring safe and reliable lifting operations.

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Human Factors Program: Year in Review

3-minute read
Human Factors

As the new calendar year approaches, the Human Factors Task Force (HFTF) started reflecting on its many achievements over the past 12 months. The team gained new members, offered and developed more training, and integrated Human Factors into the agency mishap reporting system.

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SMA Leadership Profile: Rick Nybakken

6-minute read
rick-nybakken-hero

Sometimes, being on the outside provides perspective. That’s the case for Rick Nybakken, director for Safety and Mission Assurance (SMA) at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL).

“My career path has really helped to shape me: I’ve been at JPL for 35 years, and I’ve probably been in SMA for eight of those years,” explained Nybakken. “Working with Safety and Mission Assurance as a partner helped me understand the value since day one. That contributed to my desire to eventually work in SMA and gain a greater understanding from the inside.” 

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Ring in the New Year with NASAHFACS Training

1-minute read
NASAHFACS Training
The Human Factors Task Force is hosting a virtual NASA Human Factors Analysis and Classifications System (NASAHFACS) training and certification course, available to NASA personnel interested in learning about the impact of Human Factors across the agency. The three-day certification course will be Jan. 19-21, 2021, via Microsoft Teams.
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NASA Breakthrough in Multi-Layered Pressure Vessel NDE

2-minute read
PVS

The Office of Safety and Mission Assurance’s Multi-Layered Pressure Vessel Risk Mitigation Project (MLPVRMP) made significant advancements in detecting weld flaws in Multi-Layered Pressure Vessels (MLVP) through the use of advanced techniques in Nondestructive Evaluation (NDE). The unique design and fabrication of MLPVs made inspection of inner weld areas joining shell to shell layers impossible, until now. This breakthrough presents the agency with the ability to thoroughly examine and baseline in-service MLPVs for critical weld flaws, thereby supporting selective MLPV replacement based on verified risk. 

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New Tool for Developing Safety Assurance Cases

5-minute read
Diagram

NASA projects go through the full life cycle, from concept to implementation to closeout, with a number of reviews along the way. These reviews ensure that the developed project can meet mission objectives and do so safely. The project must make a case for itself: show and explain why the system will work as intended. Enter, the safety assurance case, or simply safety case as it may be more commonly known. Researchers at Ames Research Center have been fine tuning their notion of the safety case and developing a tool to make its development easier.

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SMA Leadership Profile: Andrew Demo

7-minute read
Andrew Demo

“I am not the same, having seen the moon shine on the other side of the world,” said author Mary Anne Radmacher. For Ames Research Center’s newest Safety and Mission Assurance (SMA) Director Andrew “Drew” Demo, a lifetime of travel has taught him to appreciate diversity, exercise empathy and sensitivity, and build relationships — all essential building blocks to his leadership style.

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Help NASA Harness Digital Technology

2-minute read
DT-Hero

In tune with the agency’s initiative to create solutions that enable seamless data flow and collaboration across centers, NASA is hosting its first virtual Digital Transformation Hackathon, Sept. 11.

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PHMSA Releases COVID-19 Extension of Enforcement Discretion Regarding Cylinders

1-minute read
Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration Logo

The U.S. Department of Transportation Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) recently released “Notice of Extension of Enforcement Discretion Regarding Cylinders That Have Exceeded Their Periodic Requalification Test Date.” 

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OSMA Promotes Development of NASGRO® Software for Use on Ground-Based Pressure Systems

6-minute read
Compressed cylinders

In recent years, the Office of Safety and Mission Assurance (OSMA) Pressure Systems program accomplished a number of efforts to facilitate broader use of NASGRO for the analysis and sustainment of pressure systems. By expanding the use of NASA’s perpetual, royalty-free NASGRO license, centers across the agency will realize a significant cost savings.

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OSMA Releases Fastener Policy Update

6-minute read
Close-up of various steel nuts and bolts

The Office of Safety and Mission Assurance (OSMA) simultaneously renumbered and published an update to NASA-STD-6008, NASA Fastener Procurement, Receiving Inspection, and Storage Practices for Spaceflight. The new document, NASA-STD-8739.14, NASA Fastener Procurement, Receiving Inspection, and Storage Practices for NASA Mission Hardware, is now available for download at standards.nasa.gov. This is the first substantive technical change to the document since its stewardship transferred from the NASA Office of Chief Engineer to OSMA in 2008. The number change aligns with OSMA’s assigned number series for technical standards.

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