Last July, Glenn Graham stepped into a new role after 28 years in the U.S. Air Force: Safety and Mission Assurance (SMA) director at Armstrong Flight Research Center. At what Graham calls a center of excellence for aviation in the mecca of aviation (the Antelope Valley North of Los Angeles) his experience is a great fit for the NASA center and its flying-focused missions. 

In late June, Dr. Ed Generazio, Office of Safety and Mission Assurance Nondestructive Evaluation (NDE) program manager, received a NASA Distinguished Service Medal for his exemplary work in NDE for the agency.

Dr. Jess Waller, material scientist at NASA’s White Sands Test Facility with Jacobs Technology Inc., received the 2015 Robert J. Painter Memorial Award for Meritorious Service from ASTM International and the Society for Standards Professionals for his significant contributions to standards over the last year. Waller, part of the Office of Safety and Mission Assurance’s (OSMA) Nondestructive Evaluation (NDE) program, was chosen for this award out of ASTM’s approximately 32,000 members. 

Dr. Cheryl Marshall of NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center was awarded the prestigious Radiation Effects Award during the IEEE Nuclear and Space Radiation Effects Conference (NSREC) held in Boston July 13-17, 2015. 

Russ DeLoach, Safety and Mission Assurance (SMA) director at Kennedy Space Center (KSC), has more than 27 years of experience in SMA. As director, he ensures KSC’s programs, including Ground Systems Development and Operations, Commercial Crew, Launch Services, Orion, and the International Space Station, have the necessary SMA support to succeed.

NASA Safety Center (NSC) Director Alan Phillips has led the NSC since its inception in 2006. In this role, he oversees the center’s efforts to enable more effective and efficient Safety and Mission Assurance  support for NASA's portfolio of programs and projects.

Greg Blaney leads NASA IV&V with a focus on teamwork, safety, values, customer satisfaction and supporting mission success across the agency. 

On July 15, Nathan Vassberg stepped into the role of chief safety officer for NASA’s Commercial Crew Program. In this role, Vassberg is responsible for upholding Safety and Mission Assurance technical authority and working with the program to assure that crew safety focus is maintained.

The July 2014 issue of Orbital Debris Quarterly News included an article on Dr. Jer Chyi (J.-C.) Liou, NASA’s new chief scientist for orbital debris. Continue reading for the full article.

Director of Mission Support Division DeeDee Healey has put in place an energetic and talented team of Safety and Mission Assurance professionals who are motivated to meet the challenges ahead.