Researchers completed 10 NASA Software Assurance Research Program (SARP)-sponsored research projects aimed to benefit Software Assurance processes across the agency and presented the results to the Software Assurance Working Group (SAWG). After SAWG selected initiatives in 2017, researchers were given a year to develop, analyze, test, record findings and present results.

A new public-private initiative is working to improve Small Satellite (SmallSat) mission confidence. Historically, using CubeSats or SmallSats for certain types of missions have largely been viewed as unviable due to the mission success rate associated with these missions. As the space industry landscape changes — continuous technological advancements; miniaturization of Electrical, Electronic, and Electromechanical Parts and components; and increasing constraints on budget and schedule — both the public and private sector are looking to the small spacecraft platform for a range of missions with expectations of mission success.

NASA and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) signed a bilateral agreement that enables both space agencies to share non-public alert information. The international partners agreed upon a protocol to share unrestricted NASA Advisories and JAXA Shinraisei Gijutsu Jouhou (or JAXA problem advisories). 

Your thoughts, comments and suggestions about the Safety Culture at NASA have been heard. The Office of Safety and Mission Assurance, along with Subject Matter Experts from each of the NASA centers, has worked to make changes throughout the agency based on your input from the NASA Safety Culture Survey.

The most recent EEE Parts Bulletin provides information on activities related to Electrical, Electronic and Electromechanical (EEE) parts that occurred at NASA between August 2017 and May 2018. 

The Office of Safety and Mission Assurance (OSMA) created a new program dedicated to developing projects focused on moving demonstrations to best practices in the emerging Model-Based Systems Engineering (MBSE) paradigm. The Model-Based Mission Assurance (MBMA) Program will work to facilitate the integration of assurance functions and requirements into the project model. 

The Safety Culture Working Group revised two Safety Culture SATERN courses that provide training for NASA employees and contractors.

Both courses, “Orientation to NASA Safety Culture” and “Safety Culture for Supervisors,” cover the definition of Safety Culture, the NASA Safety Culture five factors, and responsibilities of both the participants and supervisors for supporting the agency’s Safety Culture.

The February 2018 edition of Orbital Debris Quarterly News (ODQN) is now available and includes the article "Two Anomalous Events in GEO," republished here.

This issue also includes articles on space debris sensor launch updates, SEM analysis results from post-flight inspection of the PMA-2 cover, a review of the CubeSat study project and a photo feature documenting the Space Debris Sensor installation.

Researchers wrapped up nine NASA Software Assurance Research Program-sponsored research projects aimed to benefit Software Assurance processes across the agency and presented the results to the Software Assurance Working Group (SAWG). After select proposed initiatives were chosen in 2016, researchers were given a year to develop, analyze, test, record findings and present results to the SAWG. Two of the projects were multi-year studies that continued from the prior year.

It is essential that NASA engineers use proper precautions when working with Electrostatic Discharge (ESD) sensitive hardware, as poor ESD control practices could be the difference between success and failure for a mission. ESD control is a fundamental component of NASA’s workmanship policy, which is why NASA requires operators to verify ESD personnel grounding systems (e.g. wrist or heel straps that are continuously connected to common point ground) are properly functioning before they enter an ESD Protected Area (EPA) or come within one meter of an ESD sensitive item.