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. 

Members of NASA’s Office of Safety and Mission Assurance Nondestructive Evaluation (NDE) Working Group, along with the American Society for Testing and Materials, collaborated in the development of voluntary consensus standards for NDE of flat-panel polymer matrix composites as well as thin-walled metallic liners and overwraps in composite overwrapped pressure vessels. Before this effort, there were no comprehensive standards for NDE in these areas.

Since last December, representatives from NASA’s Office of Safety and Mission Assurance’s Nondestructive Evaluation program have provided presentations to various audiences that highlighted their efforts and new ventures related to Additive Manufacturing. 

Although Additive Manufacturing (AM) has been around for decades, increasing awareness of the significant benefits of flying 3D printed parts and using 3D printers in space has pushed NASA and the aerospace industry to take a close look at how to evaluate and certify AM parts to assure safety and mission success. 

NASA’s Office of Safety and Mission Assurance has developed a three-year plan to develop Nondestructive Evaluation (NDE) methodologies designed to ensure the production of safe and reliable Additive Manufactured (AM) parts for spaceflight applications. AM, or 3-D printing, is a rapidly growing technology that has the potential to revolutionize manufacturing by reducing component lead time, cost, material waste and energy usage.