Last December, Anthony “Tony” DiVenti stepped into a new role as the Office of Safety and Mission Assurance Reliability and Maintainability (R&M) technical fellow. DiVenti sought this position because of his passion for R&M and his desire to improve tools, methods and training and hopefully remove barriers that may prevent R&M professionals from performing their jobs in the most effective and efficient manner.

James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) Program Manager Raynor Taylor received a NASA Yes-If Challenge Coin for raising a safety concern while visiting a NASA center. Since he brought up the concern, project personnel have created a clear path forward to practice better safety measures.

Richard “Rick” Burt, Safety and Mission Assurance (SMA) director at Marshall Space Flight Center, has what he calls the “Fundamental Four”:

• Do the right things
• Do them right
• Do them now
• Own them

Typically, employees look to their leaders for guidance, but Goddard Space Flight Center’s Safety and Mission Assurance (SMA) Director Richard Barney wants his employees to know he’s looking at those around him for inspiration.

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.