The most recent EEE Parts Bulletin provides information on activities related to Electrical, Electronic and Electromechanical (EEE) parts that occurred at NASA between June and September 2018. This is a special edition on Electrostatic Discharge.

The NASA Electronic Parts and Packaging Program is bridging gaps between engineering and assurance disciplines using a Model-Based Mission Assurance tool built around NASA-STD-8729.1, NASA Reliability and Maintainability (R&M) Standard for Spaceflight and Support Systems. The tool — the Systems Engineering and Assurance Modeling platform — is a web-based collaborative platform for modeling assurance cases that can be integrated with the models of the system. 

After each of NASA’s major mishaps — Apollo 1, Challenger and Columbia — the agency investigated the mishap and applied findings to future flights. As spaceflight became safer with the implementation of the lessons learned, mishap investigations also improved from each experience. With NASA preparing to fly three new crewed space vehicles in the coming years, clear understanding of the Mishap Investigation process with regards to Human Spaceflight and the underlying authorities and legal landscape of these investigations becomes paramount. 

NASA-STD-8719.9, Lifting Standard went into effect Nov. 2, 2018. The update consisted of slight technical changes, new recommended Lifting Device Equipment Manager minimum requirements and editorial cleanup. Because this standard went through a major revision three years ago, updates to this revision were minor. 

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.