NASA’s Office of Safety and Mission Assurance released NPR 8621.1D, NASA Procedural Requirements for Mishap and Close Call Reporting, Investigating, and Recordkeeping, effective July 6, 2020. In addition to various administrative changes, the update includes two new chapters focused on commercial launch and aircraft mishaps. 

When something goes wrong, swift action is often necessary, especially in the case of a severe mishap or high-visibility mishap or close call. Knowing what to do ahead of these incidents can help in the aftermath.

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. 

Changes to NPR 8621.1, Mishap and Close Call Reporting, Investigating, and Recordkeeping went into effect on May 19, 2016. These updates affect NASA’s process for endorsing and releasing mishap reports following incidents.

NASA’s Mishap Program Working Group focused on Human Factors Analysis and Classification System training during its annual meeting, held Aug. 5-8 at Johnson Space Center.

NASA’s Mishap Program Working Group met at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory for its annual face-to-face operational meeting in August. The theme of this year’s meeting was, “How do we get better?”

Changes to NPR 8621.1B align NASA’s mishap classifications with the Department of Defense, save agency resources, enhance the quality of mishap investigations and improve aircraft mishap data.