As explorers and scientists, we at NASA have been making risk trades since the beginning. This safety message illustrates risk trades such as taking one risk versus another risk, as compared to taking a risk to gain a benefit. Which option seems to give the best opportunity to succeed? When decisions are time-critical and you have minutes or seconds to decide, the first workable option based upon experience (training and operations), skill, and systems knowledge can save the day.
When hours, days or months can be used to make a risk trade, use your time to gather as much information as possible to make the best-informed decision. Johnson Space Center’s Safety and Mission Assurance Associate Director Nigel Packham reveals exactly how this was done to achieve the first moon landing.