Safety and Mission Assurance Technical Excellence 

SMA News Feb 2015  

Message from the Deputy Chief, Safety and Mission Assurance

NASA’s Safety and Mission Assurance (SMA) organizations have a vital role in the successful completion of NASA’s missions. We need to stress technical excellence, not just in scientific and technical disciplines, but also in management, leadership and SMA authority.

When people are proud of the work they do, and they understand its importance and its value to the mission, they will strive for excellence. It is up to managers to be good coaches and make sure their employees understand the requirements of their job and truly recognize the value of the work they do. Managers need to empower employees, give them clear guidance and freedom to do their jobs, acknowledge accomplishments and success in public, and discuss difficult challenges in private.

Leaders need to lead, delegate and trust. It is important to know that there are more ways than one to solve a problem. By inviting candid discussion and diversity of opinion, leaders can make sure that a problem has been looked at from all angles and that the decision made is best for NASA and the nation.

SMA professionals need to excel in their technical areas and SMA organizations need to be learning organizations. There is a wide variety of Web-based training available through the NASA SMA Technical Excellence Program.

In addition to being technically proficient, SMA professionals need to build and maintain credibility and trust to preserve SMA authority. The NASA workforce and NASA leaders need to be confident that a SMA professional will do the right thing and will not be afraid to make a tough call if it is the right call.

NASA is pushing the boundaries of human spaceflight farther from Earth than ever before. We are developing the most advanced rocket and spacecraft ever designed, we are fundamentally improving the air transportation experience, and we are carrying out an unprecedented array of science missions to gain new knowledge and understanding of Earth, the solar system and the universe. This work is complex, and it is risky. NASA will be relying on SMA technical excellence to assure safety and success.

I am proud of NASA’s SMA workforce and know they are up to the task.

Hal Bell
Deputy Chief, SMA