NPR 8621.1, NASA Procedural Requirements for Mishap and Close Call Reporting, Investigating, and Recordkeeping provides requirements to report, investigate and document mishaps, close calls and resulting corrective actions to prevent occurrence of similar work-related injury, property damage or mission failure. 

This course provides an overview of how Human Factors can affect aviation maintenance outcomes. It provides recommendations for fostering a positive Safety Culture and also offers some case studies of mishaps and close calls that occurred when maintenance safety procedures were circumvented.

Course: SMA-HQ-WBT-223

Length: 2.00 hours

Audience: This course is intended for all NASA aviation maintenance personnel.

This course, part of the Safety and Mission Assurance Technical Excellence Program (STEP), is designed to give the NASA senior, program,and project managers an understanding of the Range Safety mission, associated policies and requirements, and NASA roles and responsibilities. It defines and discusses the major elements of Range Safety (flight analysis, flight termination systems, range operations), and briefly addresses associated Range Safety topics such as ground safety, frequency management and Uninhabited Aerial Vehicles. It is designed to inform the audience of the services offered by the Range Safety organization, present timeframes that allow adequate interface with Range Safety during program and project startup and design to minimize potential delays and costs, and recommend ways of making the working relationship with Range Safety most beneficial for the range user. 

Course: SMA-AS-WBT-410

Length: 14.00 hours

Audience: This course is intended for students of STEP Level 4 for Aviation Safety.

This course, part of the Safety and Mission Assurance Technical Excellence Program, is a specialized accident investigation course directed to fixed-wing turbojet and turboprop as well as turbine-powered rotary wing aircraft. The course examines specific turbine engine investigation methods and provides technical information in the related area of material factors. This is a fundamental accident investigation course. Individuals with many years of engine investigations may find this course too basic. It is assumed that the attendee has a basic understanding of jet engines. 

Course: SMA-AS-EXTI-305

Length: 36.00 hours

Audience: This course is intended for NASA Aviation Safety Officers.

This course, part of the Safety and Mission Assurance Technical Excellence Program, is a spin-off of the NASA Safety Training Center's "Crew Resource Management" course tailored for NASA aircrew members. It directly addresses the human factors issues that most often cause problems during aircrew interaction. No one who works on a crew, especially in a high-stress activity such as flight, is immune to these effects. "Aircrew Resource Management" deals with interpersonal relations by providing awareness of the human factors problems that too often result in mishaps. It offers recommendations and procedures for eliminating these problems; with an emphasis on safety risk assessment, aircrew coordination and decision-making in crisis situations. It is preferable that a team experiences the course as a group, if possible. This course is modularized, and individual modules may be taught singly or in combination with other modules on a case-by-case basis.

Course: JSC-SAFE-NSTC-026P

Length: 18.00 hours

Audience: This course is intended for NASA aircrews and associated personnel.

The course, part of the Safety and Mission Assurance Technical Excellence Program, is designed for individuals who have limited investigation experience. All aspects of the investigation process are addressed, starting with preparation for investigation through report writing. It covers National Transportation Safety Board and International procedures. Investigative techniques are examined with emphasis on fixed wing investigation. Data collection, wreckage reconstruction and cause analysis also are studied. 

Course: SMA-AS-EXTI-303

Length: 76.00 hours

Audience: This course is intended for NASA Aviation Safety Officers.

This course, part of the Safety and Mission Assurance Technical Excellence Program, provides an in-depth understanding of aeroelastic behavior for aerospace systems. It also explores aeroelastic phenomena, structural dynamics and fluid-structure-control interaction, and  examines practical issues such as ground and flight test.

Course: SMA-AS-EXTI-404

Length: 33.00 hours

Audience: This course is intended for NASA Aviation Safety engineers.

This course, part of the Safety and Mission Assurance Technical Excellence Program, supplements basic performance flight test theory, aimed at evaluations of turbine and jet powered aircraft. It includes an intensive overview of the methods used to make performance evaluations of jet aircraft, and emphasis is placed on supersonic aerodynamics and turbine/jet engine theory.

Course: SMA-AS-EXTI-302

Length: 40.00 hours

Audience: This course is intended for NASA Aviation Safety engineers.

This course, part of the Safety and Mission Assurance Technical Excellence Program, covers introduction to flight test process, principles and practices. Engineering principles and their application to the flight testing of aircraft also are covered.

Course: SMA-AS-EXTI-204

Length: 35.00 hours

Audience: This course is intended for NASA Aviation Safety engineers.

This course, part of the Safety and Mission Assurance Technical Excellence Program, is an overview of Federal Aviation Administration functions and requirements applicable to type design approval, production approval, airworthiness approval and continued airworthiness associated with military-procured commercial derivative aircraft and products. 

Course: SMA-AS-EXTI-205 

Length: 21.00 hours

Audience: This course is intended for NASA Aviation Safety engineers.

This course, part of the Safety and Mission Assurance Technical Excellence Program, presents a set of classical and modern flight control analysis and design tools.

Course: SMA-AS-EXTI-403

Length: 35.00 hours

Audience: This course is intended for NASA Aviation Safety engineers.

This course, part of the Safety and Mission Assurance Technical Excellence Program, covers a conceptual approach to overall design of Unmanned Aircraft Systems, including concepts of operations, communications, payloads, control stations, air vehicles and support. It also includes requirements and architecture development, initial sizing, and conceptual-level parametric and spreadsheet assessment of major system elements.

Course: SMA-AS-EXTI-401

Length: 32.00 hours

Audience: This course is intended for NASA Aviation Safety engineers.

This five-day course covers safety assessment requirements of Federal Acquisition Regulations 23.1309, 25.1309, 27.1309 and 29.1309 from fundamental analysis techniques to system integration, including Function Hazard Assessments, Failure Mode Effects Analysis, Fault Tree Analysis and System Safety Assessments. 

Course: SMA-AS-EXTW-301

Length: 28.00 hours

Audience: This course is intended for NASA Aviation Safety engineers.

This directive establishes policy for the management of NASA aircraft assets, aircraft operations, airworthiness, Aviation Safety, commercial aviation services and related matters.

This chapter of NPR 8715.1 provides the procedural requirements for NASA Aviation Safety Program not covered by NPR 7900.3, Aircraft Operations Management.

This NASA Procedural Requirements document establishes requirements, responsibilities and procedures that will assist NASA centers and other locations operating NASA aircraft to create local policies and procedures for the management of NASA aircraft resources, flight operations and related matters.

From supersonic F-22 stealth fighters to deadly Apache helicopters to the newest unmanned combat aircraft, the United States possesses the most superior, technologically advanced Air Force in the world.

Beginning with the Wright Brothers first flight in Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, “The Ultimate Guide: Planes” tells how aviation evolved to where it is today and shows how military air power has played an important role in improving the safety and speed of passenger flight.

In “Aircraft Stories: American Fighters,” watch thrilling combat footage from World War II, Korea and Vietnam and learn why, even in today's modern military, expert piloting skills are still just as important as cutting-edge technology.

The need for a balanced attack is illustrated again in “Wings Over Afghanistan,” which provides an inside look at guerrilla ground troops working together with heavily armed, high-tech aircraft to form an efficient, unified combat unit.

Not all of the military's flying aces are involved in battle. “Thunderbirds,” discusses the U.S. Air Force's most elite pilots, a six-man team handpicked to showcase the supremacy of the American military in international air shows.

Through these different examinations of aviation in this country, participants quickly will understand why the ability to conquer the sky has become a central element of American pride. 

Course: SMA-AS-WBT-100

Length: 3.50 hours

Audience: This course is intended for all interested employees.

This course presents practical information to help pilots avoid ice, detect ice, minimize exposure and safely exit icing conditions during each phase of flight. The effects of icing on an aircraft performance, control upsets (wing and tail stalls) and recovery procedures are discussed. A series of realistic scenarios are presented as two pilots are followed from preflight planning through the approach and landing phases of flight.

Course: GRC-4R1218

Length: 0.50 hour

Audience: This course is intended for any interested employee.

This course provides instruction in aviation and flight systems mishap investigation basics and policy. Topics discussed include NPR 8621.1 mishap investigation requirements and terminology, investigator qualifications, board composition, and field techniques. Evidence identification, recovery and protection, witness interviewing, and site mapping along with individual component systems and material failures are key areas discussed during sessions on field investigation. The course contains extensive accident investigation information generally applicable to aviation accidents, which can be applied to other areas of flight systems mishaps, such as Unmanned Aerial Vehicles, rockets, balloons and other space flight systems mishaps such as Genesis.

Course: SMA-AS-WBT-100

Length: 21.00 hours

Audience: This course is intended for personnel subject to being assigned to aircraft or flight system mishaps.

This course, part of the Safety and Mission Assurance Technical Excellence Program, provides an overview of NASA Aviation Safety Engineering and the role of the Safety and Mission Assurance Aviation Safety engineer, as well as Aviation Safety engineer qualifications and competencies and Aviation Safety engineer competencies in terms of the program and project life cycle.

Course: SMA-AS-EXTI-304

Length: 36.00 hours

Audience: This course is intended for NASA Aviation Safety Officers.

This course, part of the Safety and Mission Assurance Technical Excellence Program, provides an overview of NASA Aviation Safety Engineering and the role of the Safety and Mission Assurance Aviation Safety engineer, as well as Aviation Safety engineer qualifications and competencies and Aviation Safety engineer competencies in terms of the program and project life cycle.

Course: SMA-AS-WBT-100

Length: 1.50 hours

Audience: This course is intended for Safety and Mission Assurance personnel and anyone interested in learning more about this topic.