Video Library

Gerry Schumann, Mishap Investigation program executive, reviews updates related to training requirements in NPR 8621.1C.

Mishap Investigation Program Executive Gerry Schumann explains requirements pertaining to Mishap Preparedness Contingency Plans, commonly known as MPCPs, as outlined in NPR 8621.1C.

Hear Gerry Schumann, Mishap Investigation program executive, discuss major updates in NPR 8621.1C, Mishap and Close Call Reporting, Investigating, and Recordkeeping.

White Sands Test Facility created a comprehensive Standard Parts Database for pressure vessel information. Hear how the database has increased safety at the facility.

Lightning strikes the U.S. about 25 million times each year, killing an average of 49 people. Many more are struck and suffer severe injuries. Many of us may carry inaccurate, preconceived notions concerning what to do when lightning strikes. This month, Steve Cash, director of Safety and Mission Assurance at Marshall Space Flight Center, debunks the myths and shares the hard facts of lightning strikes. He also addresses what we can do to protect ourselves.

As leaders, we often say, "Take care of your people." Some of the most serious risks we face pay no attention to workplace boundaries. This month, Grant Watson, director of Safety and Mission Assurance at Langley Research Center, shares his personal message of how his parents’ heart disease changed how he regarded his own heart health. May his message encourage you to reflect on your own story and on lowering heart disease risk.

After a mishap or major disaster, it’s natural to ask what we could have done better had we only known about a defect or flaw sooner. Sometimes those who see something before the test begins or the vehicle launches speak up. Sometimes they’re heard. NASA has experienced mishaps and tragedies where individuals within and outside of our agency had technically sound differing views that were never heard by decision-makers.

Although NASA’s process for submitting a dissenting opinion is outlined in NPD 1000.0B, NPR 7120.5E which includes the NASA Spaceflight Program and Project Management Handbook, Program and Project Managers should be actively seeking out dissenting opinions and addressing them in a clear, open and timely manner. This presentation will focus on the dissenting opinion process, identifying what a dissent is and how the process should unfold. Please take some time to thoughtfully reflect on this presentation; after all, it could be one of us whose choice to speak up could save lives at some point.

In the last half of 2015, three separate fire incidents occurred at NASA's Glenn Research Center. All three fires were immediately detected by operators or fire alarm systems and extinguished. Damage was assessed and regular operations resumed within a few days of each incident. Two fires were classified as Close Calls and one was classified as a Type D Mishap.

While response to each fire was excellent, such incidents give us the chance to refine preventive administrative controls by establishing pre-fire plans that address pre-operation checks, maintenance services and rapid detection of incipient fires. Changing weather and holiday leave periods can heighten risk of fire occurrence, while lowering the odds of on-scene employee detection. Some administrative fire prevention controls can even be applied informally to increase home safety. Engineering preventive barriers and firefighting controls are of course essential in the workplace, but administrative controls are important as well.

Procurement of aircraft parts without specific knowledge and expertise is a significant risk. Each center that operates aircraft currently handles parts acquisition differently, without a standard set of agency-wide processes or procedures. By consolidating aircraft parts purchases at the NASA Shared Services Center (NSSC), we have the ability to standardize the acquisition of quality aircraft parts and services.

However, this is not without its own challenges. While some flying centers will see no impact since they acquire aircraft parts via existing maintenance contracts, other centers possess greater potential issues. Centers no longer have closed-loop systems to ensure that the aircraft parts they are purchasing are the parts that they receive. Non-flying centers may acquire Unmanned Aerial Systems subject to the same risks. If this situation is not addressed properly, we could be increasing risk to our aircraft fleet. Combining the knowledge of aircraft maintenance experts from each center with the NSSC may be the solution to providing parts and supplier assurance.

Like any other NASA facility, the International Space Station (ISS) requires regular maintenance and upkeep. Inside the ISS’s dynamic environment, regular cleaning and routine inspections prevent both health and hardware problems. The crew cleans essential systems, work stations and emergency equipment to ensure readiness for use at a moment’s notice. Although the crew is constantly attentive, every six months a crewmember films the entire cabin interior and egress path of the U.S. Orbital Segment so that engineers on the ground can evaluate conditions from a fresh point of view.

If a new perspective is beneficial for the ISS crew, imagine how helpful it can be for you.