Tue, Jan 19, 2010
New Report Also Covers Astronaut Safety And Workforce
Transition
The Aerospace Safety Advisory
Panel, or ASAP, has released its 2009 annual report. The
congressionally-mandated group of independent experts was initially
established after the Apollo 1 fire.
Following the 2003 space shuttle Columbia accident, Congress
directed the ASAP to submit an annual report to Congress and the
NASA administrator documenting the panel’s observations and
recommendations. This year’s report advises NASA on issues
that have potential to directly or indirectly impact the safety of
astronauts, NASA personnel, contractors, programs and missions.
"The panel’s report provides a summary of key
safety-related issues the agency confronts at this time,”
ASAP Chairman Joseph W. Dyer said. "The most important relate to
the future of the nation's human spaceflight program. Critical
safety issues the panel reviewed include human rating requirements
for potential commercial and international entities, extension of
the shuttle beyond the current manifest, the workforce transition
from the shuttle to the follow-on program, the need for candid
public communications about the risks of human spaceflight, and
more aggressive use of robots to reduce the risk of human
exploration."
Some of the panel's critical safety findings in the 18-page
report include:
- No manufacturer of Commercial Orbital Transportation Services
is currently qualified for human-rating requirements, despite some
claims and beliefs to the contrary.
- To abandon the program of record as a baseline for an
alternative without demonstrated capability or proven superiority
is unwise and probably not cost-effective.
- Extension of the shuttle program significantly beyond the
current manifest would be ill-advised. The panel is concerned about
discussions regarding possible extension of shuttle
operations.
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