The Aerospace Safety Advisory Panel, or ASAP, has
released its 2008 annual report. The report examines NASA’s safety
performance and advises agency and government leaders on ways to
improve performance.
The ASAP is an independent group of experts that has been evaluating
NASA’s safety performance and advising the agency on ways to improve
that performance since it was established in 1968.
“The panel members believe NASA and the new administration stand at a
critical crossroads for the nation,” panel Chairman Joseph W. Dyer
said. “This was the driving factor in the panel’s decision to provide
a brief, to-the-point letter report instead of the standard lengthy
annual report. It is our hope that this summary of critical
safety-related issues will help stimulate and focus the discussion
necessary to make those decisions.”
The 11-page report covers such important issues as whether to extend
the space shuttle program; Soyuz reliability and safety; the
direction of exploration programs; workforce development and
sustainment; and safety improvements.
The ASAP bases its advice on direct observation of NASA’s operations
and decision-making. In the aftermath of the shuttle Columbia
accident, Congress required the ASAP to submit an annual report to
the NASA administrator and Congress. This annual report examines
NASA’s compliance with the recommendations of the Columbia Accident
Investigation Board, as well as NASA’s management and culture related
to safety.
For more information about the Aerospace Safety Advisory Panel and to
view the 2008 report, visit:
http://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/oer/asap
