NASA Administrator Sean O’Keefe today announced the new
NASA Aerospace Safety Advisory Panel (ASAP), which includes
nine distinguished members and a new charter. The initial
meeting of the new panel is expected soon.
“The Columbia Accident Investigation Board report clearly
indicated we need to get back to basics with our safety
assessment,” said Administrator O’Keefe. “By recommitting
ourselves to the original concept for the ASAP, we believe a
stronger, more focused advisory panel will benefit the entire
agency well beyond our Return to Flight efforts.”
The ASAP was originally chartered by Congress in 1967 after
the tragic Apollo One fire, to act as an independent body to
advise the NASA Administrator on safety issues regarding
operations, missions and other agency initiatives. The new
charter calls for the ASAP to be composed of recognized
safety, management and engineering experts from industry,
academia and other government agencies.
Over the years, administrative procedures were added to govern
the conduct of the panel. These procedures have been revoked,
and the new panel will have the opportunity to develop its
agenda in concert with the oversight findings of the Columbia
Accident Investigation Board.
“By drawing on and tasking the technical support of the NASA
Engineering and Safety Center, the panel will have a deep
capacity to conduct comprehensive, independent, external
oversight of our safety systems, operations and culture. We
welcome the members’ active participation in our efforts to
emerge from the Columbia tragedy a smarter, stronger and safer
agency dedicated to exploration,” said Administrator O’Keefe.
In late September 2003, 11 ASAP members and consultants
resigned in the wake of the Columbia accident.
The new ASAP members are:
Former Commander, Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command
Member, NASA Stafford-Covey Return to Flight Task Group
Former NASA Aerospace Safety Advisory Panel member
Former Commander, Naval Air Systems Command
General Manager, Military Systems Division, iRobot Corporation
Professor and Director, Intelligent Systems & Controls
Laboratory, School of Industrial and Systems Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology
Fellow, American Association for the Advancement of Science
Former Commander, U.S. Air Force Safety Center, and USAF Chief of Safety
Former Director of Operations, Headquarters Air Force Materiel Command
Former Commander, Foreign Aerospace Science and Technology Center
DuPont Corporate Director — Safety and Health
Member, National Academy of Sciences
Former consultant, Columbia Accident Investigation Board
Professor of Public Administration and Political
Science, Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs at Syracuse University, New York
Member, NASA Stafford-Covey Return to Flight Task Group
Delta Airlines, Vice President Corporate Safety and Compliance, Atlanta
Co-chair, Commercial Aviation Safety Team Board member, National Defense Transportation Association
Director, Office of Accident Investigation, Federal Aviation Administration
FAA representative to National Transportation Safety Board
Former Columbia Accident Investigation Board member
Corporate Safety Director, Alcoa, New York
Former Director, Human Resources, Alcoa Primary Metals, Knoxville, Tenn.
Director, U.S. Army Safety Center, Fort Rucker, Ala.
The new ASAP will begin with the original charter, signed by
then-NASA Administrator James E. Webb. New provisions help
assure an independent, long-term oversight of the agency’s
safety policies and programs. Some of the revisions include:
The new ASAP will report quarterly instead of annually
The term for new members is two years, extendable to a
maximum of six years in order to stagger terms of
service and ensure a fresh perspective at regular
intervals
The new ASAP focuses on NASA’s safety and quality
systems. ASAP will focus on industrial and systems
safety, risk management, trend analysis and the
management of these activities
“We’ve taken extra steps to ensure the independence of this
panel,” said Associate Administrator for Safety and Mission
Assurance Bryan O’Connor. “While the original law and the new
charter allow for NASA members, none of the new members is a
current or former agency employee or contractor.”
The new ASAP is also expected to play an important role in the
ongoing safety assessment and review of the Space Shuttle
program after Return to Flight. “We intend for the ASAP to
oversee our implementation of the Columbia Accident
Investigation Board’s recommendations long after the work of
the Stafford-Covey Return to Flight Task Group is completed,”
added Administrator O’Keefe. “Our intent is to
institutionalize a renewed commitment to safety, and the panel
will help us assure that we follow through on that objective.”
The new Aerospace Safety Advisory Panel charter and member
biographies are available on the Internet, at:
http://www.nasa.gov/news/highlights/returntoflight.html
Information about NASA is available on the Internet, at:
