Aerospace Safety Advisory Panel Releases Annual Report
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WASHINGTON -- The Aerospace Safety Advisory Panel, or ASAP, a
congressionally mandated group of independent experts established
after the 1967 Apollo 1 fire, has released its 2009 annual report.
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.
For more information about the Aerospace Safety Advisory Panel and to
view the 2009 report, visit:
http://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/
Source: NASA
