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[[right header]] AEROSPACE SAFETY ADVISORY PANEL


- NASA has a history of decades of contributions to general and military aviation, including dozens of now-standard hardware and software innovations. 
   - NASA conducts cutting-edge and one-of-a-kind aeronautics research that underpins future national objectives. 

NASA is making efforts to improve its flight operations across the board.
- The NASA aviation community had no fiscal year (FY) 2009 fatal accidents. Eight lesser mishaps, a decline of five from FY 2008, cause $1.1 million in aircraft and property damage. 
- To continue mitigating identified risks and to respond to ASAP recommendations, NASA is upgrading some of its aircraft with safety equipment(e.g., Traffic Collision Avoidance Systems) 
- Rectifying a policy gap, NASA standardized minimum pilot qualifications across NASA by liking flight status eligibility to Office of Personnel Management pilot standards (GS-2181) 
- In response to a previous ASAP recommendation in 2006, NASA is developing a standard aviation management cultural survey process. 

E. Funding Consistent with Tasks and Schedules 
The ASAP recognizes the need to balance and align funding with objectives, a basic tenet of financial management in all organizations. This operating principle and the consistency and reliability of funding assume greater significance for NASA because of its complicated mission.
[[bullet point]] NASA is phasing out the Shuttle program and also ramping up the Constellation program.
[[bullet point]] NASA operates on the technological cutting edge, frequently making schedule and cost projections based only on early evidence that may turn out to be in error.
[[bullet point]] When funding varies, technically complex, long-term, often expensive programs must revise or redesign technical and/or management approaches, with associated increased risk.

1. Cost-Schedule-Risk Interrelationship. The ASAP cannot overemphasize the high-priority need for Congress and the Administration to understand the impact on NASA of the interrelationship among cost, schedule, and risk (which is ignored only at great risk to safety).

[[bullet point]] If cost and schedule are rigidly fixed, any program changes due to unexpected problems will increase risk. NASA budget analyses should include projected impacts on schedule and risk.
[[bullet point]] Risk is less easily measured then cost (funds expended) or schedule (performance tracked against time). The danger lies in risks that increase without quick detection by technical, operational, and management teams and without explicit assessment and acceptance.
[[bullet point]] Risk measurements should emphasize the concept of acceptable risks (relative to the risks inherent in the entire space exploration enterprise), not only to enable program decisions, but also to underpin subsequent measurements of success or failure. This approach also required that explicit risk limits are unambiguously defined so that appropriate decisions can be made.


[[centered footer]] ANNUAL REPORT FOR 2008