WASHINGTON, DC - 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.
READ: AEROSPACE SAFETY ADVISORY PANEL 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:
Perhaps the key conclusion from the panel is that canceling the much-maligned Ares I crew launch vehicle could place at risk the future of safe transportation to space of NASA astronauts. The panel strongly recommends against canceling the Ares I launch vehicle in favor of other vehicles from commercial suppliers that are on the drawing board or in development. "To abandon Ares 1 as a baseline vehicle for an alternative without demonstrated capability nor proven superiority (or even equivalence) is unwise and probably not cost-effective," the report said. This will likely add fuel to the fire within the Administration as the White House prepares to release the NASA FY 2011 budget request as well as President Obama's decisions regarding changes to NASA's Constellation program in light of the recommendations of the Augustine Human Spaceflight Review Committee's report released last year. "I would like to thank this year's members of the Aerospace Safety Advisory Panel for the 2009 annual report," said NASA Administrator Charlie Bolden following the report's release. "The ASAP is an independent group of experts that has been evaluating NASA's safety performance and advising the agency since the panel was established in 1968." "NASA appreciates the insight and will thoroughly review the report," said Bolden. For more information about the Aerospace Safety Advisory Panel and to view the 2009 report, visit: http://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/oer/asap/index.html
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