Safety, Security, and Mission Services

ENGINEERING, SAFETY, & OPERATIONS

SSMS-34

FY 2021 Budget

Op Plan

Enacted

Request

Budget Authority (in $ millions)

FY 2019

FY 2020

FY 2021

FY 2022

FY 2023

FY 2024

FY 2025

Agency Technical Authority

175.3

184.0

Center Engineering, Safety, & Operations

850.4

873.9

Total Budget

1025.7

1057.9

FY 2019 reflects total discretionary funding amounts specified in Public Law 116-006, Consolidated Appropriations

Act, 2019, as adjusted by NASA's FY 2019 Operating Plan.

The FY 2020 Operating Plan was not finalized at the time of Budget release. Therefore, only specific marks from

Public Law 116-93, Consolidated Appropriations Act, FY 2020, as well as projects in development, are included in

the FY 2020 column.

Beginning in FY 2021, SSMS has a revised budget account structure. FY 2019 reflects actual budget authority that

have been re-cast into the new SSMS budget structure.

Engineering, Safety, and Operations (ESO)

comprise two programs: Agency Technical

Authority (ATA) and Center Engineering, Safety,

and Operations (CESO).

ATA protects the overall health and safety of

NASA's workforce and programs. An independent

technical authority promotes technical excellence

and provides independent mission assurance

increasing the likelihood that missions, operations,

and programs are executed safely and successfully.

ATA comprises work managed by the Office of the

Chief Health and Medical Officer (OCHMO); the

Office of Safety and Mission Assurance (OSMA),

including the NASA Safety Center (NSC) and the

Independent Verification and Validation (IV&V);

and the Office of the Chief Engineer (OCE),

including the NASA Engineering and Safety Center

(NESC) and JPL Technical Authority.

CESO provides funding for the ongoing management and operations of NASA Headquarters, nine

Centers, and component facilities. CESO funding supports NASA's ability to provide highly skilled staff

and specialized capabilities to Mission Directorates; and, significantly contributes to the accomplishment

of Agency goals and objectives.

CESO includes Center unique institutional operations that do not fall under one of NASA's 11 enterprise

functional offices; and, encompasses a diverse set of activities essential for safe and effective operations.

Mechanical technicians perform engine maintenance

on NASA’s crawler-transporter 2 on March 26, 2019.

Safety, Security, and Mission Services

ENGINEERING, SAFETY, & OPERATIONS

SSMS-35

These activities provide for ongoing operations of NASA's field Centers and major component facilities

to ensure a safe, healthy, and environmentally responsible workplace.

EXPLANATION OF MAJOR CHANGES IN FY 2021

The ESO budget is comprised of content from the Center Management and Operations (CMO) and

Agency Management and Operations (AMO) budget that is not beneficial in an enterprise business

model.

ACHIEVEMENTS IN FY 2019

Key mission enabling accomplishments in FY 2019 include:

Delivered more efficient and cost-effective operations and services:

• The Office of the Chief Human Medical Officer supported both the Gateway and Human Landing

System (HLS) programs in rapidly developing and vetting traceable, tailored health and medical

requirements.

• The Marshal Space Flight Center (MSFC) awarded a new Medical Services contract that

implements an agency model to determine if insurance use is feasible for personal medical

services.

• The Chief Engineer's Academy of Program/Project and Engineering Leadership (APPEL)

conducted 155 courses and trained 3,250 NASA engineers. APPEL courses have successfully (1)

Developed project management skills which enable teams to deliver projects within budget and

on schedule; (2) Included topics such as leadership techniques, earned value management,

decision making skills, and effective communications which drive mission reliability, crew safety

and project team integrity; and (3) Included relevant case studies and lessons learned that provide

attendees with a realistic understanding of learning from a historical perspective.

Upgraded the Optics Coatings Lab cleanroom (GSFC) to enable high reflectance coatings and to

meet the environmental requirements for precision cleaning, coating and inspection of optical

mirrors and components, critical for mission success.

Safety, Security, and Mission Services

ENGINEERING, SAFETY, & OPERATIONS

SSMS-36

Reduced mission risk through technical capabilities:

• With support from the NASA Safety Center (NSC), OSMA implemented an oversight role for

institutional safety through audits, investigation, assessments, and outreach activities that

contributed to Agency-level safety performance metrics.

• Created a Level One board to review and determine health and medical technical risks were

completed in a timely manner via the Health and Medical Technical Authority (HMTA).

• IV&V found a total of 117 severity 1 and 2 issues in-phase with the developer’s activities 97

percent of the time with 98 percent of problems accepted by the missions and the issue corrected

minimizing the cost of software development, reducing potential rework, and increasing the

security, safety and success posture of these missions.

• OCHMO led the Agency effort to provide former astronauts with diagnosis and treatment for

spaceflight associated medical conditions.

• The GSFC Flight Software Sustaining Engineering Lab was expanded to support new on-orbit

flight sustainment activities (GEDI, DSCOVR) in a centralized location and support continued

growth for in-house development.

• The NESC completed 53 independent assessments and support activities touching all of NASA’s

Mission Directorates ensuring mission success for multiple programs. The results included: Flight

testing to gather data furthering a joint NASA-DoD investigation into pilot physiological

episodes; Testing and analysis to determine the cause of a Commercial Crew Program

commercial partners' propulsion system test failure; and In-depth peer review of mathematical

models used for analysis of the Space Launch System Mobile Launcher.

WORK IN PROGRESS IN FY 2020

In FY 2020, highlights of work in progress include:

Deliver more efficient and cost-effective operations and services:

• Enhance occupational safety services to include Annual Facility Safety Inspections, Annual

Laboratory Safety Inspections, Facilities Drawing Reviews, Integration and Test Safety

Operations, Construction Safety Inspections, Facility Adjacency Studies, Cryogenic Safety

Analyses, Emergency Response, and Safety Program Analyses.

• Planned investments at multiple Centers include research and engineering laboratory repairs,

upgrades, and new equipment that preserve and strengthen core technical capabilities.

• OCE plans a new engineering research and analysis initiative focused on rebuilding the Agency's

core engineering capability under a unified structure that will support future missions.

• Leverage digital tools to save the agency time and money while increasing safety though the

infusion of Model Based Mission Assurance for the Gateway program.

Reduce mission risk through technical capabilities:

• OCHMO will continue HMTA center presence in support of Moon-to-Mars (M2M) initiatives.

• IV&V will continue to provide software expertise to 17 projects, including 15 NASA missions,

Commercial Crew Program (CCP), one multi-agency mission, and across eight NASA Centers to

ensure mission software operates to meet mission requirements.

Safety, Security, and Mission Services

ENGINEERING, SAFETY, & OPERATIONS

SSMS-37

• OCE activities will include independent Entry, Descent, and Landing (EDL) modeling and

simulation for the CCP and integrated ascent trajectory and separation analyses for the ESD SLS

and Orion programs.

• Provide enhanced operational safety (e.g. critical lifts, explosives safety) for successful Artemis I

Crew Service Module environmental qualification testing at GRC Plum Brook Station.

• Establish and implement Safety and Mission Assurance (S&MA) guidelines for Unmanned

Aircraft Systems (UAS)/Urban Air Mobility (UAM) operations.

KEY ACHIEVEMENTS PLANNED FOR FY 2021

Key mission enabling activities planned for FY 2021 include:

Deliver more efficient and cost-effective operations and services:

• OSMA will work to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of the Agency's institutional safety

by focusing workforce, audits, and assessments on areas of concern using a risk-informed

approach.

• Continue to support the maintenance of the Center Management System, Configuration

Management support, Audits & Assessments, Program/Project Review Support, GIDEP,

Metrology and Calibration, In-house Software Assurance Assessment and Electro Static

Discharge programs.

• Acquire aircraft ground support equipment and calibration devices permitting Langley Research

Center (LaRC) to perform additional in-house maintenance on the Center’s C-20B aircraft.

• Implement electrical safety and fall protection upgrades and enhanced process safety

implementation at GRC.

• Planned investments to upgrade or replace outdated/end-of-life systems in research and

engineering labs at GRC, to mitigate program risks.

Reduce mission risk through technical capabilities:

• OCHMO will conduct independent assessment and pathfinder activities in support of Artemis

design and development; generate operational requirements and products necessary to support

Artemis initial and evolving operations; and, provide technical content regarding human

spaceflight standards to support HLS and Gateway programs.

• IV&V will continue to support elements of Artemis which includes the Orion crew capsule, the

Space Launch System (SLS) rocket, the Exploration Ground System (EGS), the lunar Gateway,

and the Human Landing System (HLS).

• The Environmental Gas Lab at MSFC will support mission program requirement. The Lab will

focus on both environmental compliance measurements and laboratory compliance. Added focus

of the lab will be on evaluating maintained cryogen systems, gas systems, clean rooms and flow

benches.

• Centers will provide engineering assessment and safety oversight pertaining to the technical

readiness and execution of NASA program and projects.

Safety, Security, and Mission Services

ENGINEERING, SAFETY, & OPERATIONS

SSMS-38

Program Elements

AGENCY TECHNICAL AUTHORITY

ATA develops policy and procedural requirements. This program makes recommendations to the

Administrator, mission directorates, Center Directors, and program managers who ultimately are

responsible for the safety and mission success of all NASA activities, and the safety and health of the

workforce (including Astronauts).

ATA resources provide the foundation for NASA’s system of checks and balances, enabling effective

application of the strategic management framework and the technical authorities defined in NASA’s

Strategic Management and Governance Handbook. ATA provides training and maintains a competent

technical workforce within the disciplines of system engineering, including system safety, reliability and

quality, as well as space medicine.

CENTER ENGINEERING, SAFETY, AND OPERATIONS

CESO provides strategic leadership and planning for the Agency and Center as well as enables the

Agency’s scientific and engineering activities by providing center engineering assessment and safety

oversight pertaining to the technical readiness and execution of NASA programs and projects. It also

sustains NASA’s analysis, design, research, test services, lab services and fabrication capabilities to

enable efficient implementation of the programs and projects conducted at the Centers.

CESO provides a key component of NASA’s overall approach to risk management by providing center

level independent technical authority. Center engineering, safety and mission assurance, and health and

medical organizations: (1) provide, support, and oversee the technical work, and (2) provide formally

delegated technical authorities.

These center level technical authorities in concert with the agency level authority provide independent

oversight and review of programs and projects in support of safety and mission success. Cognizant

technical authorities formally review and concur on technical and operational matters involving safety

and mission success risk. These technical authorities concur based on the technical merits of each case

and agreement that the risks are acceptable. This assures that NASA conducts its mission activities safely

in accordance with accepted standards of professional practice and applicable NASA requirements.

Safety, Security, and Mission Services: Engineering, Safety, & Operations

AGENCY TECHNICAL AUTHORITY

SSMS-39

FY 2021 Budget

Op Plan

Enacted

Request

Budget Authority (in $ millions)

FY 2019

FY 2020

FY 2021

FY 2022

FY 2023

FY 2024

FY 2025

Total Budget

175.3

184.0

FY 2019 reflects total discretionary funding amounts specified in Public Law 116-006, Consolidated Appropriations

Act, 2019, as adjusted by NASA's FY 2019 Operating Plan.

The FY 2020 Operating Plan was not finalized at the time of Budget release. Therefore, only specific marks from

Public Law 116-93, Consolidated Appropriations Act, FY 2020, as well as projects in development, are included in

the FY 2020 column.

Beginning in FY 2021, SSMS has a revised budget account structure. FY 2019 reflects actual budget authority that

have been re-cast into the new SSMS budget structure.

Agency Technical Authority (ATA) programs protect the health and safety of the NASA workforce; and,

increase the likelihood that programs, projects, and operations will be safely and successfully completed.

ATA capabilities provide expert technical excellence, mission assurance, and technical authority Agency-

wide.

The ATA comprises work managed by the Office of the Chief Medical Officer (OCHMO); the Office of

Mission Assurance (OSMA), including the NASA Safety Center (NSC) and the Independent Verification

and Validation (IV&V); and, the Office of the Chief Engineer (OCE), including the NASA Engineering

and Safety Center (NESC).

Elements of ATA programs reflect recommendations outlined in studies and by advisory boards and

panels. The ATA program is focused to improve the probability of safety and mission success for

programs, projects, and operations and to protect the health and safety of the workforce. The program

develops policy and procedural requirements and provides recommendations to the Administrator,

mission directorates, Center Directors, and program managers who are ultimately responsible for the

safety and mission success of all NASA activities.

ATA resources provide the foundation for NASA’s system of checks and balances, enabling effective

application of the strategic management framework and the technical authorities defined in NASA’s

Strategic Management and Governance Handbook. ATA provides training and maintains a competent

technical workforce within the disciplines of system engineering, system safety, reliability and quality,

and space medicine.

Programmatic resources are used to evaluate the implications on safety and mission success, including

health and medical aspects of new requirements and departures from existing requirements. Discipline

experts analyze the criticality of the associated risks and evaluate the risks acceptability through an

established process of independent reviews and assessments. The information and advice from these

experts provide critical data required to develop authoritative decisions related to the application of

requirements on programs and projects.

Safety, Security, and Mission Services: Engineering, Safety, & Operations

AGENCY TECHNICAL AUTHORITY

SSMS-40

EXPLANATION OF MAJOR CHANGES IN FY 2021

The ATA program replaces the former AMO Safety Mission Success (SMS) element and includes

OSMA, IV&V, OCE and OCHMO. A high-level depiction of the prior budget structure mapped to the

new budget structure follows:

CHIEF HEALTH AND MEDICAL OFFICER

The ATA OCHMO program provides policy and independent oversight and advances expert health and

medical capabilities in support of current and future NASA missions. Moreover, the program promotes

employee physical and mental health and well-being; and, ensures the safe and ethical conduct of NASA-

sponsored human and animal research.

ACHIEVEMENTS IN FY 2019

OCHMO achievements in FY 2019 include the following

highlights:

• Created a Level One board to review, evaluate and

disposition health and medical technical risks in a timely

manner via the Health and Medical Technical Authority

(HMTA). OCHMO streamlined health and medical

standards and placed them in an evidence-based context

that is understandable and implementable by engineering.

• Supported both the Gateway and Human Landing

System (HLS) programs in rapidly developing and vetting

traceable and tailored health and medical requirements.

• Supported both X-plane programs by tailoring the health

and medical standards into technical requirements for

ARMD to ensure the safety of pilots.

• OCHMO led the Agency's effort to update 14 CFR Part

1230, Protection of Human Subjects, which took steps to

protect the health and medical rights of human subjects by

The human system is impacted in nearly every

component of the vehicle. On long duration

missions, astronauts undergo a fluid shift in the

brain that increases the blood in the head and

thorax, resulting in vision changes, illustrated in

the image above. The Health and Medical

Technical Authority (HMTA) required a seat

angle design for the vehicle that would not

cause untoward health impairment to the crew.

Safety, Security, and Mission Services: Engineering, Safety, & Operations

AGENCY TECHNICAL AUTHORITY

SSMS-41

clarifying the roles and responsibilities of NASA Institutional Review Boards (IRBs).

• OCHMO led the Agency effort to provide former astronauts with diagnosis and treatment for

spaceflight associated medical conditions. Extensive collaboration was conducted with DOL,

DHA and the VA to ensure that governmental health programs provided healthcare to former

astronauts.

WORK IN PROGRESS IN FY 2020

In FY 2020, OCHMO's works in progress include:

• A rapid review and evaluation of astronaut medical cases will continue to improve NASA's

control outcomes and understanding of medical risks. OCHMO allows NASA to ensure that

crewmember certifications remain valid, thereby preventing the loss of millions of dollars

invested in training per astronaut for a Commercial Crew or any other human spaceflight mission.

• The certification of continuing medical education activities and flight surgeon education will

support ongoing medical and health discipline, professionalism, and licensure. To maintain

clinical currency, OCHMO will continue to sponsor university-based physician training

programs. Biomedical research programs, in support of human space flight, are guided by NASA-

developed health and medical standards.

• The program administration of the HMTA, engages in all crewed programs from development

through de-commissioning. OCHMO continues to provide required direct health and medical

technical support, insight, and oversight. This promulgates the Human-Rated Spacecraft and X-

Plane requirements that further promotes mission success and healthy personnel. Moreover,

OCHMO ensures that NASA's safety culture is interwoven within human spaceflight missions.

• Continuous collaboration and communication with commercial and international partners, sharing

health and medical knowledge and best practices with space agencies around the world.

KEY ACHIEVEMENTS PLANNED FOR FY 2021

In FY 2021, OCHMO planned key achievements include:

• Conduct extensive independent assessments and pathfinder activities in support of Artemis design

and development. This will result in OCHMO generating operational requirements and products

necessary to support the initial and evolving operations to return to the lunar surface in 2024.

• Provide technical requirements regarding human spaceflight standards (based on tailored health

and medical standards) to support Gateway and HLS.

• Direct new funding in FY 2021 ($10 million above the 2019 Operating Plan level) to address

need for HMTA to assess human factors in NASA missions, ensuring crew health and safety.

Safety, Security, and Mission Services: Engineering, Safety, & Operations

AGENCY TECHNICAL AUTHORITY

SSMS-42

Program Elements

OCHMO promulgates Agency health and medical policies and standards to support the medical technical

capabilities of the Agency. It assures the physical and mental health and well-being of the NASA

workforce, as well as the safe and ethical conduct of NASA-sponsored human and animal research.

OCHMO ensures that bioethics principles and NASA’s policies and practices related to the use of human

and animal subjects in research are in accordance with all relevant Federal regulations and guidelines. The

program oversees NASA’s processes for reviewing the use of human and animal subjects in research.

OCHMO administers the HMTA, which engages in all crewed programs from development through de-

commissioning. The HMTA provides required guidance, insight, and oversight, while translating health

and medical standards into tailored technical requirements for all Human-Rated programs across the

Agency.

SAFETY AND MISSION ASSURANCE

The ATA Office of Mission Assurance (OSMA)

program assures the safety and enhances the

success of all NASA activities through the

development, implementation and oversight of

agency-wide safety, reliability, maintainability and

quality assurance policies and procedures. OSMA

includes the Mission Support Division, Safety and

Assurance Requirements Division, and NASA

Safety Center, as well as the Independent

Verification and Validation Facility (IV&V).

ACHIEVEMENTS IN FY 2019

OSMA's significant achievements in FY 2019

include:

• Technical leadership provided for the update of

the U.S. Government Orbital Debris (OD)

Mitigation Standards, as directed by Space Policy

Directive 3, as well as the establishment of the Presidential Memorandum on the Launch of

Spacecraft Containing Space Nuclear Systems (NSPM-20). OSMA performed orbital debris

reviews of all NASA-sponsored missions and completed the nuclear safety evaluation of the Mars

2020 mission.

• Conducted significant tests and modeling activities benefitting the reliable use of electronic parts

in space. OSMA established an initiative to develop model-based mission assurance capabilities,

in addition to ongoing activities to advance hardware and software quality assurance and

reliability and safety engineering capabilities.

• The NSC maintained and updated the training program covering 262 courses available to the

Agency. OSMA updated five NASA directives and standards as part of a continued move

towards more risk-informed assurance policies.

Planetary Protection engineers inspecting the Mars

2020 rover and getting ready to take wipe samples to

assess contamination.

Safety, Security, and Mission Services: Engineering, Safety, & Operations

AGENCY TECHNICAL AUTHORITY

SSMS-43

• IV&V achievements include software assurance provided to 16 major projects at eight NASA

Centers by finding critical errors in software development artifacts in-phase with the software

development activities.

• IV&V found a total of 117 Severity 1 and 2 issues in-phase with the developer’s activities 97

percent of the time with 98 percent of problems accepted by the missions and the issue corrected.

WORK IN PROGRESS IN FY 2020

In FY 2020, OSMA works in progress include:

• Leveraging digital tools to save the agency time and money while increasing safety though the

infusion of Model Based Mission Assurance for Gateway as part of NASA's Digital

Transformation initiative.

• Advancing guidance for the use of a wide variety of Electrical, Electronic, Electromechanical,

and Electro-Optical component grades and spanning CubeSats to large-scale aerospace projects in

collaboration with academia, industry, and other Government agencies. Addressing component-

level issues related to the dynamic availability of piece parts, varying security of the supply chain,

and assuring access to radiation test facilities for high-reliability space applications.

• Conducting research on non-destructive testing techniques for additive manufactured parts to

determine variances caused by the manufacturing technique. OSMA is participating in the

development of industry consensus standards to ensure the proper inspection of additively

manufactured parts for use in innovative spacecraft hardware.

• IV&V will continue to provide software expertise to 17 projects, including 15 NASA missions,

Commercial Crew Program, one multi-agency mission, and across eight NASA Centers. These

missions include elements of Artemis: the Orion crew capsule, the Space Launch System (SLS)

rocket, the Exploration Ground System (EGS), the lunar Gateway, and the Human Landing

System (HLS). IV&V efforts are in full support of the Artemis I exploration mission to be

launched in 2020.

KEY ACHIEVEMENTS PLANNED FOR FY 2021

In FY 2021, highlighted planned achievements will include:

• The program aims to enhance the quality and velocity of decisions by establishing an objectives-

driven, case-based assurance framework and to provide NASA programs and projects with

increased flexibility to determine how to best meet stakeholder objectives. This will be

supplemented by several workforce engagement activities to enhance the employees' ability to

support new and innovative acquisition and development approaches.

• OSMA will work towards the improvement of the effectiveness and efficiency of the Agency's

institutional safety by focusing the workforce, audits, and assessments on the areas of concern

using a risk-informed approach. The program will coordinate with other offices to consolidate

Center reporting requirements; and expects to complete a multi-year study to enable the safe,

continued operations of layered pressure vessels.

• IV&V will continue to provide software expertise to 17 projects, including 15 NASA missions,

Commercial Crew Program, one multi-agency mission, and across eight NASA Centers. The

Safety, Security, and Mission Services: Engineering, Safety, & Operations

AGENCY TECHNICAL AUTHORITY

SSMS-44

missions include elements of the Artemis: the Orion crew capsule, the SLS rocket, the EGS, the

lunar Gateway, and the HLS.

Program Elements

OSMA establishes and maintains an acceptable level of technical excellence and competence in safety,

reliability, maintainability, and quality engineering areas. The program assesses and communicates risk

associated with noncompliance and/or compliance with safety requirements to appropriate decision

makers.

The program conducts a schedule of reviews and assessments that focus on the life cycle decision

milestones for crucial NASA programs and projects, safety, reliability, and quality processes. Embodied

in this program is a structured development of methodology and investigation into system attributes that

improve the probability of mission success.

The NASA Safety Center, an OSMA component, consolidated Agency-wide efforts in the areas of

technical excellence, knowledge management, audits and assessments, and mishap investigation support.

The OSMA IV&V program provides software expertise, services, and resources necessary to improve the

prospects of security, safety and mission success. It independently analyzes mission software on NASA’s

most critical software systems and identifies software problems in early stages, minimizing the cost of

software development and potential rework.

Safety, Security, and Mission Services: Engineering, Safety, & Operations

AGENCY TECHNICAL AUTHORITY

SSMS-45

CHIEF ENGINEER

The ATA Office of Chief Engineer (OCE) program ensures that NASA's development efforts and mission

operations are planned and conducted on a sound engineering basis with proper controls and management

of technical risks. The program implements checks and balances among key organizations to ensure that

decisions have the benefit of different points of view and are not made in isolation.

ACHIEVEMENTS IN FY 2019

In FY 2019, highlighted achievements will include:

• Significant progress made in the test and

verification phases of five human spaceflight

programs.

• NESC completed 53 independent assessments

and support activities touching all of NASA’s

Mission Directorates. The results included: Flight

testing to gather data furthering a joint NASA-DoD

investigation into pilot physiological episodes;

Testing and analysis to determine the cause of a

Commercial Crew Program commercial partners'

propulsion system test failure; and In-depth peer

review of mathematical models used for analysis of

the Space Launch System Mobile Launcher.

• The Academy of Program/Project and

Engineering Leadership (APPEL) conducted 155

courses and trained 3,250 NASA engineers.

WORK IN PROGRESS IN FY 2020

In FY 2020, work in progress will include:

• Engineering Technical Authority will continue to support the Agency’s most important programs,

ensuring independent technical insight and assessment of programs at key programmatic

milestones, such as:

o International Space Station (ISS): Certification of Flight Readiness (COFR) Reviews for

Crew and Logistics Visiting Vehicle Missions;

o X-57 (Maxwell) Systems Test & Airworthiness Reviews;

o X-59 (QueSST) Aircraft Final Assembly Complete;

o Commercial Crew Program (CCP) - Boeing and SpaceX Crewed Flight Tests;

o Artemis - Orion Thermal Vacuum Testing;

o Artemis - SLS Core Stage Hot-Fire Testing;

o James Webb Space Telescope (Webb) completion of pre-environmental test sunshield

deploy and stow; and

o Webb completion of Observatory environmental testing.

Langley Research Center employee fitted with an

aviator’s helmet and MBU-20/P series oxygen mask

with a forehead-mounted physiological monitor prior

to hypoxia induction at a Naval Medical Research Unit

in Dayton, Ohio.

Safety, Security, and Mission Services: Engineering, Safety, & Operations

AGENCY TECHNICAL AUTHORITY

SSMS-46

• The NESC plans to:

o Conduct over 50 independent assessments of NASA’s highest risk challenges

maintaining prioritization of ISS, Commercial Crew Program, Orion/SLS, Science

Missions, and Space Technology.

o Continue independent Entry, Descent, and Landing (EDL) modeling and simulation for

the CCP and integrated ascent trajectory and separation analyses for the ESD SLS and

Orion programs.

o Continue the development of a Launch Vehicle Aerodynamic Buffet Flight Test to reduce

uncertainties in SLS launch vehicle design loads.

• OCE will initiate a new engineering research and analysis initiative focused on rebuilding the

Agency's core engineering capability, under a unified structure, to support future missions.

KEY ACHIEVEMENTS PLANNED FOR FY 2021

OCE will engage in collaborative efforts with OSMA, OCHMO, and OCE to strengthen the Agency’s

Technical Authority capability. The offices will work collaboratively, conducting safety reviews and

independent technical assessments of NASA’s missions (e.g., Artemis, ISS, Commercial Crew,

Orion/SLS, Webb, robotic missions, and Space Technology investments).

Program Elements

As the Engineering Technical Authority, OCE ensures that NASA's development efforts and mission

operations are planned and conducted on a sound engineering basis with proper controls and management

of technical risks. OCE implements checks and balances among key organizations to ensure that decisions

have the benefit of different points of view and are not made in isolation. Further, OCE establishes and

maintains program/project management and engineering policy and technical standards, creating the

foundation for excellence of the Agency’s program and project management and engineering workforce,

system-engineering methodology, and system of engineering standards.

OCE manages the NESC, which is responsible for enabling rapid, cross-Agency response to mission

critical engineering, and safety issues at NASA and for improving the state of practice in critical

engineering disciplines. Established in FY 2003 in response to the recommendations of the Space Shuttle

Columbia Accident Investigation Board, the NESC performs independent testing, analysis, and

assessments of NASA’s high-risk projects to ensure safety and mission success. As an Agency-wide

resource with a reporting path that is independent of the Mission Directorates and independently funded

from OCE, the NESC helps ensure safety and objective technical results for NASA.

OCE sponsors the Academy of Program/Project and Engineering Leadership to develop program and

project management and systems engineering skills. This academy provides a formal professional

development curriculum designed to address four career levels from recent college graduate to executive.

The office enables technical collaboration and information sharing through the NASA Engineering

Network.

Safety, Security, and Mission Services: Engineering, Safety, & Operations

CENTER ENGINEERING, SAFETY, & OPERATIONS

SSMS-47

FY 2021 Budget

Op Plan

Enacted

Request

Budget Authority (in $ millions)

FY 2019

FY 2020

FY 2021

FY 2022

FY 2023

FY 2024

FY 2025

Total Budget

850.4

873.9

FY 2019 reflects total discretionary funding amounts specified in Public Law 116-006, Consolidated Appropriations

Act, 2019, as adjusted by NASA's FY 2019 Operating Plan.

The FY 2020 Operating Plan was not finalized at the time of Budget release. Therefore, only specific marks from

Public Law 116-93, Consolidated Appropriations Act, FY 2020, as well as projects in development, are included in

the FY 2020 column.

Beginning in FY 2021, SSMS has a revised budget account structure. FY 2019 reflects actual budget authority that

have been re-cast into the new SSMS budget structure.

NASA’s Center Engineering, Safety, and

Operations (CESO) program provides strategic

management and crucial policy direction at the

Agency and Center level in addition to center

level technical authority. Independent oversight at

the center of the highly technical programs and

projects is a key part of NASA’s overall system of

checks and balances and contributes to overall

mission excellence.

EXPLANATION OF MAJOR CHANGES IN

FY 2021

The CESO budget line item directly supports

Headquarters corporate capabilities and the Center

management, science and engineering,

engineering technical authority, and safety and

mission assurance technical authority capabilities

that are critical to programmatic mission success.

It comprises the portions of the former Center

Management and Operations (CMO) and Agency

Management and Operations (AMO) accounts that are not enterprise functions. Center provided

capabilities are crucial due to the complexity of the support needed to successfully and safely implement

and complete requisite missions. A high-level depiction of the prior budget structure mapped to the new

budget structure follows:

Full-scale rocket engine firing in the In-Space Propulsion

Facility test chamber at GRC.

Safety, Security, and Mission Services: Engineering, Safety, & Operations

CENTER ENGINEERING, SAFETY, & OPERATIONS

SSMS-48

ACHIEVEMENTS IN FY 2019

Key mission enabling accomplishments in FY 2019 include:

• Expanded the Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) Flight Software Sustaining Engineering Lab

to support new on-orbit flight sustainment activities in a centralized location and support

continued growth for in-house development.

• Awarded a new Medical Services contract at Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) that

implements an agency model to determine if insurance use is feasible for personal medical

services. Contract savings over a five-year period are estimated to be approximately $5 million.

• Received the Voluntary Protection Program (VPP) Star site award at ARC from the Occupational

Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). The prestigious OSHA VPP Star recognizes sites in

both the private industry and Federal agencies that have implemented effective safety and health

management systems and have maintained injury and illness rates below those in their respective

industries.

• Upgraded Optics Coatings Lab cleanroom at GSFC to enable high reflectance coatings and to

meet the environmental requirements for precision cleaning, coating and inspection of optical

mirrors and components, critical for mission success.

• Implemented Process Safety Management upgrades at GRC for Cryogenic Testing in the In-

Space Propulsion Complex at Plum Brook Station.

• Enabled scientific research through the use of ionizing and non-ionizing radiation sources and

devices while maintaining compliance with NRC regulations at GSFC.

WORK IN PROGRESS IN FY 2020

Key mission enabling activities underway in FY 2020 include:

• Make critical strategic investments in laboratory equipment to develop cross-cutting technologies

for advanced flight software systems and on-board science data processing.

• Keep flight software maintenance test beds fully functional to allow for efficient and effective

responses to operational needs, and to study and simulate operational scenarios.

Safety, Security, and Mission Services: Engineering, Safety, & Operations

CENTER ENGINEERING, SAFETY, & OPERATIONS

SSMS-49

• The Engineering Cost Office at MSFC will perform cost estimates and analyses to support SLS

Core Stage, Exploration Upper Stage, and RS-25 procurements as well as provide cost estimates

for Nuclear Thermal Flight Demonstrators. The organization will continue to support the Solar

Cruiser Concept Study Report and enable the Artemis Program by providing cost estimates and

analyses for the Human Landing System (HLS).

• The Partnerships and Formulation Office at MSFC, using a Commercial Space Launch Act

(CSLA) Agreement, will provide the Saturn V test stand to Blue Origin for their long-term use to

test/qualify their BE-4 and BE-3U flight engines.

• LaRC will host the Safeguard with Autonomous Navigation Demonstration (SAND) Challenge in

May 2020. This opportunity will allow small businesses to compete in an autonomous unmanned

aerial vehicle competition.

• The Advanced Concepts Office at MSFC will support the BorgSat proposal to study the Earth’s

aurora.

• Provide support to the National Space Council Users Advisory Group.

KEY ACHIEVEMENTS PLANNED FOR FY 2021

In FY 2021, CESO will support:

• Senior Agency and Center leadership and management, executive staff and administrative

support, student programs, and developmental assignments.

• Center institutional operational safety support to protect personnel and assets, aviation safety,

emergency preparedness, nuclear safety, construction safety, and other safety services.

• Analysis, design, research, test services, and fabrication capabilities to enable efficient

implementation of the programs and projects.

• Support calibrations, function tests, adjustments/alignments, repairs, and other support events at

the Metrology and Calibration Laboratory (MCL) at MSFC. MCL support is critical to program

and projects meeting their test schedules. With the continued focus on meeting test schedule dates

for SLS, ISS, and others, this support is critical for the Agency meeting their goals.

• Implementation of an enhanced Enterprise Risk Management System at ARC to provide

improved sustainment of Center capabilities that support critical milestones for the Artemis

Program including the Vertical Motion Simulator, which is essential for the success of Artemis.

The Vertical Motion Simulator enables 6 degree of freedom man-in-the-loop flight simulation.

• Outfitting of the new Detector Development Lab cleanroom at GSFC to keep pace with emerging

detector technologies and improve the cost efficiency of detector development. Modernize the

Toxic Gas Monitoring System for areas containing highly toxic gases. Existing system is more

than 25 years old with non-serviceable and obsolete components.

• Maintenance of the Center Management System, Configuration Management support, Audits &

Assessments, Program/Project Review Support, GIDEP, Metrology and Calibration, In-house

Software Assurance Assessment and Electro Static Discharge programs.

• Provide support to the National Space Council Users Advisory Group.