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Safety in Space and Sea

January 3, 2017

When NASA’s Aviation Safety Officers and engineers set out to re-evaluate the agency’s vehicles and systems, they chose the WHOI Alvin operations group as a benchmark—the first non-aviation program selected for the purpose. At a meeting in Woods Hole in November, the NASA team shared the engineering analysis, risk mitigation, and safety review processes used to certify NASA aircraft. In turn, the Alvin team—which has U.S. Navy vehicle certification—described its safety review and system certification processes. NASA team members ended their day at the WHOI Ocean Science Exhibit Center, going inside a mock-up of the Alvin personnel sphere and exploring exhibits about discoveries made in the sub.(Photo by Jayne Doucette, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution)