NASA/SP–2010–578 NASA Astronauts on Soyuz: Experience and Lessons for the Future OSMA Assessments Team Johnson Space Center, Houston National Aeronautics and Space Administration Johnson Space Center Houston, TX 77058 August 2010 NASA STI PROGRAM ... IN PROFILE Since its founding, NASA has been dedicated to conferences, symposia, seminars, or other the advancement of aeronautics and space meetings sponsored or cosponsored by science. The NASA Scientific and Technical NASA. Information (STI) Program Office plays a key part in helping NASA maintain this important SPECIAL PUBLICATION. Scientific, technical, role. or historical information from NASA programs, projects, and mission, often The NASA STI Program Office is operated by concerned with subjects having substantial Langley Research Center, the lead center for public interest. NASA’s scientific and technical information. The NASA STI Program Office provides access to the TECHNICAL TRANSLATION. 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Collected papers from scientific and technical NASA/SP–2010–578 NASA Astronauts on Soyuz: Experience and Lessons for the Future OSMA Assessments Team Johnson Space Center, Houston National Aeronautics and Space Administration Johnson Space Center Houston, TX 77058 August 2010 Intended Audience This document is intended for Johnson Space Center (JSC) employees and contractors and other NASA centers and contractor groups participating in the development, use, study, and human-rating of crewed spaceflight systems. Questions about this document should be directed to: Mr. David F. Thelen, NASA, Manager, Safety and Mission Assurance Flight Safety Office, JSC Safety and Mission Assurance Directorate, Email: [email protected] Mr. Bill M. Wood, SAIC, Flight Safety & Integration Manager, Science Applications International Corporation, Email: [email protected] Available from: NASA Center for AeroSpace Information National Technical Information Service 7115 Standard Drive 5285 Port Royal Road Hanover, MD 21076-1320 Springfield, VA 22161 Phone: 301-621-0390 or 703-605-6000 Fax: 301-621-0134 This report is also available in electronic form at http://ston.jsc.nasa.gov/collections/TRS/ Foreword The chief of the NASA Headquarters Office of Safety and Mission Assurance (OSMA), Bryan O’Connor, requested that the NASA Johnson Space Center (JSC) Safety and Mission Assurance (S&MA) Director, Terrence Wilcutt, convene a team to report on NASA’s experience working with the Russians and lessons on astronaut safety assurance of the Soyuz spacecraft. This report on Soyuz history was conceived as a possible analogy relevant to domestic commercial spaceflight vehicles. On behalf of the JSC S&MA Directorate, David F. Thelen (Manager, Flight Safety Office), and SAIC’s [Science Applications International Corporation] Gary W. Johnson were assigned to lead this task. Gary is the former NASA Chairperson of the Shuttle/Mir Joint Safety Assurance Working Group and the Inter- national Space Station (ISS) Joint American Russian Safety Working Group. He was also a member of the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project. Acknowledgements Contributors to this report included: Richard K. Fullerton of NASA Headquarters OSMA Mission Support Division who also served as the Phase 1 Program co-chair of Working Group 7 Extravehicular Activity Nathan J. Vassberg of NASA JSC who is the ISS Program’s Safety Review Panel chair, and who was a safety, reliability and quality assurance engineer with SAIC supporting the Assured Crew Return Vehicle (ACRV) Project Office John K. Hirasaki, senior engineer, Ares Corporation who currently supports the ISS Program and International Partner Element Integration Office, and who previously supported the ACRV Project Office as an operations integration engineer with Eagle Engineering Michael R. Barratt M.D., flight surgeon and astronaut, who launched on Soyuz TMA-14 on March 26, 2009, to the ISS during Expeditions 19 and 20 Kenny L. Mitchell, NASA Marshall Space Flight Center retiree, who was manager of the Moscow Space Station Program Office, Moscow Technical Liaison Office from July 1994 to July 1996 George K. Gafka of NASA JSC’s S&MA Office, and who is the ISS Chief Safety and Mission Assurance Officer Chrystal L. Hoelscher, information/data administrator and technical editor of SAIC’s Flight Safety Office Dennis W. Pate, senior human factors engineer of SAIC’s Flight Safety Office David M. Salvador, lead systems engineer of SAIC’s Flight Safety Office i Contents 1.0 Executive Summary ............................................................................................................ 1 2.0 Scope ................................................................................................................................... 2 3.0 Apollo-Soyuz Test Project .................................................................................................. 2 3.1 Apollo-Soyuz Test Project organization and management ................................................. 3 3.2 Apollo-Soyuz Test Project mission objective ..................................................................... 3 3.3 Apollo-Soyuz Test Project joint safety assessments ........................................................... 4 3.4 Apollo-Soyuz Test Project unilateral system safety reports ................................................ 5 3.5 Apollo-Soyuz Test Project conclusion ................................................................................ 5 4.0 NASA Assessment of the Soyuz Spacecraft for Space Station Freedom Assured Crew Return Vehicle ............................................................................................. 6 4.1 Soyuz/assured crew return vehicle general lessons learned ................................................ 8 4.2 Soyuz/assured crew return vehicle conclusion .................................................................... 8 5.0 Shuttle/Mir Program ............................................................................................................ 8 5.1 Joint safety policy ................................................................................................................ 9 5.2 Statement of safety policy ................................................................................................... 9 5.3 Guidelines ............................................................................................................................ 9 5.4 Risk assessment of the U.S. astronaut on the Soyuz/Mir .................................................... 9 5.5 Risk assessment for the joint Shuttle/Mir mission .............................................................. 9 5.6 Shuttle/Mir Safety Integration Assessment Criteria ............................................................ 10 5.7 Shuttle/Mir organization ...................................................................................................... 10 5.8 Shuttle/Mir conclusion ........................................................................................................ 10 6.0 Phase 1 International Space Station (NASA/Mir) ............................................................... 10 6.1 Phase 1 Program objectives ................................................................................................. 11 6.2 Phase 1 Program organization ............................................................................................. 11 6.3 Comparison of NASA and Russian quality, reliability, and safety assurance ..................... 11 6.4 Russian process for flight readiness .................................................................................... 12 6.5 Russian