Engineering projects, NASA

The ISS program may well be the largest single international engineering project in history. It involves the direct participation of 16 nations, 88 launches (37 Shuttle, 9 Proton, 31 Progress, and 11 Soynz), and 160 space walks (over twice the total number of space walk hours completed by NASA since Ed White s initial walk in 1964). As of September 2000, the station consists of the Russian-built Zarya and Zvezda modules and the U.S.-built Unity Node. The station begins permanent operations with the arrival of the Expedition One crew in November 2000, and, once completed, will provide an unprecedented capability for cooperative international research—both pnblicly and privately fnnded. 

Scientists and engineers at NASA made detailed plans and projects to create artihcial self-replicators to be realized either as self-replicating moon factories or as self-replicating inter-stellar probes. The time horizon for the implementation of these projects is either sometime during the 21 century or in the distant future. These ambitious projects emphasize the technical hurdles that seem impossible to solve with current technology. 

Engineers at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) had to overcome many technical challenges to meet President Kennedy s important goal. To do so, they carefully planned, designed, and tested many projects. Each project brought them one step closer to their goal, until they were finally successful. After Apollo 11, astronauts flew six more missions to the moon, returning home safely every time. 

Webb, Murray and Associates, Inc. (WMA), Houston, particularly Bob Webb, Bob Murray, and Billy Magee, officers, and the talented WMA safety engineers and consultants. My time as director of WMA s Center for Advanced Safety Studies provided me with an opportunity to develop and teach system safety courses for NASA, DOD, DOT, and private industry and to participate in system safety projects. 

George Hardy, who was NASA s Deputy Director of Science and Engineering, said, I am appalled by your recommendation (for launch postponement). Larry Mulloy, NASA s manager for the SRB project, made it clear he was not willing to delay the launch. 

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