Updates to the NASA human system risk management process for space exploration

Abstract

This paper describes updates to NASA's approach for assessing and mitigating spaceflight-induced risks to human health and performance. This approach continues to evolve to meet dynamically changing risk environments: lunar missions are currently being designed and the ultimate destination will be Mars. Understanding the risks that astronauts will face during a Mars mission will depend on building an evidence base that informs not only how the humans respond to the challenges of the spaceflight environment, but also how systems and vehicles can be designed to support human capabilities and limitations. This publication documents updates to the risk management process used by the Human System Risk Board at NASA and includes changes to the likelihood and consequence matrix used by the board, the design reference mission categories and parameters, and the standardized evaluation of the levels of evidence that the board accepts when setting risk posture. Causal diagramming, using directed acyclic graphs, provides all stakeholders with the current understanding of how each risk proceeds from a spaceflight hazard to a mission-level outcome. This standardized approach enables improved communication among stakeholders and delineates how and where more knowledge can improve perspective of human system risks and which countermeasures can best mitigate these risks.