Leonard David's INSIDE OUTER SPACE

Credit: ASAP

The newly issued Aerospace Safety Advisory Panel Annual (ASAP) Report for 2017 flags an impressive interactive tool: Significant Incidents and Close Calls in Human Spaceflight.

This tool chronicles some 186 safety incidents going back to the 1960s and includes operations by SR-71 aircraft, the X-15, Russia’s Soyuz, the U.S. Space Shuttle and the International Space Station.

The ASAP was established by Congress in 1968 to provide advice and make recommendations to the NASA Administrator on safety matters.

Credit: NASA Johnson Space Center’s Flight Safety Office

Visible reminder

Spotlighted in the new report is a comprehensive study of past significant incidents and close calls that have occurred in human space flight

As noted in the interactive and informative graphic tool, the Significant Incidents and Close Calls in Human Spaceflight chart is maintained by NASA Johnson Space Center’s Flight Safety Office to raise awareness of lessons learned through the years. It provides a visible reminder of the risks inherent in human spaceflight and is intended to spark an interest in past events, to inspire people to delve into lessons learned, and to encourage continued vigilance.

The chart is a tool “to ensure the lessons of history are incorporated into new designs, so that future accidents may be prevented.”

Credit: NASA Johnson Space Center’s Flight Safety Office

Sharing information

Within the Significant Incidents and Close Calls in Human Spaceflight chart, two fatal events highlight the importance of sharing country to country information.

“On March 23, 1961 Soviet cosmonaut Valentin Bondarenko lost his life after being severely burned in an altitude chamber fire. The incident occurred during a routine training exercise, when Bondarenko attempted to throw an alcohol swab into a waste basket, but hit a hot plate instead. The oxygen-rich environment quickly ignited. Rescue efforts were thwarted because internal pressure prevented rescuers from opening the chamber’s inwardly swinging hatch for several minutes. By the time the pressure was released and the hatch could be opened, Bondarenko had been hopelessly burned. He died hours later,” the interactive chart explains.

Apollo 204 fire.
Credit: NASA

Apollo fire

“Six years later,” the chart description continues, “three U.S. astronaut’s lives were lost during a test in the Apollo crew module, which contained an oxygen-rich atmosphere. An electrical short caused a fire that spread quickly throughout the cabin. Again, rescue efforts were delayed due to the buildup of pressure behind an inwardly opening hatch. Unlike the Soviet altitude chamber oxygen fire, the crew did not die due to burns from the fire, but from cardiac arrest caused by smoke inhalation. However, in both the Bondarenko and Apollo events, high levels of oxygen caused the fires to spread rapidly, and pressure against inward-opening hatches slowed rescue efforts. Neither cabin was equipped with effective fire-suppression equipment.”

Detail about the Bondarenko incident was not known in the U.S. until 1986 – more than 20 years after it occurred, the chart description explains.

“Would access to this information have led to design changes that could have saved the Apollo astronauts’ lives? Although that question can never be answered, these events underscore the importance of sharing information and maintaining awareness of past events in the effort to prevent future tragedies.”

To access this fact-filled and eye-opening chart, go to:

https://sma.nasa.gov/SignificantIncidents/

Also available is the Aerospace Safety Advisory Panel Annual (ASAP) Report for 2017 that can be found at:

https://oiir.hq.nasa.gov/asap/documents/2017_ASAP_Annual_Report.pdf

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