Sec. 231. Safety and mission assurance in human space flight
234 words·~1 min read·
/bill/113/s/1317/is/section-231A research copy — for the controlling text, always check the official state or federal source. Not legal advice.
Congress makes the following findings: In the early part of the space race, the United States took over 3 years from the launch of the first American satellite, Explorer I, to the launch of the first American to space, Alan B. Shepard, Jr. It was known then, as it is now, that the exploration of space by humans is an inherently dangerous endeavor. Access to space requires complex propulsion systems, such as the now retired Space Shuttle, which generated over 7,000,000 pounds of thrust.
Adding humans to the complex systems required to reach space requires additional safeguards, life support systems, and other measures to protect from the harsh environment of space in order to minimize risk to human life. It is the sense of Congress that— meticulousness and attention to detail helps ensure that all humans are safe and protected to the best of the abilities of all those involved in helping achieve the reaches of space; those who strive to send humans into space should make every effort to ensure the success of missions and programs through independent safety and mission assurance analyses; diligent oversight efforts ensure adherence to safety, reliability, and quality assurance policies and procedures for missions and programs; and lessons learned from mishaps and near misses should be implemented into designs, decisions, policy, and procedures to reduce the risk of future incidents that could jeopardize crew safety or mission success.