NASA Procedural Requirements

NPR 7120.10B Effective Date: June 01, 2022 Expiration Date: June 01, 2027

Subject: Technical Standards for NASA Programs and Projects

Responsible Office: Office of the Chief Engineer

Chapter 2. Responsibilities

Note: This chapter defines the roles and responsibilities of key officials in the technical standards management process. The roles and responsibilities of senior NASA management, along with fundamental principles of governance, are described in NPD 1000.3, The NASA Organization.

2.1 The NASA Chief Engineer

2.1.1 The NASA Chief Engineer serves as NASA’s Standards Executive. The NASA Standards Executive, or designee:

a. Provides NASA representation on the Interagency Committee for Standards Policy (ICSP).

b. Issues a call for information and submits NASA’s annual report on voluntary consensus standard and conformity assessment activities to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) through the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST).

2.1.2 The NASA Chief Engineer provides access to technical standards at https://standards.nasa.gov.

2.2 NASA Headquarters Offices that Sponsor Development of Technical Standards

2.2.1 NASA Headquarters offices consult with voluntary consensus standards bodies and provide:

a. Adequate priority in budgets to support participation of employees in voluntary consensus standards development activities.

b. Input to the NASA Chief Engineer to support NASA’s annual report to NIST.

2.2.2 NASA Headquarters offices develop processes to manage and approve the development and maintenance of NASA technical standards and participation in voluntary consensus standard activities within their areas of responsibility consistent with the requirements of this directive.

2.2.3 The NASA Chief Engineer, the Chief, Safety and Mission Assurance, and the Chief Health and Medical Officer, or delegated Technical Authorities, in consultation with program and project managers, specify the minimum required set of associated engineering, safety and mission assurance, and health and medical technical standards for programs and projects and approve deviations and waivers for those standards applied to programs and project.

2.2.4 NASA Headquarters offices provide external coordination of NASA technical standards activities.

2.2.5 NASA Headquarters offices evaluate the effectiveness of NASA technical standards activities.

2.2.6 NASA Headquarters offices coordinate and assess Agency implementation of policy, procedural requirements, and activities for technical standards with other NASA Headquarters offices, Center Directors, and Technical Authorities.

2.2.7 NASA Headquarters offices designate NASA-endorsed technical standards.

2.2.8 NASA Headquarters offices periodically review Agency compliance with technical standards within their areas of responsibility.

2.3 Mission Directorates and Program and Project Managers

2.3.1 Mission Directorates and program and project managers support the Agency’s established processes for reviewing technical standards for technical accuracy and adequacy and provide comments when necessary.

2.3.2 Mission Directorates and program and project managers:

a. Consult with associated Technical Authorities to define the minimum set of technical authority standards and requirements to apply to programs and projects.

b. Seek formal approval from delegated Technical Authorities when tailoring defined technical authority standards and requirements.

c. Use requirements from technical standards in accordance with NPR 7120.5, NPR 7120.7,

NPR 7120.8, NPR 8715.3, NASA General Safety Program Requirements, or NPR 7120.11, NASA Health and Medical Technical Authority (HMTA) Implementation, observing and protecting Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) and managing classified national security and Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI) information.

2.4 Center Directors

2.4.1 Center Directors, or designees, adhere to established processes, including observing and protecting IPR, classified national security information, and CUI to:

a. Promote and authorize Center representatives who, at Government expense, participate on behalf of the Agency in the development and revision of voluntary consensus standards and other Government agency technical standards.

b. Develop and maintain NASA technical standards for which they have assigned responsibility.

c. Recommend technical standards for NASA endorsement.

d. Report annually on Center participation in voluntary consensus standards and conformity assessment activities to the NASA Chief Engineer to support NASA’s annual report to NIST.

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