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NASA
Procedural
Requirements

NPR 8715.26
Effective Date: February 03, 2022
Expiration Date: February 03, 2027

COMPLIANCE IS MANDATORY FOR NASA EMPLOYEES

Subject: Nuclear Flight Safety

Responsible Office: Office of Safety and Mission Assurance

Chapter 2. Roles and Responsibilities

2.1 Administrator

2.1.1 The Administrator is responsible for the radiological risk to the public, NASA workforce, high-value equipment and property, and the environment from launching or reentering NASA space nuclear systems (SNS) and other radioactive material. To this end the Administrator:

a. Determines the acceptability of the radiological risk associated with launching or conducting a planned return to Earth (reentry or fly-by) of an SNS and other radioactive material.

b. Ensures NASA fulfills its responsibilities related to the standing Interagency Nuclear Safety Review Board (INSRB) to review NASA and other Federal Government launches, and when requested by the Secretary of Transportation, commercial launches, in accordance with the membership and responsibilities outlined in NSPM-20.

c. Authorizes launch or requests the President’s authorization for launch, in accordance with NSPM-20 and Chapter 4 of this directive, when NASA is the sponsoring agency.

2.2 Mission Directorate Associate Administrators

2.2.1 Mission Directorate Associate Administrators (MDAAs) are responsible for:

a. Providing resources to achieve and assure compliance with applicable Agency nuclear flight safety requirements, including any evaluation by the INSRB.

b. Designating the personnel responsible for ensuring the implementation of applicable nuclear flight safety requirements (i.e., any delegated responsibilities under this section, as well as those responsibilities of the NASA Program and Project Manager role), and if desired, assigning an individual to provide NASA mission-specific administrative support to the INSRB. In the latter case, this individual must be selected from outside the applicable program or project management chain and be free of any organizational or personal conflict-of-interest.

c. Designating an individual that is responsible for coordinating with other entities that may be contributing SNS or other radioactive material to the flight (e.g., the Payload Project Manager role in NPR 8715.7), and ensuring that nuclear flight safety requirements are being addressed in a manner that addresses the entire manifest, when their Mission Directorate has responsibility for flight activities (consistent with NPR 8715.5).

d. Identifying and categorizing all space flight equipment that contains or uses nuclear or radioactive materials (per Chapter 3 of this directive).

e. Notifying the NFSO and making required reports in accordance with Chapter 4 of this directive, when an SNS or other radioactive material is identified for potential use on NASA spacecraft or in NASA-provided payloads, in order to schedule nuclear launch authorization or concurrence activities.

f. Arranging for the preparation of the nuclear safety analysis, facilitating the nuclear safety review, and obtaining authorization or concurrence for launch or reentry, in accordance with NSPM-20 and Chapter 4 of this directive.

g. Conducting contingency, planning as required by the National Response Framework and other requirements, including provisions for emergency response and support for source recovery efforts.

Note: NPD 8710.1 and NPR 8715.2 address the broader NASA emergency management policy and program requirements.

h. Consulting with the NFSO to: (i) support research and technology development to close knowledge gaps within the areas of NASA responsibility, and in partnership with other relevant Federal authorities, and (ii) develop nuclear flight safety requirements for future missions that fulfill NASA’s responsibilities while remaining compatible with other Federal authorities.

2.3 NASA Program and Project Managers

2.3.1 The NASA Program and Project Manager (generally intended here to refer to the Implementing Program and Flight Project Managers) are responsible for:

a. Incorporating nuclear flight safety considerations starting with program or project formulation through the point at which the SNS no longer has the potential to affect Earth’s biosphere.

b. Providing sufficient resources, access, and engagement for conducting the nuclear safety analysis and review, obtaining authorization or concurrence for launch or reentry, and supporting RCP development, in accordance with NSPM-20 and Chapter 4 of this directive, as applicable.

c. Ensuring, to the extent of responsibility applicable under defined licensing/permitting documentation or agreements, compliance with all pertinent directives, licenses, agreements, and requirements promulgated by authorizing or regulating agencies relative to the use of nuclear or radioactive materials planned for a launch or planned return to Earth (fly-by or reentry).

d. Assisting the MDAA (or designee) in requesting launch authorization or concurrence.

2.4 Office of International and Interagency Relations

2.4.1 The Office of International and Interagency Relations is responsible for supporting RCP activities and coordinating with the Department of State to ensure fulfillment of the US Government’s international (e.g., United Nations Conventions) and NASA’s interagency responsibilities.

2.5 Office of Protective Services

2.5.1 The Office of Protective Services (OPS) is responsible for:

a. Supporting RCP activities and coordinating with the Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to provide adequate emergency response and recovery planning for applicable missions, as specified in Chapter 4 of this directive, and in consideration of NPD 8710.1 and NPR 8715.2.

b. Establishing and assuring appropriate staffing of the Emergency Operations Center (EOC) at NASA Headquarters when specified in radiological contingency, radiological emergency, and recovery plans developed in accordance with Section 4.5.

2.6 Center Directors

2.6.1 Center Directors are responsible for:

a. Providing assistance to the cognizant NASA Mission Directorate(s) and project office(s) in implementing and complying with the nuclear flight safety requirements and processes provided in this directive.

b. Providing information about facilities and operations necessary to support the nuclear safety analysis, nuclear safety review, and the launch authorization process.

2.6.2 The Center Director affiliated with the range where the launch or reentry is expected to occur, is additionally responsible for:

a. Applying payload and range safety requirements for the launch or reentry of SNS or radioactive material as required by NPR 8715.7, NASA Payload Safety Program, NASA STD 8719.24, NASA Payload Safety Requirements, NPR 8715.5, NASA Range Flight Safety Program, and NASA-STD-8719.25 Range Flight Safety Requirements.

b. Developing and implementing site-specific ground operations and radiological contingency plans to address potential ground handling accidents and potential launch or landing accident scenarios and to support source recovery operations, commensurate with the radioactive materials present.

c. Providing resources, as appropriate, to maintain NASA’s institutional capabilities needed to support ground operations and RCP for the launch of SNS (e.g., the Radiological Control Center (RADCC) at Kennedy Space Center).

d. Coordinating radiological contingency plans and exercises with the CHMO.

e. Exercising contingency response capabilities as deemed necessary to ensure adequate readiness of participants and adequacy of planning to protect the public, site personnel, and facilities.

f. Ensuring appropriate and timely coordination with regional Federal, State, territorial, and local emergency management authorities to provide for support to, and coordination with, offsite emergency response elements.

g. Making provisions for special offsite monitoring and assistance in recovery of radioactive materials that could spread into areas outside the geographical boundaries of the launch site.

2.7 Center Radiation Safety Officer

2.7.1 The Center Radiation Safety Officer is responsible for providing the NASA Program or Project Manager with radiation protection expertise and information needed for calculating the A2 mission multiple for missions involving radioactive material that do not include SNS.

2.8 Chief, Safety and Mission Assurance

2.8.1 The Chief, SMA, is responsible for advising the Administrator and other senior officials on matters related to risk, safety, and mission success and serves as the lead SMA TA. To provide independent oversight of programs and projects in support of safety and mission success, the Chief, SMA, is responsible for:

a. Appointing a technically-qualified NASA representative to the INSRB. Whenever possible, the NFSO should not serve as the INSRB member performing the review or administrative support for a NASA-sponsored mission because the INSRB and the NFSO have different roles and responsibilities, as well as different degrees of access to mission-specific information. If having separate individuals fill these roles isn’t possible, the Chief, SMA would ensure appropriate controls and mitigating measures are in place (e.g., through a memorandum of agreement with the mission).

b. Assisting other authorities in the review and evaluation of radiological risk, including coordinating with the CHMO regarding decisions involving risk acceptance.

c. Concurring on launch or reentry for missions, as described in Chapter 4 of this directive.

2.8.2 The Chief, SMA designates the NFSO to support these responsibilities and oversee nuclear flight safety and related nuclear and radiological matters in consultation with the MDAAs.

2.9 Nuclear Flight Safety Officer

2.9.1 The NFSO (formerly known as the Nuclear Flight Safety Assurance Manager) advises the Chief, SMA on all matters related to nuclear flight safety and related nuclear and radiological matters, and assists the Chief, SMA in providing independent oversight of programs and projects in support of safety and mission success. The NFSO is responsible for:

a. Engaging TAs, Mission Directorates, and Programs and Projects involving the launch or reentry of SNS or other radioactive materials on compliance with this directive.

b. Providing administrative support to the INSRB in its standing capacity.

c. Ensuring NASA meets its reporting responsibilities in NSPM-20.

d. Concurring on radiological contingency plans for flights requiring RCP.

e. Concurring on Earth launches or reentries for missions as described by Chapter 4 of this directive, and performing assessments, when applicable, consistent with Chapter 4 of this directive.

f. Coordinating with organizations that have important interfaces with the nuclear flight safety program, such as Office of the Chief Health and Medical Officer’s (OCHMO’s) ionizing radiation protection program and the Office of the Chief Engineer’s program and project management requirements.

2.10 NASA INSRB Representative

2.10.1 The NASA INSRB representative is responsible for:

a. Participating in all relevant INSRB activities.

b. Chairing INSRB mission-specific activities, advising the NASA Administrator of gaps or omissions in INSRB-reviewed safety analyses, and ensuring a safety evaluation report (SER) is developed, for NASA-sponsored Tier II and Tier III missions.

c. Facilitating agreement on behalf of the Administrator on the terms of any INSRB review, including costs, between NASA and the agency requesting INSRB review, per NSPM-20.

d. Facilitating early INSRB engagement in the safety analysis process (after the conceptual design of the mission is generated) for NASA-sponsored Tier II and Tier III missions, as directed by NSPM-20, in order to identify gaps in time for mission planners to address them without creating unnecessary delays in the launch timeline.

2.11 Chief Health and Medical Officer

2.11.1 The CHMO advises the Administrator, the Chief, SMA, and the applicable Mission Directorate(s) of potential health effects related to activities involving flight of nuclear or radioactive material and participates in NASA and Federal RCP and operational activities, including providing subject matter expertise in the case of any clean-up efforts. NASA roles, responsibilities, and procedural requirements for protecting the public and workforce from risks associated with the handling, use, and storage of radioactive material and radiation generating equipment while not in flight are documented in NPR 1800.1.