2021 Symposium for Student Research, Scholarship, and Creative Activity

Outerspace is the great unknown. Space is extremely dangerous in all aspects for anyone or anything that we put into it. Safety is paramount for all missions with human lives and millions of dollars at risk. From liftoff to the return of the crew every part of the mission must be carefully planned out to ensure their safety. The Challenger accident in 1986 demonstrated how important this is. In our research we will look at all the aspects and procedures that make spacecrafts, flights, and spacewalks safe for all parties involved. We will be studying the safety protocol information from papers published by NASA scientists and engineers to examine whether the extreme cautionary measures taken by NASA are worthwhile.