Hutt, Jason T.

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Jason T. Hutt Spaceflight Training Management Office Page 1 
 
  NASA Training Techniques for Safety Critical Operations 
1. Defining Safety Critical Operations 
From a NASA perspective, safety critical operations include any nominal or off-nominal situation that could threaten the safety of 
the crew or the vehicle.  Foremost among these are potential spacecraft emergencies such as fire, rapid depressurization, or a toxic 
atmosphere.  Nominal operations that also receive a similar training approach include extravehicular activities and visiting vehicle 
rendezvous among other things.  The information in this document will focus on training techniques for fire response. 
 
2. Participants 
Successfully responding to a fire on-board the International Space Station (ISS) requires coordination between the 6-person crew 
on-board ISS and Mission Control Centers (MCC) in Houston, Texas, Huntsville, Alabama, Moscow, Russia, Montreal, Canada, 
Tsukuba, Japan, and Munich, Germany.  Depending on which segment of the vehicle the fire is on, either Houston or Moscow 
will take the lead for coordinating the response.  Each control center will coordinate with the crew or the lead control center to 
execute corrective or preventative actions that need to be taken in their module of concern. 
 
3. Multi-National Training Approach 
Each partner in the ISS program has the responsibility of training hardware and operations executed within the module that 
partner owns.  Since emergency response is an integrated operation, NASA has the responsibility of providing integrated end-to-
end training for these scenarios.  To eliminate unnecessary duplication of content, a training needs analysis was conducted on 
emergency response.  The resultant skills and knowledge to be covered in training were concurred upon by all involved ISS 
partners.  Due to the nature of the teamwork and coordination skills required to successfully respond to an emergency, the training 
needs analysis process took quite a bit of effort to overcome vocabulary and cultural differences among all the partners. 
 
4. Crew Expectations 
ISS crews must be able to execute emergency response actions without the assistance of mission control.  If the emergency leaves 
the crew without communications with MCC-Houston or Moscow, then the crew will have to execute the procedures on their 
own.  The crew training flow is built around this expectation. 
 
5. Common Emergency Response 
ISS crews are trained on a set of actions that should be executed in any emergency scenario.  These actions are intended to ensure 
a safe, coordinated, and methodical response by the crew.  These actions include gathering all crewmembers in a safe haven, 
making sure all crewmembers are accounted for, clarifying the current situation and determining the appropriate response, and 
coordinating the actions of the team.  A safe haven is anyplace on board the ISS with appropriate communication and computing 
resources, access to protective equipment, and has a clear path to the escape vehicle, currently the Soyuz.  
 
6. Crew Roles & Responsibilities 
Since there are different types and degrees of emergency situations, it is imperative that all participants are executing the same 
response procedures.  Within these procedures, there are different actions for different crewmembers.  Some crewmembers will 
enter the module with the fire and start taking action to extinguish the fire.  Some crewmembers will stay in the safe haven and act 
as a communications conduit between the crewmembers in the affected module and Mission Control.  Some crewmembers may 
be required to wait in their escape vehicle.  It is critical that everyone understands who is doing what and where they will be.   
 
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Jason T. Hutt Spaceflight Training Management Office Page 2 
 
 
7. Individual Crewmember Training 
With the different roles to be completed during emergency response, each individual crewmember must have a firm 
understanding of what all the roles require.  While a given crewmember may have a preference for which role they fulfill, they 
may be asked to perform different actions depending on the actual scenario.  For this reason, individual crewmembers are trained 
to complete the response to an emergency on their own from end-to-end.  Each crewmember’s performance is evaluated in a 
capstone lesson called ‘Emergency Mastery.’  Once a crewmember demonstrates that he/she can complete all necessary actions 
on his/her own, the crewmember will progress to team-based training. 
 
8. Team-Based Training 
ISS crews receive a series of scenario-based training in the Space Vehicle Mockup Facility (SVMF) to practice a coordinated 
response to emergency situations.  Crews will receive training as both a team of 3 crewmembers and a team of 6 crewmembers.  
The crew complement in the scenarios will match the expected on-orbit crew complement.  The scenarios will test the crews 
ability to respond to varying degrees of emergency events that occur in different operational scenarios. Additionally, scenarios 
will introduce complications such as an incapacitated crewmember or failed hardware that impact the crew’s ability to respond to 
the emergency.  The lead Flight Director and other members of the mission control team will also participate in this team-based 
training in order to prepare the crewmembers for the type of interaction they will have with the mission control centers during 
emergency response.  
 
9. Simulation Environment 
The SVMF is the primary facility for conducting full crew emergency scenarios training.  It is the only facility in the world with 
mockups for almost every ISS module.  The biggest challenges in implementing a realistic training environment are cost and 
safety.  Flight-like hardware is expensive; every new component is evaluated to determine the level of mockup fidelity needed for 
training.  MOD borrowed an approach from the airline industry and incorporated a smoke machine into the facility that generates 
non-toxic smoke.  This smoke is an excellent visual cue that helps increase the stress and urgency of the training scenario.  In 
addition, some hardware modifications are made for safety reasons.  For example, gas masks have been adapted so that astronauts 
did not carry small high pressure gas tanks on their hips.   
 
10. On-Board Training 
To maintain proficiency in executing emergency response, crews are required to complete a series of training events while on-
board ISS.  These training events include participation from the crew and the mission control center.  When a crew first arrives, 
they conduct a survey of the entire vehicle to verify that hardware is configured to appropriately respond to an emergency as well 
as to orient them on the location of emergency response hardware.  Then, the crew will complete an emergency drill roughly once 
per month.  Currently, these are planned events; unplanned events are not currently feasible for a variety of reasons.  If there is a 
significant vehicle change, crews will be required to complete a training session to familiarize them with any emergency response 
steps resulting from that change.   
 
11. Mission Control Expectations 
The mission control team must be able to assist the crew with emergency response.  The mission control team has access to much 
more data than the crew has available to them.  The team can provide context information that can greatly assist the crew with 
locating the source of the emergency event.  To sufficiently do this, the team must maintain awareness of the crew’s actions at all 
times.  Clear communication is key to facilitating this coordination.   
 
12. Mission Controller Training 
Mission controllers take a suite of training to prepare them for emergency response, this includes lessons, mini-simulations, and 
generic simulations.  Individual mission controllers must demonstrate their ability to respond to every different type of emergency 
as a milestone in their certification flow.  Once certification is achieved, mission controllers are required to complete periodic 
training to maintain emergency response skills.  For certain types of missions, the mission control team will conduct emergency 
simulations to ensure that all participants are ready to respond to an emergency when the spacecraft is in a mission-specific 
configuration. 
 
Mission Operations Directorate 
Spaceflight Training Management Office 
NASA Training Techniques 
for Safety Critical Operations 
Jason T. Hutt 
jason.hutt-1@nasa.gov 
 
 
Overview 
• Introduction to Mission Operations 
 
• Introduction to the International Space Station (ISS) 
 
• Multi-National Approach to Emergency Training 
 
• Crew Training 
 
• Mission Control Team Training 
 
 Page 3 
Scope of “Mission Operations” 
 Plan 
Mission Concept Definition 
Mission Requirements 
Integration 
Flight Crew Planning 
Flight Rules Development 
Procedure Development 
Analysis and Design 
 
Fly 
Real Time Flight 
Operations (Execution) 
Flight Directors and Flight 
Controllers 
International Partner 
Operations Integration 
Train 
Crew and Flight Controller 
Training 
Curriculum Design and 
Development 
 
F 
L 
Y T 
R 
A 
I 
N 
P 
L 
A 
N 
FACILITIES 
Requirements Development 
Sustaining Engineering 
Mission Control Center, Space Station Training 
Facility, Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory, Space 
Vehicle Mockup Facility 
 
Mission Control Center (MCC) 
 
Space Station Training Facility (SSTF) 
 Space Vehicle Mockup Facility (SVMF) & Neutral 
Buoyancy Lab (NBL) 
 Page 7 
Mission Operations ‘Culture’ 
 
 1. To instill within ourselves these qualities essential to professional excellence: 
Discipline, Competence, Confidence, Responsibility, Toughness, Teamwork, and 
Vigilance. 
 
2. To always be aware that suddenly and unexpectedly we may find ourselves in a 
role where our performance has ultimate consequences. 
 
3. To recognize that the greatest error is not to have tried and failed, but that in the 
trying we do not give it our best effort. 
 
 
 
Overview 
• Introduction to Mission Operations 
 
• Introduction to the International Space Station (ISS) 
 
• Multi-National Approach to Emergency Training 
 
• Crew Training 
 
• Mission Control Team Training 
 
 
ISS: A New Training Challenge 
 
Operating ISS 
MCC-Houston MCC-Moscow 
Columbus-CC 
(ESA) 
SSIPC(JAXA) 
POIC-Huntsville CSA-MCC 
 SOYUZ 
БО-СУ 
  PROGRESS 
ТКГ-СУ 
СА-БО   
  JPM 
NODE 2 US LAB NODE 1 
COLUMBUS 
    JOINT 
  AIRLOCK 
SM 
JLP 
  MRM 2 
NODE 3 
Node 1 Port 
РО-ПхО РО-ПрК 
ПрК 
-СУ 
ПхО-СУ (DC) 
МИМ2-СУ 
(SM)  
ПхО-СУ (МRM2) 
APAS 
JPM Stbd 
Node 2 Stbd 
COL 
          IV 
       Hatch 
Node 1 Deck 
  DC-1 
СО-СУ 
(SM)  
СО-СУ 
Node 2 Deck 
Node 2 Ovhd 
MPLM/Visiting 
Vehicle 
MPLM/VV Hatch 
Visiting Vehicles 
Node 2 Port 
Cupola 
PMA1 
МИМ2-СУ 
Docked Vehicles 
ATV Hatch 
    EV Hatch 
PMA2 
ATV 
Node 2  
Fwd 
Node 2  
 Aft 
Node 3  
 Aft 
Node 3  
 Fwd 
Node 3  
 Ovhd 
Node 3  
 Deck 
Node 3 Stbd 
Node 3 Port 
Node 1  
 Fwd 
Node 1  
 Aft 
Node 1 Stbd 
Node 1 Ovhd 
Lab  
 Fwd 
Lab  
 Aft 
JLP  
 Deck JPM  
 Ovhd 
APAS 
PMA3 
  MRM 1 
МИМ1-СУ 
FGB 
ПхО-СУ 
(FGB) ГА-СУ 
ПГО-ГА 
ПГО-СУ 
(SM) 
ГА-РМА1 
МИМ1-СУ 
(FGB)  
JEM AL Inner 
Hatch 
PMM Hatch 
PMM 
Z1 
ISS Overview 
 
ISS Operations Overview 
Long duration mission (6 
months). 
 
Mixed international crews. 
 
Primarily controlled remotely 
by MCC. 
 
Crew focused on utilization. 
 
Long Duration Crew Training 
• Currently a 2.5 year training flow for an inexperienced 
crewmember. 
 
• First 2 years of training are focused on generic skills training.  
Final 6 months of training focuses on mission specific skills. 
 
• Crewmembers may spend up to 55-65% of the 2.5 year training 
period in Russia, Germany, Japan and Canada. 
 
 
2.5 year training flow 
Training 
Start 
Launch 
Single System Training Integrated System Training Complex Team Training RSA RSA RSA RSA RSA 
E
S
A
 
JAX
A 
C
S
A
 NASA NASA NASA NASA NASA 
 
Training Governance 
• Multi-National Control Board 
– Co-chaired by NASA & Roskosmos 
 
 
 
 
• Spaceflight Training Management 
Office 
 
 
Page 14 
 
Safety Critical Operations 
• Operations that could jeopardize the health and 
safety of the ISS crew and vehicle. 
 
• Contingency operations include: 
– Fire  
– Rapid Depressurization 
– Toxic Atmosphere 
 
• Nominal operations include: 
– Extravehicular Activities (EVAs) 
– Visiting Vehicle Rendezvous 
Page 15 
 
Overview 
• Introduction to Mission Operations 
 
• Introduction to the International Space Station (ISS) 
 
• Multi-National Approach to Emergency Training 
 
• Crew Training 
 
• Mission Control Team Training 
 
 
Multi-National Approach 
• Each partner is 
responsible for training 
emergency response 
hardware and 
operations for its 
modules. 
 
• NASA is responsible 
for providing integrated 
training. 
Page 17 
 
Integrated Curriculum 
• Training Needs Analysis defined required skills & knowledge. 
• All international partners concurred with TNA results. 
 
Page 18 
 
Overview 
• Intro to International Space Station (ISS) 
 
• Multi-National Approach to Emergency Training 
 
• Crew Training 
 
• Mission Control Team Training 
 
 
Crew Training 
ISS Crews must be able to execute emergency response 
actions without assistance from mission control. 
Page 20 
 
Initial Hardware Training 
• Crewmembers receive hardware training at each partner 
site. 
 
Page 21 
 
Common Response Strategy 
• Warn everyone 
• Get to a safe haven 
• Is everyone 
accounted for? 
• What response are 
we executing? 
• Who is doing what? 
Page 22 
 
Crew Roles & Responsibilities 
• Crewmembers will be in multiple locations on ISS during 
emergency response. 
 
Page 23 
 
Individual Response Training 
• Individual crewmembers must know the entirety of 
emergency response. 
– Must pass a capstone evaluation called ‘Emergency Mastery’ 
Page 24 
 
Team-based Training 
• Emergency Scenarios Training 
– Mix of cases designed to test strengths & weaknesses of the team 
 
Page 25 
 
Simulation Environment 
Page 26 
•Borrowed technique from 
airline industry to use non-
toxic smoke for more 
realistic simulations. 
 
Changing Crew Complements 
Page 27 
Expedition 29 
Expedition 28 
Expedition 30 
•Each crew trained to perform emergency response as a 
3-person crew and with both 6-person variants. 
 
On-Board Training (OBT) 
• Vehicle familiarization and readiness check 
• Monthly drills focused on different emergency cases 
• Events include mission control center coordination 
 
Page 28 
 
OBT Simulator 
Page 29 
 
Evaluation 
• Team performance 
• Individual performance 
• Communication 
• Decision-making 
• Technical knowledge 
• Resource Management 
Page 30 
 
Feedback 
Page 31 
 
Overview 
• Intro to International Space Station (ISS) 
 
• Multi-National Approach to Emergency Training 
 
• Crew Training 
 
• Mission Control Team Training 
 
 
Mission Control Team Training 
The Mission Control Team must be able to assist the crew with 
emergency response actions. 
Page 33 
 
Mission Controller Training 
Lessons 
 
Mini-sims 
 
Qualifications Exercises 
 
Generic simulations 
 
Mission-specific 
simulations 
Page 34 
 
Facility Availability 
Page 35 
Mission Operations Directorate 
Spaceflight Training Management Office 
Thank You! 
Page 36 


NASA Training Techniques for Safety Critical Operations

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