Framework for a Case Study Based Course in Safety and Mission Assurance for Space Systems

The feasibility of sending humans to the Moon or Mars depends primarily on one question: is it safe enough? There are few to no courses offered in engineering curricula that address Safety and Mission Assurance (S&MA) for space systems, and there is a lack of instruction of safety culture -where ethics plays a significant role - in current engineering educational strategies. This produces a gap between a student’s knowledge of S&MA and the knowledge required to perform effectively and safely within the workforce. This research proposes a course framework to bridge that gap and improve the strategies with which engineering courses are taught. The framework discussed in this paper provides a learner-centered pedagogical approach to promote motivation, a key aspect of decision-making. If case studies of real human spaceflight accidents, incidents, and close calls are used in the classroom to teach S&MA concepts, students can connect to the event, making them aware of how integrity, ethics, and safety culture play a role in the engineering decision-making aspect of human spaceflight. Connection to the course material can then produce the proper motivations that will then influence the student’s decision-making process when they work in the industry. In addition, the framework addresses the usage of case studies to promote conceptual understanding, critical thinking, and problem-solving. By showing both the efficiency of case studies in teaching engineering concepts and the ability of case studies to promote ethical decision making and behavior, this approach is projected to foster students with integrity, accountability, and responsibility. The authors recommend aerospace and systems engineering programs implement courses with a similar framework in their curricula.