NASA and
Navy Sign Memorandum Of Agreement
NASA and the U.S. Navy signed a Memorandum of Agreement to exchange valuable vendor
and supplier information aimed at improving safety, mission assurance, and performance
of the systems procured by both.
This agreement is the first in a series under development to identify and use
the "best of the best" safety and engineering practices of each organization.
NASA Administrator Sean O'Keefe recognized many similarities between human space
flight programs and submarine operations. Administrator O'Keefe wrote a letter
to Navy Secretary Gordon England in July 2002, and in August 2002, the NASA/Navy
Benchmarking Exchange Team was formed.
"A commitment to safety is built on a foundation of best practices and strong
leadership," said Administrator O'Keefe. "This important exchange of ideas, processes,
and procedures will play a significant role in a meaningful evolution of our technical
and safety assessments as we return to flight," he said.
This agreement allows NASA to use the Navy's Product Data Reporting and Evaluation
Program and its Red/Yellow/Green Program, both of which are web-accessible to
both organizations. NASA will provide the Navy with access to systems used to
assess the quality of vendors and suppliers.
For information about NASA on the Internet, visit:
http://www.nasa.gov