Lessons Learned that are Applicable to any High-Risk Activity

Chris Hansen will be presenting, “NASA Lessons Learned From a Spacewalking Incident.”

When & Where?

This presentation is scheduled during Best Practice Session 5 at the 2023 Global TapRooT® Summit, Margaritaville Lake Resort, Lake Conroe – Houston, Texas, April 26 – 28, 2023, (PreSummit Courses, April 24 – 25, 2023).

Session Description

In July of 2013, Astronauts Chris Cassidy and Luca Parmitano exited the International Space Station for a routine spacewalk, what NASA calls an “Extravehicular Activity, or EVA for short. 44 minutes into the EVA, Luca’s helmet began to fill with water. The next harrowing moments led to one of the most dangerous incidents in US Spacewalking history. NASA’s Chris Hansen, the lead mishap investigator, will share details of the incident and share lessons learned that are applicable to any high-risk activity, and discuss steps NASA took to prevent future accidents.

Speaker Bio

Chris Hansen, National Aeronautics and Space Administration Deputy Program Manager, EVA & HSM Program, joined NASA at the Johnson Space Center as a Co-operative Education Student in 1991 where he worked on several projects as a structural analyst and designer. After graduating from the University of California at Irvine in 1993 with a degree in Mechanical Engineering, he joined NASA full-time where he worked as a structural analyst for projects including the Shuttle Plume Impingement Flight Experiment and the Space Shuttle Lightweight Seats project. In 1999, Mr. Hansen earned a Master of Mechanical Engineering degree from Rice University.

In 2000, Hansen became the Mechanical Systems Integration Lead for the International Space Station, later worked for the NASA Engineering and Safety Center, and in 2007 became the Chief Engineer for the International Space Station Program, leading a talented team of technical experts dedicated to constructing and flying the International Space Station safely and successfully.

In 2014, Hansen was named as the Chief of the Crew and Thermal Systems Division which is responsible for the design and engineering of all of NASA’s spacesuits, life support systems, and man-rated thermal vacuum chambers. In 2015, he became the manager of the EVA Office, responsible for integrating all spacewalking activities for NASA. He was named Deputy Program Manager for the EVA and Human Surface Mobility Program in 2022. He grew up in Los Alamos, New Mexico.