NASA Goes Outside Its Ranks to Choose Its New Safety Czar

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration reached outside its own ranks Tuesday for a safety officer to keep an independent watch on space agency activities.

George A. Rodney, an experimental test pilot with wide-ranging experience in safety programs during 41 years with aerospace giant Martin Marietta Corp., will head a new Office of Safety, Reliability and Quality Assurance at NASA.

Rodney’s new title, that of associate administrator, gives him equal footing with the head of the space shuttle program. Rodney will report directly to NASA’s administrator, James C. Fletcher, and he will have direct authority throughout the agency.

Commission Recommendation

The establishment of such an office and the appointment of a safety czar were among the key recommendations made by the presidential commission, headed by former Secretary of State William P. Rogers, that investigated the Jan. 28 Challenger accident and the deaths of its crew of seven.

The office, to be located at NASA’s Washington headquarters, would be responsible for tracking such problems as leaks in booster rocket joint seals that doomed the Challenger.

“The reporting system simply was not making trends, status and problems visible with sufficient accuracy and emphasis,” the commission said in its report to President Reagan.

Evaluates Readiness

Rodney, 65, is director of mission success at the Martin Marietta Orlando Aerospace Co. in Florida and is responsible for evaluating the operational readiness and reliability of the company’s products.

Before that, he had a similar job in NASA’s Louisiana facility, where the shuttle’s external tank is produced. During the NASA Skylab program, he was manager for mission success and quality assurance at Martin Marietta’s Denver Aerospace facility.

Rodney’s domain will be all of the space agency’s activities and programs.

‘Problem Resolution’

“He will be responsible for the direction of reporting and documentation of problems, problem resolution and trends associated with safety,” a NASA statement said.