Safety is a topic of considerable discussion these days in NASA and at Dryden. Safety has a focused significance at Dryden; our livelihood depends on safe ground and flight operations everyday. Safety awareness and risk management are undoubtably the most important skills Dryden employees and managers exercise on a daily basis.

Dryden's risk management processes for flight research vehicles and operations have evolved significantly over the last fifty years, incorporating experiences and lessons learned along the way. The thirty-eight policies in our Basic Operations Manual (BOM) capture the most essential elements of the risk management procedures used to maintain safe operations at Dryden. These policies are concise, yet profound in content, and have evolved at the expense of aircraft, lives and careers.