Michael J. Hallock II

Day to day, I wear several hats in seemingly odd functional areas for an individual; I am the Safety and Mission Assurance (SMA) quality lead, the Explosives Safety Officer and the emergency management/emergency preparedness coordinator at NASA’s White Sands Test Facility.    As an expert in quality, safety and emergency management, there are times when one needs to get out of the way. This does not mean walk away, look the other direction or stick one’s head in the sand. As an expert, I keep a learning channel open, and [I’m] constantly evaluating requirements for consistency and relevancy. I bring what I can to every task. Sometimes I hit a homerun with the bases loaded, and sometimes I strike out, but I’m always in the game. My attitude is I can do anything—of course, with a good team of people.    I believe both the SMA and engineering communities will struggle together in a very positive way to modify current quality and safety practices and adopt new ones with Commercial Crew Program partners and other aerospace ventures as space becomes more readily available to commercialization. Think of the aircraft industry in the early 1900s, and look at the thriving business models the aircraft industry has developed today. I see absolutely no reason the space industry will not follow suit and accomplish it in a shorter window of time.    Read more about Michael J. Hallock II here.