Latest QARMS News

KBR, teaming with QARMS, has won the contract for the NOAA Space Weather Follow On (SWFO) Ground Segment Antenna Network (SAN).


KBR WYLE Technical Solutions, LLC (KBR) won a $51.2 million contract from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to deploy, develop, and operate the agency’s Space Weather Follow-On (SWFO) Antenna Network. Under this contract, KBR will build and maintain an antenna network that sends and receives continuous mission data from the SWFO-Lagrange 1 (SWFO-L1) observatory and its ground segment. and network to perform telemetry, command and ranging services for the observatory’s operations..

QARMS' performance includes all support efforts necessary to design, analyze, develop, construct, fabricate, assemble, install, checkout, integrate, test, evaluate, verify, deliver, document, and maintain the SAN. This WBS also specifies the activities required to support development, verification and acceptance of the SAN by the Government and its integration into the SWFO Ground Segment.

May 13, 2021
Coronal Mass Ejection (CME)

On May 10th QARMS will present a Webinar in Support of the NASA Safety Center: "An Overview of Quality Engineering and the QE’s value during the Project Life Cycle"


QARMS, in collaboration with the NASA Safety Center (NSC) Technical Excellence Office, is proud to present a webinar by QARMS' Lead Auditor and Quality Engineer Charles B. Robinson.

This webinar is intended to provide an outline of how Quality Engineering (QE) adds value throughout the life-cycle of a project and will (a) correlate the life-cycle model with NPDs, NPRs, AS9100, and the QE Disciplines, and (b) provide a reference tool that QE’s can use during the Life Cycle of a project.

This article will be updated with the link to the presentation when it becomes available.

May 10, 2018
Charlie Robinson

QARMS Supports NASA Safety Center's Webinar: "Software Process Improvements Based on Supplier Evaluation Results"


On April 2, 2018 QARMS, in collaboration with the NASA Safety Center (NSC) proudly presented a webinar by QARMS' Senior Software Quality Engineers Dr. J.K. Crain and Melba Crain.

This presentation has valuable information for all quality assurance and software assurance professionals. It discusses the most frequently found critical areas of software process improvement opportunities based on 20 years of NASA supplier evaluation results along with suggested risk mitigations.

Proper implementation of NASA Software Standards is vital to the ultimate success of a project or program, while improper implementation or interpretation of a NASA Software Standard requirement could increase a project’s risk for mission success.

This article will be updated with the link to the presentation when it becomes available.

April 2, 2018
Melba Crain
J.K. Crain

VASTS Weeks 2 & 3 wrapped up July 28 at LaRC, with QARMS' Senior Systems Engineer Jeffrey D. Jones and Senior Quality Manager Karen L. Gentle mentoring and attending


At right: Pictures of Students and QARMS' Mentors Jeff Jones and Karen Gentle at the QARMS Table at VASTS Week 2, which was also part of the 100th Anniversary Celebration of NASA LaRC.

Shirt color code:
. Purple - Strategic Communications
. Blue - Science and Surface Operations
. Red - Mission Transit
. Light Gray - Mission Integration
. Black - Human Factors

QARMS' Senior Quality Manager Karen Gentle joined Jeff on the panelon Thursday and Friday, July 13 & 14. Jeff and Karen invited VASTS' sponsors and industry and government attendees to reach out and meet them this week.

Karen said of the program, "The VASTS experience was truly an inspiration. It was a pleasure to work with Jeff, and to meet 60 high school (rising) seniors with a passion for science and engineering. They welcomed the task of designing a mission to Mars, and we did all we could to challenge them in their thinking. At the end of the day on Thursday, the tables were turned and the students asked us questions about our careers, our challenges, and our accomplishments."
VASTS VASTS VASTS

July 8-14, 2017

VASTS

VASTS
Week 2 of VASTS

QARMS' Senior Systems Engineer Jeffrey D. Jones and Student Scholar at the VASTS program at NASA LaRC


At right: Jeff mentored 60 student scholars, including the young woman shown, at VASTS. VASTS is a seven-day residential STEM summer academy at NASA LaRC in Hampton, Va. Students design a NASA Human-rated mission to Mars under the mentorship of scientists, engineers and technologists.

Jeff Jones said, "The impact of the VASTS Academy on each student is something that continues with them throughout their educational life and into their professional careers. Tracking of VASTS alumni over the 10 year existence of the program shows that over 95 percent of Academy graduates go on to pursue careers in STEM areas."

A lighthearted overview of the students' week, created by the official VASTS photographers/videographers, can be seen on YouTube.

July 2, 2017
VASTS Jeff Jones with Student  

Meet QARMS' Senior Systems Engineer Jeffrey D. Jones at the Virginia Aerospace Science and Technology Scholars (VASTS) program at NASA Langley Research Center from June 19-23, 2017


VASTS is a seven-day residential STEM summer academy at NASA LaRC in Hampton, Va. Students design a NASA Human-rated mission to Mars under the mentorship of scientists, engineers and technologists.

Jeff will be working closely with all 60 students, the Virginia Space Grant Consortium, NASA Langley mentor personnel, and sponsors such as Sierra Lobo, ASRC, Lockheed, AMA, and the National Institute of Aerospace. Jeff will also be interacting throughout the week with Center Director, Deputy Center Director, and Associate Director, along with both State of Virginia Senators and Delegates, and US Congressional Representatives.

Jeff will also be attending the VIP luncheon, and speak at VASTS' closing ceremonies on Friday, June 23, 2017. Jeff is looking forward to meeting you at VASTS!

June 19-23, 2017
VASTS Image: Virginia Space Grant Consortium (VSGC)

Meet Quality Assurance and Risk Management Services, Inc.'s (QARMS) Senior Quality Manager, Karen Gentle, at the NASA Quality Leadership Forum (QLF) on March 15-16, 2017


NASA QLF topics include best practices, lessons learned, emerging trends, quality threats, and risk mitigation techniques of particular relevance in today’s rapidly evolving and cost-constrained environment.

QARMS has a unique practice using retired government and support contractor Subject Matter Experts to support both short- and long-term program needs for Quality Assurance, Safety, Risk Management, and multi-discipline engineering. See how QARMS is helping NASA now, as well as discuss ways QARMS can help you with the right resources to effectively keep programs on track and on budget.

The event will take place at Radisson at the Port, 8701 Astronaut Blvd, Cape Canaveral, FL 32920.

Karen looks forward to seeing you there!

March 15-16, 2017
NASA QLF Image: NASA.gov

QARMS staff attends 8th NASA Supply Chain Quality Assurance Conference at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) in Greenbelt, Maryland


QARMS Staff have participated in the NASA Supply Chain Quality Assurance conference for the past eight years. The conference has become established as a highly-rated, multidisciplinary event focused on fostering successful space missions. The conference brings together leaders and practitioners from the space industry and related suppliers, universities, NASA, and other federal agencies. On October 25-27, 2016 several of the QARMS Staff participated in the recent conference. It was again a learning experience for the QARMS Staff and provided an opportunity for valuable networking with NASA and industry professionals.

October 25-27, 2016
NASA Supply Chain QA Conference Image: GSFC.NASA.gov

Quality Assurance and Risk Management Services, Inc. (QARMS) Awarded the Honeywell Safety & Mission Assurance, Audits and Assessments (SMA3) Contract


On July 1, 2016, Honeywell Technology Solutions Inc. (HTSI formerly, now KBRwyle) in partnership with NASA awarded Quality Assurance and Risk Management Services, Inc. (QARMS) with the Safety and Mission Assurance, Audits and Assessments (SMA3) contract which extends July 2016 through June 2021. This is the third consecutive award from HTSI to QARMS.

QARMS will provide Safety & Mission Assurance, Audit and Assessment (SMA3) Services to NASA Headquarters (HQ), NASA Centers, NASA Programs/Projects, and other NASA activities through the NSC, in various disciplines such as Quality Engineering and Assurance, Software Safety and Assurance, Supplier/Supply Chain Risk Assessments, Reliability Analysis, Risk Analysis, and others.

July 2016
QA SMA3 ISSImage: NASA.gov

Quality Assurance and Risk Management Services, Inc., Completes Strategic Partnership with NASA’s Mentor-Protégé Program for Small Business


In July 2013, NASA chose Quality Assurance and Risk Management Services, Inc. (QARMS) to partner with Honeywell Technology Solutions (HTSI) in NASA’s Mentor-Protégé (MP) program for small business development. QARMS successfully completed the program April 30, 2016.

QARMS, a leader in system safety, quality, reliability engineering, and risk assessment and management in the aerospace industry, participated in NASA’s Mentor-Protégé program assisting the development of NASA’s small business supplier base.

The agreement partnered QARMS with HTSI. HTSI provided general operations and corporate infrastructure mentoring, assisting QARMS in forming improved competitive positions, increasing business opportunities, and enabling QARMS to more efficiently respond to the needs of NASA, other federal agencies, and the commercial sector by providing a cost-effective engineering consultation service to the Safety and Mission Assurance (SMA) community.

QARMS continues to support the SMA challenges facing NASA across the Agency, providing solutions and support for a diverse population of programs and projects.

Congratulations to Raytheon and General Dynamics’ joint venture being awarded the 10-year U.S. Air Force Space and Missile Systems Center's Launch and Test Range System (LTRS) Integrated Support (LISC) contract


Quality Assurance and Risk Management Services, Inc. (QARMS) is a member of the Raytheon Small Business Alliance Team and we look forward to supporting this effort at Vandenberg and Cape Canaveral.

This Range Generation Next (RGNext) team (Raytheon and General Dynamics) will deliver unparalleled mission assurance, efficiency and strong risk management expertise to support range operations today and tomorrow.

January 2015
Image: Raytheon.com

Quality Assurance and Risk Management Services, Inc. has been selected as a recipient of the fiscal year (FY) 2013 National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Small Business Industry Awards (SBIA) on behalf of NASA's Glenn Research Center as the Small Business Subcontractor of the Year!


QARMS provided Agency-wide engineering services in safety, reliability, quality, and risk management as a subcontractor to Honeywell Technology Solutions, Inc. (HTSI). We are a significant contributor to and lead several supplier assessment teams for Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) at major aerospace companies that provide NASA with mission-critical products; results included identification of risks in their design and development processes. QARMS led the reliability and safety program for the Origins Spectral Interpretation Resource Identification Security Regolith Explorer (OSIRIS-Rex) Camera Suite for GSFC, including parts-stress and worst-case analysis, failure mode and effects analysis (FMEA), and safety analysis; several design improvements resulted. QARMS was a key member of the NASA Office of Safety and Mission Assurance system safety and risk management teams, helping to advance the state-of-the-art with new decision-making concepts, frameworks, processes, standards, handbooks, and training for NASA employees across the Agency.

October 14, 2014
Bob Navarro receiving award

Meet with our Director of Risk Management Operations Peter Rutledge, Ph.D., and our Manager of Strategic and Performance Management, Julie Pollitt, at the next Association for Federal Enterprise Risk Management (AFERM) event on September 9-10, 2014


The 7th annual Federal Enterprise Risk Management Summit - Advancing Best Practices in ERM event will be held at George Mason University School of Business, Founder's Hall (Arlington Campus), 3351 Fairfax Drive, Arlington, VA. (map)

Pete and Julie look forward to meeting and seeing you there!

Meet with our Director of Risk Management Operations Peter Rutledge, Ph.D. at the Association for Federal Enterprise Risk Management (AFERM) event on Wednesday, June 25, 2014, from 12:00PM to 2:00PM (EDT). The event will be at The Hamilton, 600 14th St. NW, Washington, D.C. 20005. Pete hopes to see you there!

Charles Robinson, QARMS' Quality Engineer and Lead Auditor, receives prestigious NASA Exceptional Public Service Medal


Mr. Robinson has been recognized for his contributions by being presented the NASA Exceptional Public Service Medal for providing exceptional service to the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) Supply Chain Management (SCM) Program for over nine years. He has successfully been the Lead Assessor for over 140 supplier assessment teams evaluating critical aerospace suppliers for NASA.

A medal and certificate were presented to Charles B. Robinson by Ms. Donna F. Edwards, U.S. Representative for Maryland’s 4th Congressional District; Mr. Christopher Scolese, Director, Goddard Space Flight Center; and Mr. Patrick Scheuemann, Director, Marshall Space Flight Center. The certificate was signed by Mr. Charles F. Bolden, Jr., NASA Administrator.

July 18, 2013
Robinson NASA GSFC MedalCharlie Robinson
receiving award

Quality Assurance and Risk Management Services, Inc. Selected as Strategic Partner for NASA’s Mentor-Protégé Program for Small Business

NASA choses QARMS to partner with Honeywell Technology Solutions in NASA’s Mentor-Protégé (MP) program for small business development.


Quality Assurance and Risk Management Services, Inc. (QARMS), a leader in systems quality and reliability engineering and risk assessment and management in the aerospace industry, has been approved to participate in NASA’s Mentor-Protégé program to provide assistance developing NASA’s small business supplier base.

The 36-month agreement partners QARMS with Honeywell Technology Solutions Inc. (HTSI). Honeywell will provide general operations and corporate infrastructure mentoring to assist QARMS in forming improved competitive positions, and to increase business opportunities, helping position QARMS to more efficiently respond to the needs of NASA, other federal agencies and the commercial sector, by providing a cost-effective engineering consultation service to the Safety and Mission Assurance community. QARMS continues to support the challenges facing NASA during its transition from the Space Shuttle era to dependency on commercial space launches and operations, as well.