Risk Management. Managing Risks on a Spacewalk

Imagine: you are in a spacesuit weighing more than a hundred kilograms, endless space all around you, and the only thing connecting you to the spacecraft is a safety tether. Because of the specific environment (vacuum) and the design of the spacesuit, every movement follows its own mechanics and takes considerable physical effort. Every operation has to be precise, and there is no time for long deliberation.

Four times I have had the chance to go out on a spacewalk. Twice we set a record for spacewalk duration in Russian spacesuits: the first—7 hours 29 minutes—was a record at the time, the second—8 hours 12 minutes—is still the standing record. Every spacewalk is preceded by serious preparation and rehearsal of possible scenarios, both on Earth and in flight. And still, every time space brings surprises that have to be handled here and now, relying on yourself, your partner, and the voice of the specialist from Mission Control in your headset.

What does success depend on under heightened risk? What part do forecasting and modeling situations play? How do you build a system for preventing fatal risks, and why does good communication within the team become the decisive factor in safety? I would be glad to share the principles of working under extreme risk.

Storytelling. The lecture is built on the following pattern: stating the problem—a story from Alexander’s own professional experience or that of his colleagues—analysis of the situation—conclusions. The lecture is accompanied by a PowerPoint presentation with integrated photo and video material and by an ongoing dialogue with the audience.

The lecture “Risk Management. Managing Risks on a Spacewalk” will be of interest to:

1. leaders responsible for the safety of processes;
2. risk management specialists;
3. managers of complex technical projects;
4. heads of production units;
5. quality control specialists;
6. professionals whose work carries a very high price for a mistake.

1. Risk calls not for avoidance but for competent management.
2. Safety is created before an operation begins.
3. Good communication is the key factor in managing risk.
4. A team is stronger than any safety system.

INTRODUCTION (for in-person events): to create a sense of what human spaceflight is like, an eight-minute video about Alexander’s spaceflights will be shown, accompanied by his own voice commentary.

THE PRICE OF RISK IN SPACE:

1. the story of the first spacewalk: Alexei Leonov;
2. the price of a small thing: a toggle latch Alexander had turned over in his hands three hundred times jammed in the airlock—two crew members outside, the whole station had spent two weeks preparing for the spacewalk, and there will be no second attempt:
3. the causes (no opportunity to practice the critical stages of the work hands-on);
4. the factors behind a successful spacewalk (thorough preparation, a high level of motivation, and the ability to take responsibility);
5. the balance between the need to take risks and the need to ensure safety (growth and development require solving difficult tasks, and that means accepting risk);

THE RISK MANAGEMENT SYSTEM ON A SPACEWALK:

1. forecasting, modeling, practicing skills (the questions to specialists before the fourth spacewalk: “He must have been really worried”);
2. technical means of ensuring safety and redundancy;
3. protocols for acting in critical situations;
4. criteria for making decisions at different levels of risk.

THE HUMAN FACTOR IN RISK MANAGEMENT:

1. building effective communication in critical conditions (Sergei Korolev’s parting words to Leonov, Alexander’s analysis of his own spacewalks);
2. the role of the team in ensuring safety (working with the crew commander while preparing for a spacewalk, and the water-in-the-helmet emergency with Luca Parmitano in 2013);
3. building stress resilience by making tasks harder (from Alexander’s own training);
4. the importance of motivation in managing risk (from Alexander’s own spacewalks and from an episode in the career of Ludmilla Tourischeva, four-time Olympic champion in artistic gymnastics);
5. working with an emotional anchor—Alexander’s own solution for attaching emotion to operations of special importance.

1. become familiar with space approaches to managing risk;
2. learn the principles behind building effective safety systems;
3. gain a fresh perspective on the role of teamwork in managing risk;
4. hear real stories of preventing critical situations in space.

45–60 minutes, including Q&A.