This NASA Technical Standard establishes the nondestructive evaluation (NDE) requirements for any NASA system or component, flight or ground, where fracture control and a quantitative demonstration of probability of detection (POD) are required. This Standard defines the primary requirements for NDE in support of NASA-STD-5019A with Changes, Fracture Control Requirements for Spaceflight Hardware. NDE applied in-process for purposes of process control and NDE of damage-tolerant composites are not addressed in this Standard.

It is the policy of NASA to produce aerospace flight systems with a high degree of reliability and safety. This is accomplished through good design, manufacturing, test, and operational practices, including the judicious choice of materials, detailed analysis, appropriate factors of safety, rigorous testing and control of hardware, and reliable inspection. NASA fracture control requirements stipulate that all human-rated aerospace flight systems be subjected to fracture control procedures to preclude catastrophic failure. Those procedures frequently rely on NDE to ensure that the potential failure initiation of relevant crack-like flaws is not present in critical areas.

Programs that are not human-rated may choose to impose these requirements on a mission or hardware to increase the robustness of a structural design or to serve as a stepping-stone for human-rating.

Distribution: Publicly Accessible

NASA Endorsed

Responsible Organization: OCE