ABSTRACT
Safety is of paramount importance under circumstances in which the lives or health of people might be in jeopardy or expensive equipment might be in danger. The manned space program provides an example of both. Not only are the astronauts’ welfare on the line every time a mission is attempted, but so are millions of dollars worth of equipment. Many aspects of this effort are simulated over and over assuming different conditions, malfunctions, etc., so that contingency planning to protect the men and equipment can be effective. With the exception of the fire which cost the lives of one crew, the approach has been highly successful. Sensitivity studies indicate the rate at which one variable changes with the changes in a second variable. The tools of simulation range from the mental model or judgement of individual engineers to the complex mathematical models programmed for computers.
