Short Takes – 4-12-23

NASA envisions international fleet of Apophis reconnaissance spacecraft. SpacePolicyOnline.com article. April 13, 2029, close (20,000 miles) approach. Pull quote: “NASA already has a spacecraft that will observe Apophis after it passes by. The OSIRIS-REx mission is on its way back to Earth right now to deliver samples it collected from the asteroid Bennu. The sample return container will separate from the main spacecraft and land in Utah on September 24, but the main spacecraft will continue on an extended mission dubbed OSIRIS-Apophis Explorer or OSIRIS-APEX. It will rendezvous with Apophis and go into orbit for 15 months then use its thrusters to dig into the surface.”

Why reporting an incident only makes the cybersecurity community stronger. CSOOnline.com article. Pull quote: “Simply put, the reporting process helps organizations defend themselves and others in their industry, says Sara Sendek, managing director for cybersecurity and data privacy communications at FTI Consulting. “It helps others know what to look for, and it would give CISA a better view of what’s happening so the government could take more offensive actions to disruptive these [hacker] gangs,” says Sendek, a member of the US Secret Service Cyber Investigations Advisory Board and a former CISA public affairs director.”

Valero Refining fined $1.2 million and ordered to improve process safety. HazardExOnTheNet.net article. Pull quote: “Under the terms of the settlement, Valero has agreed to make significant chemical safety improvements at the Benicia Refinery. The company has already made several of these changes, related to chemical safety, in response to EPA’s inspection. These improvements include updating and modifying process hazard analyses, modifying operating procedures, modifying reporting policies, and improving employee training. The settlement also requires Valero to modify several pressure-relief valves and update process hazard analyses to consider hazards of power loss at the facility.”

National Space-Based Positioning, Navigation, and Timing Advisory Board. Federal Register, NASA meeting notice. Summary: “In accordance with the Federal Advisory Committee Act, as amended, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) announces a meeting of the National Space-Based Positioning, Navigation and Timing (PNT) Advisory Board. This will be the 28th meeting of the PNT Advisory Board.” Meeting dates: May 3^rd/4^th, 2023.

Hazardous Materials: 2024 Emergency Response Guidebook (ERG2024). Federal Register PHMSA meeting notice. Summary: PHMSA's Office of Hazardous Materials Safety (OHMS) will hold a public meeting to solicit input on the development of the 2024 edition of the Emergency Response Guidebook (ERG2024). The meeting will take place virtually on Microsoft Teams on May 16, 2023.”