The United States Aviation Industry and Space Missions

The United States aviation industry and Space missions
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Contents TOC \o "1-3" \h \z \u The United States aviation industry and Space missions PAGEREF _Toc79701850 \h 3Abstract PAGEREF _Toc79701851 \h 3A discussion of the United States Aviation and Airport Security Program PAGEREF _Toc79701852 \h 4A discussion of the importance of the United States Aviation Safety Programs PAGEREF _Toc79701853 \h 8A discussion of the need for Emergency Preparedness and Response in the Aviation Industry PAGEREF _Toc79701854 \h 12A discussion of the History of Space Exploration and Present-Day Commercial Space Operations PAGEREF _Toc79701855 \h 16A discussion of the evolution of Air Cargo Operations PAGEREF _Toc79701856 \h 20References PAGEREF _Toc79701857 \h 24
The United States aviation industry and Space missions
Abstract
The Anti-Hijacking program is the United States aviation and airport security program. The US established the program following rampant hijackings in the 1970s. The hijacking of a flight in Scotland also contributed to the establishment of the program. The United States aviation safety programs, including safety management systems, compliance philosophy, voluntary reporting, the commercial aviation safety team, and aviation safety information analysis and sharing, are vital because they enhance and ensure safety at the airports and aboard flights. Emergency preparedness and response in the aviation industry is essential because it provides clear guidelines on actions necessary when an accident occurs to mitigate risk, salvage property, and save lives. The history of space exploration and present-day commercial space operations dates back to the 1930s when Nazi Germany started making missiles (Lombardo, 2019). The Germans used the missiles against London during World War 2 hence triggering the manufacture of missiles by the Soviet Union and the United States after the end of World War 2. President Bush started the evolution of air cargo operations to stop space shuttle missions upon completing the international space station in space. The cargo spacecraft dubbed Cargo Dragon replaced the space shuttles.         
A discussion of the United States Aviation and Airport Security Program
The major United States Aviation and Airport Security Program is the Anti-Hijacking Program of the Federal Aviation Administration. The US developed the program in response to the prevalence of hijackings in the past. Similarly, the infamous Airlines Flight 103 attack over Lockerbie also informed the development of the program to enhance aviation security improvement (Young & Wells, 2019). The program. The Program implementation required all the air carriers to adopt surveillance equipment and techniques in all the US airports. In a similar breath, operationalizing the program required collaboration with the US military to ensure metal detectors and x-ray devices are used to curb rampant hijackings (Federation Aviation Administration, 2021). The military metal-detectors and x-ray devices were considered appropriate because of their high performance and accuracy.
The Federal Aviation Administration was responsible for implementing the initiative, and it ordered all the US air carriers to adopt screening systems for all passengers. The Federal Aviation Administration specified all screening methods, including behavioral profile, magnetometer, and identification check for screening the passengers. Also, a physical search is an acceptable Federal Aviation Administration screening system. Additionally, the Anti-Hijacking Program implementation required screening all the carry-on baggage that all the certified passenger aircraft carried. The Anti-Hijacking program detects and identifies weapons of mass destruction that the passengers could carry (Young & Wells, 2019). The weapons that terrorist passengers could carry include explosives, incendiary and rifles hence pose a danger to the other passengers aboard. The Administration improved the program because it incorporated training procedures into implementing the Anti-Hijacking Program. Additionally, there is an emphasis on adherence to the x-ray and metal detector standards for the accurate and effective working of the equipment.
Access control specifications, deployment standards, and testing requirements ensure the suitability and efficiency of the screening systems used in the airports after and before an aircraft are airborne. The robust US civil aviation security system that is a culmination of treaties, regulations, and statutes in response to hijackings enhances the Anti-Hijacking program. Passenger screening focuses on implementing the program, and half a million commercial aviation passengers are screened daily for metallic weapons in all certified US airports (Federation Aviation Administration, 2021). Such a high number of screenings reflects the program's success to curtail hijackings and other security lapses. The screening process is elaborate because the passengers place their luggage on a conveyor belt to be inspected by the x-ray equipment as they walk through a booth that detects the presence of metallic items. The portal raises the alarm if a passenger is carrying a metallic item, prompting the security officials to find out the metallic item that prompted the alarm.
The alarm-clearing procedures are reliable and can be adopted using a hand-held metal detector or a physical pat-down search. The searches are predictable because the passengers are often made aware of the procedures in advance; hence cooperation is guaranteed. The technology behind the metal detection is superb, and it is often accurate; hence hijackings have been substantially reduced. The air passengers' familiarity with the screening procedures makes them tolerate the invasive and intrusive security searches despite the discomfort that such screening could cause some passengers, especially females (Young & Wells, 2019). One of the issues that require attention is that the screening technologies do not detect nonmetallic weapons and plastic explosives. For this reason, there is a need for the Federal Aviation Administration to devise novel ways of detecting even nonmetallic weapons to guarantee the safety of the passengers. The other challenge when adopting sophisticated screening technology is privacy, travel discomfort, and radiation exposure.
Radiation exposure could potentially cause cancer for the passengers; hence the suitability of the technologically sophisticated screening system must be ascertained. There is a need to adopt systems that could not pose a danger to the passengers, hence become counterproductive in protecting them. The other concern of the risky screening systems is the anticipated health and privacy regulations. Minimizing health risks is the focus of the Federal Aviation Administration to ensure acceptance of the measures by the passengers, who are the major stakeholders in the aviation industry (In Szyliowicz & In Zamparini, 2018). Therefore, the successful implementation of the Anti-Hijacking program is possible by providing alternative screening methods for passengers with reservations with the automated system. Additionally, the implementation of the Anti-hijacking program is through adopting appropriate alarm clearing systems and equipment.
The operation of the passenger screening systems is equally essential in successfully implementing the program. A failure in the operation of the screening systems could pose a danger to the passengers because false alarm alerts could go off, causing panic among passengers. The Federal Aviation Administration liaises with the criminal investigation agency to obtain necessary intelligence information to determine the level of vulnerability to criminal threats. The security apparatus operates at a low alert level in detecting weapons and explosives on air passengers. Low alert levels often indicate that the likelihood of attempted hijacking or even bombing is minimal (Young & Wells, 2019). When certain hijacking or terrorist targets have been identified, the Federal Aviation Administration activates the high alert level to warn all the air carriers and airport operators of such imminent threat to aviation security. The alert system also warns the relevant persons of the location of the threat to be able to vacate such zones for their safety and ease of mitigation measures to be undertaken. The Anti-hijacking program requires the security teams at the airport to institute more elaborate measures to boost the ability to identify weapons.
Rapidly changing situations require unprecedented measures, which could annoy and surprise the passengers. Urgent responses to an imminent threat require swift action because of limited time for warning. The urgent measures that the aviation authority can undertake without necessarily warning the passengers are thorough screening, passenger questioning, and identity verification (In Szyliowicz & In Zamparini, 2018). The tolerance of passengers is required in such situations because the security officers act for their safety. The Federal Aviation Administration often requires passengers to cooperate with security officers. The dilemma in implementing the Anti-Hijacking program is striking a balance between suitability and effectiveness of the security equipment and systems. Screening systems are suitable when they do not cause discomfort to the passengers and the passengers' acceptance. The screening systems' effectiveness is concerns the capability of the systems to achieve the objective of preventing security lapses in the airport. The dilemma occurs when the systems subject the passengers to violation of privacy and exposure to fatal radiation.  
A discussion of the importance of the United States Aviation Safety Programs
The United States' Aviation safety programs are essential because they help detect, mitigate, and prevent terrorist attacks and hijackings. The safety programs reduce the incidence of security lapses because the system monitors the trends and utilizes intelligence information from the government to foil any planned attack on airports and aircraft. For instance, the safety programs successfully contributed to a record 83% reduction in fatality risk between 1998 and 2008. The aviation industry focuses on reducing the commercial fatality risk by 50% by 2025 with the Federal government's help (In Friend, 2020). The collaborative partnership between the Federal government and the aviation industry is imperative in managing security risks in airports. Security intelligence is crucial because it concerns the passengers' background check information; hence rogue passengers could be intercepted even before boarding an aircraft. One of the aviation safety programs is the safety management systems.
The program is an organization-wide technique for managing safety risks in airports. Also, the program enhances the safety risk control effectiveness besides creating business processes and tools for examining data obtained from daily operations (In Friend, 2020). The tools are also valuable for isolating trends that could orchestrate accidents and ensure necessary mitigation measures. The tool also helps in testing the effectiveness of the program. Therefore, the safety management systems program is vital in addressing security risks in aviation. Besides promoting a safety culture, the program prioritizes compliance to the technical standards in all aviation procedures and operations. The primary safety management systems include safety policy, safety assurance, safety risk management, and safety promotion (In Friend, 2020). The Federal Aviation Administration helps in ensuring the implementation of the program.
The Federal Aviation Administration requires all airlines to presents modalities of complying with the program requisites. The program is implemented alongside the usual regulator activities like oversight, audit, and inspection of the airlines to ensure safety measures are operational. The program is essential to public safety, and compliance philosophy enhances the collaboration and coordination between the aviation industry and the Federal government in addressing aviation risk. The Federal Aviation Administration does not provide room for deliberate, reckless behavior and repeat failures of airlines that put the lives of Americans at stake. Also, the agency abhors falsification and deviation from pre-set standards of operation in the aviation industry hence fostering the compliance culture in the aviation industry (In Szyliowicz & In Zamparini, 2018). The compliance philosophy is an initiative that many aviation operators voluntarily use to avoid accidents and security lapses. Compliance philosophy enhances a compliance culture among the operators.
Most aviation players comply with aviation rules voluntarily; hence they can identify hazards and available mitigation measures. Therefore, goodwill on the part of aviation stakeholders promotes risk management and prevention of aviation incidents and accidents. Also, the compliance philosophy underscores the realization of corporate responsibility in averting aviation risks. Civil aviation fatality risks will decline when all parties comply with aviation rules and regulations, identify hazards, and effective mitigation measures. Adopting the compliance philosophy in aviation safety action plans provides an opportunity for aviation players to practice critical thinking skills (International, 2007). The application of rules and regulations is challenging given the dynamism in the aviation industry; hence the innovativeness and creativity of the airlines determine success in being compliant. The commercial safety team managed to reduce the civil fatality risk using the compliance philosophy substantially.
The other crucial aviation safety program is the voluntary reporting program. The program entails the paradigm shift from a reactive to a proactive approach in ensuring stemming insecurity at airports and aboard flights. In this case, there is actual flight data, airline employee confessions, and data from other government quarters in initiating preventive measures against security threats (In Szyliowicz & In Zamparini, 2018). The focus on voluntary reporting programs is a milestone for the aviation industry. The program has enhanced improvements in aviation operations because such voluntary reports reflect observations of the implementation of the safety measures. The reduction in civil fatality risk is associated with such reports. Improvements reflect the reports, which serve as feedback on the implemented safety measures. The commercial aviation safety team is a team that enhances safer to reduce fatality risk in airports and flights.
The commercial aviation safety team is pivotal in identifying and detecting safety lapses, and the team operates subject to aviation regulations. The program mandates the commercial aviation safety team and the general aviation joint steering committee in monitoring risks and evaluating deployed mitigations' effectiveness. There is a growing focus on examining past accidental data to adopt a proactive rather than a reactive approach to forestall aviation incidents and accidents. Predictive safety analysis is the next frontier for the US aviation industry. The other program is aviation safety information analysis and sharing. The detection of risk and instituting mitigation measures before accidents occur reduces casualties and the magnitude of damage of such accidents (In Friend, 2020). Some of the voluntary programs vital in aviation risk management include aviation safety action programs, flight operational quality assurance programs, and air traffic safety programs. The program necessitates sharing of data between the Federal government and the aviation industry to address aviation risks.
The program also helps in detecting emerging risks hence keeping passengers safe. The program involves many parties, including one hundred-and-twenty-one air carriers, twenty business operators, two manufacturers, and two maintenance repair and overhaul organizations (In Friend, 2020). Therefore, the information analysis and sharing program is a robust program that can effectively manage risks associated with aviation. The program has ensured that the Federal Aviation Administration and the aviation industry can obtain intelligence data from almost all air carrier commercial operations voluntarily. Cooperation in seeking data on aviation risks manifests cooperation can manage risks associated with aviation effectively program. The evaluation of the mitigation measures' effectiveness underscores the program's success. The program has provided the civil aviation safety team with metrics to measure the effectiveness of its activities. Similarly, the program helps the general aviation joint steering committee identify risks and evaluate the effectiveness of mitigation measures to the risks. The program's partnering with the industry-sponsored aviation safety infoshare meeting results in a data-based approach to identifying emerging systemic safety concerns in the national airspace system.                        
A discussion of the need for Emergency Preparedness and Response in the Aviation Industry
Emergency preparedness and response in the aviation industry is vital because it provides guidelines on the appropriate actions during an emergency in case of airport or airlines flight navigation accidents and incidents. Emergencies often instill fear and confusion, but when there are emergency preparedness and response plans, such panic does not occur, and the aviation response team takes appropriate actions. Emergency preparedness mitigates losses, salvages property, and saves lives. The actions of the aviation emergency teams in the first few minutes of an airport or flight mishap accident determine the level of success in containing the accident and reducing damage and lives lost for such an accident (In Nable & In Brady, 2018). The ability of the emergency team to swiftly respond to an emergency shows the effectiveness of the aviation industry in planning for contingencies hence makes the aviation industry players know that they are in control. Such a feeling of control of affairs motivates the stakeholders to improve the preparedness and response of the emergency teams whenever an emergency occurs.
The level of uncertainty associated with accidents and emergencies reduce. Additionally, even the entire aviation fraternity is always at ease because it communicates the emergency planning, preparedness, and response measures to the passengers, the security teams, and the airline operators. The devastation and losses that could arise from panic upon an emergency reduce. Such a high level of awareness among all stakeholders in the aviation industry concerning the necessary responses to an aviation accident promotes aviation safety. The timely emergency and response win the appeal of the current and potential customers for the aviation in...