The FINANCIAL -- The Aerospace Safety Advisory Panel, or ASAP, has released its 2011 annual report, according to NASA.

The ASAP holds quarterly fact-finding and public meetings and visits NASA facilities to directly observe the agency's operations and decision making. In this year's report, the panel highlighted issues related to costs, schedules, resources, requirements and acquisition strategies that may have an impact on safety.

"The pursuit of great reward often comes hand in hand with great risk, so it has always been with explorers," panel Chairman Joseph W. Dyer said. "So naturally, it was the panel's duty to ask, 'How safe is safe enough?' We didn't answer that question, but we did point to areas where that question may not produce the level of safety the panel expects and requires."

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