NASA FISO Telecon Organizers Are Confused

Keith’s note: The Future In-Space Operations Working Group (FISOWG), overtly run by NASA civil servants, using NASA resources (their paid work time), discusses lots of interesting things. A lot of their stuff is vastly more interesting than the dumbed down drivel PAO often releases. But no one knows that FISO exists – except for an elite few who want to keep things secret – as stealth telecons. As such, the people (many of them NASA employees) who run FISO telecons seem to be clueless as to several important issues – where their websites point, who owns the intellectual content, and who is qualified to listen in on the presentations.
This is the latest presentation from the FISO telecon: “Environmental Control and Life Support Systems: Current Status and Future Development” by Robert Bagdigian & Robyn Carrasquillo NASA MSFC
According to FISO “The content of these FISOWG telecon presentations are considered the intellectual property of the person who gave that presentation.” I’m sorry but NASA charts, with NASA.gov on them produced by two people openly identified as NASA employees regarding topics they are paid as civil servants to produce, is in the public domain. To state otherwise is outright deception and is contrary to agency policy. The NASA presenters do not own this material. The taxpayers who paid for it are the ones who own it.
One of the goofiest things that Dan Webster and Harley Thronson at FISO have posted is this: “Presentations, papers, visualizations, and graphics produces by the FISOWG and collaborators were archived here — http://www.futureinspaceoperations.com/ , when Jack Frassanito ran the site for us. But he’s retired as of a few months ago, and he seems to have let the site go. But do go there to help with physical attractiveness! Except it’s not our advice anymore. Keith Cowing seems to like it, though …”
I have to imagine that neither Harley Thronson or Dan Lester have never actually visited this website. Why do they point to it? If you go to http://www.futureinspaceoperations.com/ it redirects to http://futureinspaceoperations.com/ which currently has a top posting “Skin Lightening Options For Those On A Budget” So, Harley and Dan: is skin lightening a FISO topic these days? I see no FISO presentations posted at this website. Are you that lazy – that you can’t fix a bad link?
Moreover they state this absurd caveat: “Note: This is NOT a public telecon. You may share this link only with qualified participants.” This is just elitist nonsense – the sort of stuff written by people who do not understand who pays the bills. When NASA employees discuss their work it should be made available to anyone who is interested in listening. Everyone is a “qualified participant”. Also, if this is not a “pubilc telecon” then why is all the dial-in info available on a publicly accessible website? The FISO policy regarding access to their telecons flies in the face of Open Data and transparency policies established by the White House for all agencies – including NASA.
– Future In-Space Operations (FISO): a working group and community engagement, Space Review
– Stealth Future In-Space Operations (FISO) Working Group Telecons, earlier post
– This Week’s Stealth Future In-Space Operations Working Group Telecons, earlier post