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Annual NASA OIG Report: Great Science – Poor Project Management
Annual NASA OIG Report: Great Science – Poor Project Management

Keith’s note: The annual NASA OIG look at issues confronting NASA is out and nothing has changed. NASA still accomplishes astonishing things yet that is challenged by the fact that NASA still cannot figure out what things cost or deliver them on time. “… Despite these important achievements, substantial cost growth and lengthy schedule delays continue to impact not only human space flight programs, like the Space Launch System and Orion Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle, but also other major science and exploratory programs, projects, and missions. In addition, the International Space Station’s planned retirement at the end of the decade poses a challenge for the Agency as it seeks to maintain an active human presence in low Earth orbit. The Agency also faces long-standing challenges managing its information technology; overseeing contracts, grants, and cooperative agreements; ensuring it attracts and retains a highly technical and diverse workforce; and managing outdated infrastructure and facilities.” Full report: OIG 2023 Report on NASA’s Top Management and Performance Challenges

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  • NASA Watch
  • November 1, 2023
More Feedback To NASA On Their Beta Website
More Feedback To NASA On Their Beta Website

Keith’s note: I got a note back from NASA PAO in response to my comments on their new beta website yesterday: “Thank you for taking the time to check out the beta site. We’ve forwarded your comments to the team members who are working in real-time to continue updating and improving the new site. We appreciate feedback, and don’t hesitate to let us know if you find other issues or questions.” I replied: “Thanks. Here’s more – Comments generated in real time – if a 67 year old guy sitting in his basement can find all these errors in a matter of minutes doing random clicking – yet your IT contractor has not even thought to do in-house beta testing FIRST before inviting millions of people to weigh in – then you have a problematic website contractor. Just sayin'” [my detailed additional comments below.]

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  • NASA Watch
  • August 3, 2023
NASA Asked Me To Review Their New Website
NASA Asked Me To Review Their New Website

Keith’s note: I just got this from NASA PAO: “Wanted to see if you had time to connect with a NASA expert on the agency’s new beta website, on-demand streaming platform, and app update. For context, here is our latest news release detailing the digital transformation. … We would love to arrange backgrounder interviews on any or all of NASA’s new platforms so you can learn more about our digital transformation and use them as a source for any of your reporting going forward.” Below is my quick drive-by review of the beta site that I sent to the folks at NASA PAO including Marc Etkind and Johnny Stephenson. Let’s just say it has a few things to fix …

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  • NASA Watch
  • August 2, 2023
NASA Can’t Answer Simple UAP Questions
NASA Can’t Answer Simple UAP Questions

Keith’s note: Today at the NASA UAP media briefing I asked Dr. Dan Evans from NASA “My question with regard to the whole transparency issue: why is it that the NASA Astrobiology website, the NASA citizen science, the NASA education website etc. make no mention of this FACA committee or this FACA meeting today – or the topic under discussion in general? How can NASA address this issue with a straight face without at least acknowledging this great public interest in the topic of life in the universe and do so in the very program – Astrobiology – where these topics are actually being investigated?” I did not get an answer. Instead I got a government spokesperson wandering around using lots of words and talking points – but never actually answering a simple question – why doesn’t NASA mention this topic on the obvious websites that the agency has in place to deal with the specific topics raised repeatedly in this FACA committee’s meeting – and elsewhere? Everyone kept asking about the whole “UAP” acronym. Well, I guess NASA = Never A Straight Answer (audio) Update: I spoke with BBC 5 Live about this event and how NASA never seems to be able to have a conversation with the rest of society – who share a great interest in the idea of life elsewhere in the universe. Instead, NASA transmits talking points and never stop to listen to what real people have to say. There is intelligent life outside of your office cubicle, NASA. FYI. (Audio)

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  • NASA Watch
  • May 31, 2023
NASA Wants You To Pay To Read Research That You Already Paid For
NASA Wants You To Pay To Read Research That You Already Paid For

Keith’s 8 March update: NASA PAO has contacted me to tell me that they have corrected this issue. Keith’s original note: NASA issued a press release on 1 March 2023 about newly published results from the DART mission. In that release they link to four papers in Nature magazine about DART mission results. Except when you go to the links that NASA posted you quickly find out that you can only read the abstracts of these papers – not the full paper that is behind Nature’s paywall (see the screen grab from Nature). You have to pay money out of your own pocket to read each of the papers. That’s odd. Repeated calls from the OSTPs in both the Obama and Biden Administrations were made to make access to government-funded research open and transparent for all taxpayers as soon as possible (see “OSTP Issues Guidance to Make Federally Funded Research Freely Available Without Delay” from 25 August 2022). More below.

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  • NASA Watch
  • March 5, 2023
NASA IT Is Still Very Vulnerable To Hacking
NASA IT Is Still Very Vulnerable To Hacking

NASA OIG: NASA’s Insider Threat Program “While NASA has a fully operational insider threat program for its classified systems, the vast majority of the Agencys information technology (IT) systems including many containing high-value assets or critical infrastructure are unclassified and are therefore not covered by its current insider threat program. Consequently, the Agency may be facing a higher-than-necessary risk to its unclassified systems and data. … Further amplifying the complexities […]

  • NASA Watch
  • March 14, 2022
This Is How NASA Hides Its Good News

This slide has a summary of @NASA International Space Apps Challenge @SpaceApps Yet despite repeated requests over the years to #NASA PAO & SMD for a report on this amazing activity no one has ever provided that info. NASA hides its good news @Dr_ThomasZ @KarenStG @pinballme pic.twitter.com/Vo0f5x1GUv — NASA Watch (@NASAWatch) October 18, 2021

  • NASA Watch
  • October 18, 2021
NASA Tries To Fix A Webpage By Breaking It
NASA Tries To Fix A Webpage By Breaking It

Keith’s note: Another week – and another link check update for the NASA Office of International and Interagency Relations (OIIR) website and its chronic inability to do some basic HTML updates. It looks like someone tried to fix the “Helpful Links” page by deleting links and breaking other links. For starters, they do not seem to know where these links are: Executive Order for the National Space Council (here it […]

  • NASA Watch
  • August 18, 2021
NASA's  Websites Need Some Attention
NASA's Websites Need Some Attention

Keith’s note: Last night I did a Google search for “nasa space station images”. The second search result was this NASA webpage: “International Space Station Multimedia” which was last updated on 23 February 2021. If you click on the images you get “404” i.e. “not found” errors. The “future missions” that are listed happened years ago. Update: NASA saw our post and fixed the link so that it redirects here […]

  • NASA Watch
  • August 16, 2021
NASA Ignores Its Own Social Media Policy But Who Cares, Right?

Pro tip: you can tell who NASA Deputy Administrator Pam Melroy's favorite astronauts, reporters, lobbyists, and companies are by who she follows from her official @NASA Twitter account at @Astro_Pam – in violation of #NASA's own social media policy, BTW. pic.twitter.com/dF1lwNfsb0 — NASA Watch (@NASAWatch) July 13, 2021 Keith’s note: Below is the official NASA Social Media policy sent to me by NASA PAO last week. PAO has known for […]

  • NASA Watch
  • July 13, 2021
NASA Technology Ignores Its Cool Stuff But Follows Lady Gaga On Twitter

Keith’s update: It took them a while but @NASA_Technology tweeted a link – a day after the procurement notice was issued. But there is still no mention of this NIAC opportunity on the NASA Technology Directorate or NIAC websites. #NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts just announced Phase I proposals https://t.co/MZyHEKPzJs But #NIAC has no official Twitter. @nasaiac is unofficial & out of date. @NASA_Technology does not even mention this announcement. NIAC […]

  • NASA Watch
  • June 3, 2021
NASA OIG: CIO Cybersecurity Efforts Are Still Screwed Up
NASA OIG: CIO Cybersecurity Efforts Are Still Screwed Up

NASA OIG: NASA’s Cybersecurity Readiness, NASA OIG “The Chief Information Officer (CIO) has struggled to implement an effective IT governance structure that aligns authority and responsibility with the Agency’s overall mission. … In FY 2020, the OCIO spent $278 million on IT, $74 million of which was budgeted for institutional cybersecurity. Separate from the OCIO, mission offices in FY 2020 invested $169 million on missionbased cyber management at locations around […]

  • NASA Watch
  • May 18, 2021
Searching NASA.gov For The Oval Office Moon Rock
Searching NASA.gov For The Oval Office Moon Rock

Keith’s note: If you have been watching the space-themed photo ops fro the Oval office you have no doubt seen the Moon rock that President Biden likes to point at on the shelf. NASA can’t get enough of that Moon rock love either. Bill Nelson was sworn in next to it. Imagine what your average citizen might do to find out more about that Moon rock after seeing something on […]

  • NASA Watch
  • May 17, 2021
More Broken Things on CIO's New DATA.NASA.GOV Website
More Broken Things on CIO's New DATA.NASA.GOV Website

Keith’s note: Earlier today I posted NASA CIO’s Open Data Thing Is Still Screwed Up. I went back to to the CIO’s data.nasa.gov page to see if their data collection is accessible to the public. I went to the “Technical Report Server” pull down menu and clicked on “Public Search” which sent me to NTRS – NASA Technical Reports Server. I searched for “astrobiology” and the top search result is […]

  • NASA Watch
  • May 10, 2021
NASA Ignores Science Websites – Loves Rocket City Trash Pandas
NASA Ignores Science Websites – Loves Rocket City Trash Pandas

Keith’s note: NASA PAO and SMD have repeatedly told me that the NASA Astrobiology program’s Twitter account @NASAAstrobio and its official website would be unable to link to or follow my twitter account @Astrobiology (with nearly 22,000 followers) or its companion website Astrobiology.com which ranks in the 3rd – 4th search results for “astrobiology” on Google, Yahoo etc. – globally – and has for decades (since 1996 to be exact). […]

  • NASA Watch
  • May 10, 2021
NASA CIO's Open Data Thing Is Still Screwed Up
NASA CIO's Open Data Thing Is Still Screwed Up

Keith’s note: In my 27 March 2021 posting about yet another mess at the Chief Information Office “The NASA CIO OpenNASA Website Has Expired – Further” (updated on 19 April 2021) I documented how out of date the NASA CIO’s website on open data was. This is what it looked like on 23 April 2021 – showing an update of 2 April 2021 and a responsible official who left NASA […]

  • NASA Watch
  • May 10, 2021
NASA SMD Decides To Totally Reboot Its Internet Presence
NASA SMD Decides To Totally Reboot Its Internet Presence

Modernizing Science Websites, Thomas Zurbuchen “More so than ever, our Science Mission Directorate (SMD) websites are the front-door to our worldwide community of enthusiasts and learners. Upon an in-depth analysis of our web presence, I believe it is time for us to elevate the way we communicate and enhance the breadth of our audiences using a focused approach on great content, and best-in-class optimization techniques. As will all of our […]

  • NASA Watch
  • May 7, 2021
The NASA CIO OpenNASA Website Has Expired – Further
The NASA CIO OpenNASA Website Has Expired – Further

The NASA CIO OpenNASA Website Has Expired Keith’s update: It has been 3 weeks since this post and not much has changed – except that the page was supposedly updated on 2 April 2021 (but shows a responsible NASA official who retired several years ago). And if you go to the Datanauts link you get a broken link error “Not Found The requested URL /explore/datanauts/ was not found on this […]

  • NASA Watch
  • April 19, 2021
NASA's Education Efforts Can't Seem To Find One Another Easily
NASA's Education Efforts Can't Seem To Find One Another Easily

Keith’s note: By now you must be bored with my daily critique of how NASA organizes and presents itself to the public, policy makers, news media, and the rest of the world – especially when it comes to education. (see Fixing Education And Outreach At NASA. Part 1: STEM Engagement Office) To virtually everyone, everywhere, NASA.gov online resources are how people learn what NASA does – and where they go […]

  • NASA Watch
  • March 30, 2021