There are rules for NASA releasing images of astronauts-particularly those engaged in medical tests and activities. The rules got more stringent back around 1999, sometime after Glenn’s flight and around the time that ISS mission ops began. This happened for a couple of reasons. Imagery switched to virtually all down-linked digital imagery. Prior to this, most images were returned by film and a diligent crew and PAO review and release process very selectively chose the imagery to be released; and also because of the inadvertent release of some ‘sensitive’ images.
Now, management and the astronaut have to sign off before crew medical and physical activity images are released. With the astronaut in orbit, there is not an easy and quick review and approval process established.
In the case of the Kelly one-year mission, which is the central theme of ISS activities this year, prior to the flight NASA public affairs together with the medical, science, and ISS communications offices all apparently forgot to work out a plan and strategy for taking and releasing images of the astronaut engaged in medical activities during this mission. This might have happened because of a couple reasons-not terribly well coordinated ISS/mission oriented communications in general, and also because just about a year ago, NASA laid off virtually the entire group of people responsible for mission imagery archiving and release.
The lack of a process for the current mission was realized shortly after the mission began, but weak communications coordination has apparently resulted in few if any changes.
So, maybe it is not too surprising that there have been surprisingly few mission pertinent images released of Kelly during the one year mission.
Except those “rules” about NASA astronauts are complete bullsh*t and NASA HQ has told me so. Astronauts enjoy no special status when compared to any other NASA employee- period. In any case the astronaut can make the final decision and in this specific instance they violated their own “rules”. Oh yes why is it that an astronaut can’t allow a picture of himself giving himself an injection released when two other astronauts can? Your recollection is simply inaccurate. JSC just makes this silly stuff as they go. JSC PAO people once told me that I could not take a picture of an astronaut at Desert RATS without getting JSC clearance first yet a hundred visitors that day were simultaneously taking pictures for their blogs – AND several local TV crews showed up at the last minute and were sending out live TV of astronauts – without any advanced JSC approval of their imagery. Did all of the TV networks, wire photo agencies, internet reporters, and spectators get advanced approval from NAS AJSC to take pictures of those astronauts in the Desert RATS rover at the inaugural parade? If we are to believe JSC’s “rules” then they all needed prior OK. The NASA JSC folks laid off last year (a very stupid decision BTW) had nothing to do with this.
I was only referring to images of on-orbit medical operations. You’ve gone off on a tangent that has little to do with my comment or the images with which you started this blog post. I’ve personally been the negotiator between the program management and the astronauts (and cosmonauts) pictured in the medical testing images. My recollections are not inaccurate at all.
This does not seem to address Clay’s concerns because HE wanted the photo released. I have spoken with astronauts who have flown much more recently and the stories they tell about JSC saying “NO” to images that the astronauts wanted to see published clearly demonstrate that JSC just makes this stuff up as they go.
There are rules for NASA releasing images of astronauts-particularly those engaged in medical tests and activities. The rules got more stringent back around 1999, sometime after Glenn’s flight and around the time that ISS mission ops began. This happened for a couple of reasons. Imagery switched to virtually all down-linked digital imagery. Prior to this, most images were returned by film and a diligent crew and PAO review and release process very selectively chose the imagery to be released; and also because of the inadvertent release of some ‘sensitive’ images.
Now, management and the astronaut have to sign off before crew medical and physical activity images are released. With the astronaut in orbit, there is not an easy and quick review and approval process established.
In the case of the Kelly one-year mission, which is the central theme of ISS activities this year, prior to the flight NASA public affairs together with the medical, science, and ISS communications offices all apparently forgot to work out a plan and strategy for taking and releasing images of the astronaut engaged in medical activities during this mission. This might have happened because of a couple reasons-not terribly well coordinated ISS/mission oriented communications in general, and also because just about a year ago, NASA laid off virtually the entire group of people responsible for mission imagery archiving and release.
The lack of a process for the current mission was realized shortly after the mission began, but weak communications coordination has apparently resulted in few if any changes.
So, maybe it is not too surprising that there have been surprisingly few mission pertinent images released of Kelly during the one year mission.
Except those “rules” about NASA astronauts are complete bullsh*t and NASA HQ has told me so. Astronauts enjoy no special status when compared to any other NASA employee- period. In any case the astronaut can make the final decision and in this specific instance they violated their own “rules”. Oh yes why is it that an astronaut can’t allow a picture of himself giving himself an injection released when two other astronauts can? Your recollection is simply inaccurate. JSC just makes this silly stuff as they go. JSC PAO people once told me that I could not take a picture of an astronaut at Desert RATS without getting JSC clearance first yet a hundred visitors that day were simultaneously taking pictures for their blogs – AND several local TV crews showed up at the last minute and were sending out live TV of astronauts – without any advanced JSC approval of their imagery. Did all of the TV networks, wire photo agencies, internet reporters, and spectators get advanced approval from NAS AJSC to take pictures of those astronauts in the Desert RATS rover at the inaugural parade? If we are to believe JSC’s “rules” then they all needed prior OK. The NASA JSC folks laid off last year (a very stupid decision BTW) had nothing to do with this.
I was only referring to images of on-orbit medical operations. You’ve gone off on a tangent that has little to do with my comment or the images with which you started this blog post. I’ve personally been the negotiator between the program management and the astronauts (and cosmonauts) pictured in the medical testing images. My recollections are not inaccurate at all.
This does not seem to address Clay’s concerns because HE wanted the photo released. I have spoken with astronauts who have flown much more recently and the stories they tell about JSC saying “NO” to images that the astronauts wanted to see published clearly demonstrate that JSC just makes this stuff up as they go.