NTRS offline due to politics

On NASA Watch:

Keith's note: I asked LaRC PAO the following questions:

"- Was this shutdown in response to a request from Rep.
Wolf? If not, then who requested the shutdown of this
website?
- Was there any technical material posted on the NTRS
website that violated ITAR regulations or any other
NASA/government security requirements?"

LaRC declined to answer these specific questions and
would only say "As you know, the NTRS system is
unavailable for public access. NASA is reviewing the
sites content to make sure it's consistent with the
U.S. export control laws, regulations and review
processes that are in place."

This is security theater, pure and simple. Senseless government waste
to re-review articles which are already in the public domain, many of
them for decades. One of NASA's missions is to perform pure research
and publish those results for the benefit of US taxpayers (e.g. the US
aerospace industry). It's unclear at this time what will be on NTRS
when it comes back online.

The bigger issue is the access that some foreign nationals have to
*internal* NASA documents because they have access to the agencies
facilities. According to Bolden, this includes 192 Chinese nationals.

Jeff
--
"the perennial claim that hypersonic airbreathing propulsion would
magically make space launch cheaper is nonsense -- LOX is much cheaper
than advanced airbreathing engines, and so are the tanks to put it in
and the extra thrust to carry it." - Henry Spencer

This is the aerospace equivalent to a Google shutdown.

I like what I read here today over at fas.org:

http://www.fas.org/blog/secrecy/2013/03/ntrs_dark.html

Dave

In article , nospam@
127.0.0.1 says...

This is the aerospace equivalent to a Google shutdown.

I like what I read here today over at fas.org:

http://www.fas.org/blog/secrecy/2013/03/ntrs_dark.html

Nicely written article.

When I saw the original article on NASA Watch, I thought this news
should be widely publicized, so I sent NASA Spaceflight (.com) an email
that they should do an article on this. I was told in no uncertain
terms that they would not because they don't cover that sort of news. I
found that response quite odd, to say the least. If this "crackdown" is
successful, who's website will be the next to fall?

Jeff
--
"the perennial claim that hypersonic airbreathing propulsion would
magically make space launch cheaper is nonsense -- LOX is much cheaper
than advanced airbreathing engines, and so are the tanks to put it in
and the extra thrust to carry it." - Henry Spencer

On Thu, 21 Mar 2013 12:58:58 -0400, Jeff Findley
wrote:

In article , nospam@
127.0.0.1 says...

This is the aerospace equivalent to a Google shutdown.

I like what I read here today over at fas.org:

http://www.fas.org/blog/secrecy/2013/03/ntrs_dark.html

Nicely written article.

When I saw the original article on NASA Watch, I thought this news
should be widely publicized, so I sent NASA Spaceflight (.com) an email
that they should do an article on this. I was told in no uncertain
terms that they would not because they don't cover that sort of news. I
found that response quite odd, to say the least. If this "crackdown" is
successful, who's website will be the next to fall?

You do realize NTRS is only a subset of the NASA Aeronautics and Space
Database which is available to Federal employees and contractors in
the meantime?

On 3/21/2013 12:58 PM, Jeff Findley wrote:
When I saw the original article on NASA Watch, I thought this news
should be widely publicized, so I sent NASA Spaceflight (.com) an email
that they should do an article on this. I was told in no uncertain
terms that they would not because they don't cover that sort of news.

So I guess they just don't care that 6 pages worth of articles and forum
entries that link to NTRS off their website don't work anymore.

(I know I just did the search).

But hey, when have minor technical details like this ever been news?

Dave

You do realize NTRS is only a subset of the NASA Aeronautics and Space
Database which is available to Federal employees and contractors in
the meantime?


Since I am neither, what is your point?

Dave

On Thu, 21 Mar 2013 15:18:39 -0400, David Spain
wrote:

So I guess they just don't care that 6 pages worth of articles and forum
entries that link to NTRS off their website don't work anymore.


So in reality all you truly care about is your links to stuff there?
Nothing on the 'net is guarantied. In fact the NTRS home page states
the database may change at any time and content may be added, modified
or deleted. Go back to when the NACA report server was moved into
NTRS. That changed the urls of how many documents? Can it be a PIA,?
Yes, I maintain links to gov't and industry content, so I know they
can change or completely disappear at any time.

Every doc in the database is still available. Maybe just not in an
instant right now for everyone. Maybe learning/going back to knowing
how to make use of a technical library isn't such a bad thing? How
long has it been? Do we really need to be yelling the sky is falling
ala Chicken Little at this point?

On 3/21/2013 6:18 PM, me wrote:
Every doc in the database is still available. Maybe just not in an
instant right now for everyone. Maybe learning/going back to knowing
how to make use of a technical library isn't such a bad thing? How
long has it been? Do we really need to be yelling the sky is falling
ala Chicken Little at this point?

Right. As I suspected you don't have a point.

Maybe we should just go back to the way aerospace development was done
in the 50's/60's and just chuck all this internet and personal computer
junk. After all you could make an argument that much more was done in
aerospace in those 20 years than in all the subsequent 40.

Please turn in your calculator at the door. Here's a slide rule. And
when the librarian is free she (may) be able to help you with your
request, next week, after all she is very busy....

In order to keep spies out of our internets why don't we just make DNS
servers work on a subscription basis for Federal employees only?

Dave

On 3/21/2013 6:18 PM, me wrote:
[...snip...]
Go back to when the NACA report server was moved into
NTRS. That changed the urls of how many documents?

I don't know, I can't tell you because I can't find those NACA reports
anymore! And more to the point, if you haven't archived them, neither
can you!

Dave

PS: The sky isn't falling, the US has just crossed the terminator into
night....

On 3/21/2013 7:05 PM, David Spain wrote:
On 3/21/2013 6:18 PM, me wrote:
[...snip...]
Go back to when the NACA report server was moved into
NTRS. That changed the urls of how many documents?

I don't know, I can't tell you because I can't find those NACA reports
anymore! And more to the point, if you haven't archived them, neither
can you!


Of course you could be a Federal employee or contractor with access, but
then to reveal any of the previously public content to me under the
current circumstances could be considered an illegal act.

Wonderful times we're living in eh?

Dave