Quote:
Originally Posted by TLAM Strike
Everything NASA does is mostly public domain; you could basically just ask for it.
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I will point out that NASA tends to handle a decent amount of stuff that is considered sensitive, even if not classified. The difference between a missile and a satellite launcher is the payload. The difference between a missile guidance computer and a spacecraft navigation system is the destination.
There's a huge stack or rules on how to handle and release STI (Science and Technical Information) to the public. Added to that is the headache of having International Partners, both onsite and with remote network access. Then there's the fact that a large portion of the data is generated by contractors, and copyrights/patents/intellectual property may be owned by companies, and not the government. Such things must also be controlled, to prevent violation of those companies' rights.
There's also some classified data on NASA systems. For example, recon satellite capabilites are known to certain NASA people due to the fallout from the Columbia loss.