Space Operations: NASA Is Not Properly Safeguarding Valuable Data from Past Missions

Abstract : The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is responsible for space exploration and the management, archiving, and dissemination of space science data. Since 1958, the agency has spent about $2 billion on its space science program and successfully launched over 260 scientific missions. Data from these missions have expanded our understanding of the earth, its solar system, and the universe. Through these past missions NASA has acquired a massive volume of data stored on an estimated 1 million reels of magnetic tape for immediate and long-term scientific use. The nation's long-term ability to monitor changes in the earth's environment, such as the depletion of ozone and the destruction of tropical rain forests, may depend on data from early missions.