Tag: opengov

Observing from the Inside

When I first came to NASA in January, I wasn’t really sure what to expect. For a long time, I’d been an observer on the outside, from watching shuttle launches on the TV in elementary school to excitingly following the progress of Spirit and Opportunity as they began their exploration of Mars in 2004. I knew very little, however, about how the inner-workings of NASA functioned. How does an agency so large, with so many levels and people and locations, manage to accomplish such incredible things?

On one hand, some might say it’s easy. After all, space is cool. Who doesn’t get excited when they see pictures of Earth from the International Space Station or get chills down their back when they hear the iconic first words from the Moon?

International Space Station seen during the STS-130 mission

On the other hand, NASA’s mission is extraordinarily difficult. One mistake could result in the loss of a multi-million dollar mission, or worse. It takes tens of thousands of people working tirelessly to ensure that NASA continues to make incredible progress in science and technology.

And now, for a time, I get to be one of them.

In the relatively short time I’ve been here, I’ve gotten involved with many awesome projects, including planning NASA’s first ever water sustainability forum, participating in creating our Open Government Plan, and sharing the excitement of the STS-130 mission through social media on Facebook. I hope to give you an outsider’s view from the inside on these projects and many more in the upcoming months.

NASA's Open Government Plan

Last Wednesday, NASA, along with 23 other federal agencies, released its Open Government Plan to comply with President Obama’s Open Government Directive. I was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to work closely on the development and production of the Plan, and it’s great to see it finally out in the wild!

I started working on the Open Government Directive in early February, not long after I came here. The plan was just in the beginning stages, which provided me with tons of opportunities to work directly with those who were mapping out the strategy for how to approach the Directive as well as with members of the individual project teams which were to be highlighted in the final document. I’ve never worked on a project this large or complicated before, so it was incredible to see how much effort went in to ensuring the Plan was correct down to every last word.

NASA's Open Gov Plan
The Cover of NASA’s Open Government Plan

As the pace quickened in the weeks leading up to the April 7th deadline, I had the chance to take the reins on some parts of the project as we assembled the final document. It’s not very often that an undergraduate has the opportunity to write sections of a document set to be delivered to the White House, so it was great to be able to get that sort of experience! I primarily worked on the Citizen Engagement Analysis section as well as assisting on the Letter to Transparency Advocates.

The Plan also has some awesome initiatives highlighted. My personal favorites are the Open Source Software Development and Participatory Exploration Office sections. Both have the potential to get members of the public involved in NASA activities in new, innovative ways – a great opportunity for NASA to explore avenues of development and for the public to become engaged with NASA on a novel level.

You can view NASA’s entire Open Government Plan here. The plan, however, isn’t just for consumption. Be sure to give your feedback on the plan via NASA’s IdeaScale tool as well!