National Aeronautics and Space Administration

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is a US Federal agency established in 1958.

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is a US Federal agency was established in 1958. Melvin S. Day reorganized and expanded the information services that NASA had taken control of from the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics. He also contracted Documentation Inc. to develop a science-technology information processing center and contracted American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics to provide information about published, non-federal literature in the space sciences.

Very early in its history NASA initiated technologically advanced and effective information services, and stressed wide dissemination of information about new developments in the field.

Contributions

NASA published the STAR (Space Technology and Research) Abstract Bulletin.

Within six years of its establishment, NASA used computer-based services, used microfiche to dissemination information, organized a technology program involving non-federal organizations, and started joint projects with foreign as well as international organizations in the field of space science. NASA developed projects to store, analyze, evaluate, and disseminate large amounts of data relating to space science and exploration. It used computerized techniques to organize and search its bibliographic files.

With the Defense Documentation Center (DDC), the Atomic Energy Commission, and the Clearinghouse for for Scientific and Technical Information (CFSTI), NASA developed common standards or easily translatable techniques for cataloging and indexing. Nasa worked with AEC to create Tech Briefs, which were brief summaries of new technical discoveries in which possible applications of these new discoveries were discussed. Both agencies were interested in making their findings available for use in public industry and therefore they printed the Tech Briefs. They began joint publication in 1967.

NASA RECON

In 1966, NASA began looking into developing large online system. In 1968, it had designed and obtained software to create its RECON system. NASA worked with AEC and DDC so that RECON would also be able to access their files. It allowed AEC to also use RECON. The development of RECON also provided the basis of the DIALOG service developed at Lockheed by Charles P. Bourne.

Individuals involved also included Melvin S. Day, Seymour I. Taine, and Herbert S. White.

Further reading

• Adkinson, Burton W. Two centuries of Federal information. Stroudsburg, Pa. : Dowden, Hutchinson & Ross.
• Bourne, Charles P. & Trudi B.Hahn. A history of online information services, 1963-1976. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.

Papers

National Archives. Records of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. (Record Group 255). 1903-96. Multiple locations. Includes images, microfilm, architectural and engineering plans, motion pictures, sound and video recordings, posters, and data sets. [1]