The key principles of Open Government – participation, collaboration and transparency – have been embedded in NASA operations for more than 50 years. As NASA continues to implement the Open Government Directive, we have developed version 2.0 of our Open Government Plan to serve as a model – not a manual – for what a more open NASA might look like today. Our Plan collects the many new activities that exemplify the evolution of openness in NASA’s policy, technology and culture – and provides citizens the opportunity to respond and engage.

Two years ago this April, NASA released version 1.0 of its Open Government Plan. The Plan set forth a bold and aggressive vision for NASA. The Plan included 3 flagship initiatives and 147 goals across twenty-organizations. For the past two years, NASA has been hard at work implementing the Plan. We’ve captured the highlights in an updated infographic and are very proud of all that the Agency has accomplished in such a short amount of time.

We are excited to release version 2.0 of our Plan today. We used this milestone to sharpen our focus and commitment to Open Government. We see Open Government as the responsibility of every person who works at NASA and we take seriously the principles of participation, collaboration and transparency in all that we do.





Version 2.0 of our Open Government Plan is meant to serve as a model – not a manual – for what an open government might look like. The Plan includes a new Flagship Initiative that will take a fresh look at the NASA web architecture and processes to manage content in order build an accessible, participatory and transparent web environment based on open and interoperable standards. We will also push forward our Open Data and Open Source efforts, as well as add a new category called “Technology Accelerators” that takes a look at NASA’s commitment to technology development and innovation.

We recognize that as NASA continues to implement the Open Government Directive, and as the values of Open Government are further embedded into our core mission, new activities and anecdotal successes that embody values of transparency, participation, and collaboration will be developed. In fact, Open Government principles are already evident in numerous activities underway throughout the Agency. One of the most exciting additions to the Plan with version 2.0 is a new open directory that aims to capture these activities in one place for the benefit of all. The goal of the directory is to communicate the many opportunities NASA has to actively involve individuals as contributors to and collaborators with NASA’s research, science, and exploration activities. At the time of publication, the directory is populated with over 100 participatory, collaborative and transparent activities.

Version 2.0 of our Plan represents the next generation of Open Government at NASA. It is our hope that the new NASA Open Government Plan will not only provide a strong multi-dimensional framework of technology, policy, and culture, but will create new opportunities for YOU to participate in the NASA’s mission to pioneer the future. We encourage you to visit the new online version of the plan by visiting http://open.nasa.gov/plan. If you are looking for a good place to start, check out the “Graphical Summary“!

Finally, a few words of acknowledgment. There are so many people around the agency who have worked very hard to make Version 2.0 of NASA’s Open Government Plan a possibility. Open Government is definitely a team sport at NASA, and without the contributions of so many, releasing something like this would be simply impossible (especially in a government agency). Thank you to all of you who contributed to the second version of the Plan, including – Roopangi Kadakia, Adrian Gardner, Myra Bambacus, Beth Beck, Stephanie Stockman, Jeff Hayes, Jennifer Gustetic, Jeff Davis, Cindy Rando, Jason Crusan, Miriam Brown-Lam, Mabel Matthews, Fatima Senghore, Jasper Wolfe, David Mayer, Lynn Heimerl, Scott Goodwin, Susan Minor, Sasi Pillay, and Allison Wolff. The plan represents some of the most innovative and visionary things the Agency is doing. Thank you to our leadership – Deborah Diaz, Sasi Pillay, Linda Cureton, Nadine Tremper, Beth Robinson, and Mark Hill – for your unending support.

I might be biased, but a special thanks goes to the NASA Open Government Team who has worked effortlessly to develop this plan. There is no way to account for all the all nighters you have pulled, the weekends you have worked, the classes you have missed or the emails you have answered even while you pretended to be on vacation. You truly deserve a special acknowledgement for your work – which most of the time – happens behind the scenes. Thank you especially to Ali Llewellyn, for your leadership, patience and endless passion for all that we do. Without Ali, this plan would never be. Thank you Sean Herron, for your determination to make every open government website the best, most secure, modern and accessible website, ever imaginable. Thank you Samantha Snabes for helping us with the finer details of the directory. Thank you Dennis Bonilla, Tate Srey, and Kate Jeremeko for the amazing artwork. And thank you Chris Gerty, William Eshagh, Kristen Painting and Ron Garan for continuing to juggle everything else do in Open Government the past few weeks. The development of this plan is truly a testament to what a small, committed, talented and passionate team can do together.