NASA Prepares to Open Source Code

comforteagle writes "According to this story at O'Reilly, NASA is looking for approval for their own open source license. The NASA submitter (lawyer of course) states that none of the current licenses meet their needs, but more interesting is that NASA needs a license at all. It makes one wonder what we, and other space agencies, might see coming out off NASA. It's also nice to see code that taxpayers paid for anyway being released for their use too. There must be at least one slashdotter who could dream up a use for NASA software. X Prize participants maybe?"

Comments

NASA, eh?

[Faust7]

Jeez, who's next, Microsoft?

Re:NASA, eh?

[CeleronXL]

Well no, Microsoft isn't next, Microsoft was before this. ;)

Re:NASA, eh?

[commodoresloat]

This is another hoax people. There is no license and there is no source code. There's just a bunch of letters and numbers built to look like code. The whole thing was faked.

Do it now!

[Rope_a_Dope]

I am most having got need for rocket open source. Now do open source me want for get. Sincerely, North Korean Military

RE: NASA Prepares to Open Source Code

[Anonymous Coward]

Well, Microsoft already did so earlier today, so NASA is a bit behind the times for this one. [wink]

Sweet!

[hcetSJ]

I've built this six-wheeled golf cart in my back yard, and I was hoping to find a good OS for it!

Maybe now...

[twoslice]

We can have more success at landing spacecraft on Mars. At least the metric/imperial error would have been caught before it went to alpha...

Re:Absolutely

[corian]

It might also be very beneficial to go through the code and clearly label which values are imperial measurements and which are metric.

Home NASA project?

[micromoog]

There must be at least one slashdotter who could dream up a use for NASA software. X Prize participants maybe?"

Darwin Award, maybe?

When's it coming out?

[AhBeeDoi]

I hope NASA gets their Open Source software out soon. I'm getting thoroughly frustrated trying to write an OS for my planetary rover.

Sweet!

[teamhasnoi]

I've been itching to get my hands on NASA's Photoshop filters since 1969!

Good imaging software

[Kurt Gray]

I get the impression that NASA develops a lot of software for image processing. I'm picturing some really powerful GIMP plug-ins... "Make Mars Red", "Color Galaxy", "Add UFO"....

Re:Government Copyright

[Anne_Nonymous]

Yup. Just go the NSA website and download your own copy of Echelon, citizen!

Re:Absolutely

[mog007]

That's easy:

void mars_lander()
{
int dist;

dist = to_ground(position,z); /* dist = dist * .3048
* let's see what happens when we comment the
* conversion!
*
/ /* Someone please uncomment that before we compile... --Tim*/

land(dist);
}

Re:Absolutely

[Kirth]

Its all metric. At least its _supposed_ to be all metric. NASA employees using imperial measurements are to be deported to Leeds/England where they may assume a position at a pub in order to exercise their right of using imperial measurements in describing quantities of beer. "Well, I used to work as rocket scientist at NASA, but since they don't calculate fuel in pints they sent me here".
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