NASA Advisory Council Recommendation 

Communication Strategy on NASA Web Sites 

2011-02-08 (SOC-OI) 

Recommendation: 

NASA Web Sites convey mixed and inconsistent messages about the future direction ofhuman 


exploration programs. The Web site needs to be reviewed and changed to ensure that the messages 


about the future direction ofhuman exploration are consistent. 


Major Reasons for the Recommendation: 


The Council noted that it is difficult to determine the current course ofhuman spaceflight programs 


via nasa.gov, as there are readily accessible pages dedicated to outdated and cancelled human 


spaceflight programs. 


Consequences ofNo Action on the Recommendation: 


Continuing confusion among both the NASA workforce and the general public on the state and 


direction ofNASA's human spaceflight programs. 


NASA Response: 


We fully concur with the recommendation and understand the conflicting information presented on 


the NASA Web sites. NASA has a highly talented and productive communications team that 


monitors our programs and projects on a day-to-day basis. They routinely update our Web sites to 


keep the general public well informed. However, several issues have precluded us from updating the 


Constellation Web Site and highlighting our current plans for human exploration. 


Until April 8,2011, when the latest continuing resolution was passed, NASA was required by law to 


continue the Constellation program, which precluded deleting public information related to the 


initiative. Now that the legal restrictions regarding Constellation have been removed by Congress, 


the Exploration Systems Mission Directorate (ESMD) is working with its Web editors and the Office 


ofCommunications to wind down and transition literally thousands of public Web pages involving 


all aspects ofthe former program that independently span nearly every NASA Center. Some aspects 


ofthe former Constellation program will continue, and we will revise public Web sites and other 


external and internal communications products as decisions are made and approved. As projects 


progress, they will be factored into the pending consolidation ofthe Space Operations Mission 


Directorate and ESMD, which will be reflected in a comprehensive overhaul ofNASA's public Web 


presence. 


Communications experts across the Agency recently completed an inventory ofConstellation's Web 


content and social media streams and are coming to closure on an effective course of action to 


archive outdated material and create new content. This includes updating the Agency's primary Web 


venue, www.nasa.gov, ESMD's Web site www.nasa.gov/exploration, and the various project Web 


sites (Ares I and V, Orion, Altair, etc.) at our Centers. 


Enclosure 
2 

Our plan to update this material includes removing all links to Constellation on NASA's various Web 

sites. Some ofthis work has already started and will continue. Each Constellation Web page will be 

archived and have a banner added that states the program is cancelled. This ensures that this material 

is readily available, via Google search, for historical purposes. We also are in the process of 

establishing a section dedicated to NASA's space transportation efforts. 

Once the final documents are signed during the next Directorate's Program Management Council, 

implementation ofthe outlined changes will begin. When the new content is available, the 

NASA.gov Home Page will be updated with prominent links driving users to the updated material, 

while prominent links to outdated material will be removed.