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Modernizing NASA Websites and Digital Services

A report required by the 21st Century Integrated Digital Experience Act (IDEA), P.L. 115-336

DECEMBER 2020
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Table of Contents

Report to Congress on Modernization of Agency Websites and Digital Services

Contents

Executive Summary......................................................................................................................................3

Statutory Citation..........................................................................................................................................3

Background .................................................................................................................................................4

Agency Efforts..............................................................................................................................................4

NASA and the IDEA ....................................................................................................................................4

Key Websites and Digital Services...............................................................................................................5

Modernization Priorities ...............................................................................................................................6

Conclusion ....................................................................................................................................................7
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Executive Summary 

As required by the 21st Century Integrated Digital Experience Act (IDEA), or Public Law (P.L.) 115-336, 

NASA is submitting this report to the appropriate Committees of Congress as required by Section 3 (b)(2) 

of that law. This report is being submitted as a follow-up to our December 2019 interim report to 

Congress, and thus completes the Congressional reporting requirement specified in Section 3 (b)(2) of 

that law. In parallel, NASA is also submitting this report to the Office of Management and Budget as 

required by Section 3(d)(1), and we will subsequently post a copy to the Agency’s website as required by 

Section 3(d)(2). This report, along with the 2019 report, will be available on this public website: 

https://www.nasa.gov/reports. 

Since last year, NASA has worked diligently to assess, consolidate, streamline, and modernize NASA’s 

digital portfolio. The NASA Web Modernization Team (NWMT), which convened in August 2019, has 

focused on the following areas:

 Assessing and consolidating websites;

 Redesign of the Agency’s main website (www.nasa.gov);

 Creation of an Agency archiving program; and 

 Creation of an Agency web governance structure.

This 2020 report details progress made in these areas and how the Agency is performing when it comes to 

website modernization. Future budgetary requirements needed for completion of this work will be 

incorporated into NASA’s annual budget submissions to Congress, as needed. NASA remains committed 

to complying in full with P.L. 115-336 in a timely manner, and as appropriated funds are made available 

to complete the legislative requirements of the law. 

Statutory Citation

SEC. 3. WEBSITE MODERNIZATION. 

(b) REQUIREMENTS FOR EXISTING EXECUTIVE AGENCY WEBSITES AND DIGITAL 

SERVICES.—Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of this Act, the head of each 

executive agency that maintains a website or digital service that is made available to the public 

shall—

(1) review each website or digital service; and 

(2) submit to Congress a report that includes—

(A) a list of the websites and digital services maintained by the executive agency 

that are most viewed or utilized by the public or are otherwise important for public 

engagement; 

(B) from among the websites and digital services listed under subparagraph (A), 

a prioritization of websites and digital services that require modernization to meet the 

requirements under subsection (a); and 

(C) an estimation of the cost and schedule of modernizing the websites and 

digital services prioritized under subparagraph (B). 

(c) INTERNAL DIGITAL SERVICES.—The head of each executive agency shall ensure, to the 

greatest extent practicable, that any Intranet established after the date of enactment of this Act 

conforms to the requirements described in subsection (a). 

(d) PUBLIC REPORTING.—Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of this Act and 

every year thereafter for 4 years, the head of each executive agency shall— (1) report annually to 

the Director on the progress of the executive agency in implementing the requirements described 
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in this section for the previous year; and (2) include the information described in paragraph (1) 

in a publicly available report that is required under another provision of law.

Background 

NASA’s mission is unique among Federal agencies. A key requirement of our core mission is to inspire 

Americans and to share the excitement and scientific knowledge of space exploration – from the depths of 

Earth’s oceans to the farthest reaches of our universe. NASA’s use of websites to engage and inform the 

public is a critical part of the mandate in the National Aeronautics and Space Act of 1958 as recodified 

and amended at 51 U.S.C. § 20112(a)(3) that NASA “provide for the widest practicable and appropriate 

dissemination of information concerning its activities and the results thereof.” 

NASA’s digital portfolio spans a wealth of public information that encompasses the real-time excitement 

of events ranging from spacewalks on the International Space Station (ISS) to Mars landings. NASA’s 

explanatory content puts complex science into plain language and captures the Agency’s rich and storied 

history. NASA servers also host massive archives of scientific data that represent a multi-billion-dollar 

investment in science and exploration for the benefit of all humankind. 

NASA was an early adopter in the use of the Internet in the 1980s to communicate with the public and 

share science data, and beginning in 1993, via the World Wide Web. This has resulted in the 

development of a large number of websites over the last 27 years, making NASA’s current digital 

portfolio as complex and broad as the Agency’s missions. NASA peaked at 7,989 Internet-accessible

devices early on, with more than 6,000 of those being public web domains. In order to reduce risk and 

better manage costs of maintaining the devices and services with high risk exposure, NASA then reduced 

the number of Internet-exposed devices to 1,651, with about 2,800 being web domains. Within the last 

year, that number has decreased again to about 2,500 web domains. This was done through consolidation 

and improved managed service delivery. Today, NASA’s web modernization efforts are focused on 

preserving critical information and maintaining our charter of inspiration while creating a streamlined, 

21st Century digital portfolio worthy of the world’s greatest space Agency. 

Agency Efforts 

NASA’s extensive digital portfolio was developed and is administered across all NASA Centers and the 

Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), our Federally Funded Research and Development Center. At the start of 

the NWMT review, NASA had more than 2,800 web domains, with 90 percent of the online traffic hosted 

by the Agency’s top 40 sites. Over the last couple of years, NASA has been re-examining its digital 

footprint and online user experience. By early 2018, NASA had begun exploring the use of Accelerated

Mobile Pages that deliver streamlined information to mobile users faster as well as developing better 

writing and structure for Search Engine Optimization and ensuring optimal search results. NASA is 

continuing to consolidate social media accounts in order to streamline the distribution and ensure quality 

of information. In the first phase of this effort, the Agency’s Science Mission Directorate decreased the 

number of social media accounts from more than 300 accounts to less than 200. This streamlining allows 

the Agency to better connect with citizens and provide better and more relevant information to interested 

audiences. NASA is committed to continued improvement of its public content and user experience. 

NASA and the IDEA 

On May 15, 2019, NASA Administrator James Bridenstine issued an Agency-wide memo requesting “a 

full review of NASA’s web footprint and digital presence . . . to result in an enhanced cyber-posture and 
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an improved focus for communicating our messages.” The NWMT, led by the NASA Office of the Chief 

Scientist, was asked to conduct a review of the Agency’s digital footprint, provide recommendations to 

the Administrator and Agency senior leaders, as well as respond to the requirements of the IDEA. The 

team was charged with recommending ways to strengthen digital security; analyze website usability and 

user experience; eliminate website redundancy; and find ways to maximize the effectiveness of online 

communication. Over the last year, the NWMT conducted an audit of all NASA websites in order to 

assess visitor traffic and preferences and identify and eliminate duplication of content. Steps are being 

taken to properly consolidate websites; revamp/redesign the main NASA website (www.nasa.gov); create 

an Agency web-archiving program; and finalize and implement a new Agency web governance structure. 

Originally, the NWMT was comprised of 16 team members from NASA Headquarters, Goddard Space 

Flight Center, Marshall Space Flight Center, Kennedy Space Center, Johnson Space Center, Ames 

Research Center and JPL, including representatives from the Office of the Chief Information Officer, the 

Office of Communications, the Mission Directorates, and other programmatic offices. With the creation 

of seven new sub-teams, the NWMT has grown to 50 active members with representation from all NASA 

Centers, Headquarters, and JPL. The following is a list of the sub-teams and their areas of responsibility: 

 Design: Develop a new, modern and more engaging main website;

 Platform: Evaluate and select new content management system and establish new/best processes 

and procedures for the new consolidated systems;

 Governance: Review or create web policies and processes and establish leadership boards and 

new organizational structures;

 Archiving: Identify outdated websites and content eligible to be archived, identify necessary 

tools to establish Agency-wide archiving program and processes;

 URL Redirects: Determine which URL’s need to be merged, decommissioned, or left 

untouched;

 Content: Audit content across NASA websites and develop processes for content consolidation, 

generate best practices to ensure search engine optimization, and establish future process for 

management of NASA-wide content;

 Web Consolidation: Review websites and identify which need to be consolidated or 

decommissioned, and identify future web compliance requirements; and

 Implementation: Implement NWMT and sub-team recommendations, requirements, and 

processes.

Key Websites and Digital Services 

The NWMT conducted comprehensive analyses to identify websites eligible for consolidation into

modern platforms or eligible for decommission. As of early November 2020, NASA had reduced the 

number of domains to about 2,500. The NWMT is now evaluating the feasibility of establishing an 

Agency-wide archiving program to archive older websites that have low usability but rich, unique quality 

content (e.g., past missions). The anticipated NASA governance structure for this activity will include a 

new Agency policy for creating and maintaining websites, and the streamlining and consolidation of 

content management across all NASA websites. 

NASA strongly believes in a digital-first approach to providing quality services and engagement with the 

public via social media platforms most used by the public. This approach has been validated by the 
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Agency’s 42 million followers on Twitter and 61 million followers on Instagram. For NASA’s SpaceX 

Demo-2 launch, more than 10 million people tuned in online to see the launch, and more than 50 million 

watched some portion of NASA Television’s broadcast of the 2017 solar eclipse. Additionally, NASA’s 

Citizen Science program as well as Prizes, Challenges, and Crowdsourcing activities also are popular 

digital activities for the public.

The NWMT also surveyed public-facing forms that NASA uses when engaging with the public and 

conducting Agency business, such as those used for contractor reporting, safety reporting, grant 

monitoring, medical reporting, and qualitative feedback for Agency service delivery. It was determined 

that all public-facing forms are already available in a digitized format and many can be signed 

electronically, if a signature is required. 

Modernization Priorities 

NASA’s web modernization priorities include: assessment and consolidation of Agency websites; 

redesign of the main NASA website (www.nasa.gov) and improved search engine optimization; 

streamlined content management; and the creation and implementation of a web governance structure and 

archiving program. 

NASA completed a comprehensive review of key digital assets that effectively represent more than 93 

percent of Agency traffic. The extensive analysis resulted in recommendations for a streamlined, optimal 

digital presence that leverages the best of NASA’s websites. 

The Agency is currently in the first phase of redesign of the main NASA website and the consolidation 

and integration of our public websites and public content. This will allow for more compelling content, 

better design, and additional innovative opportunities across the Agency.

The following list includes websites that are the most popular with our online audiences, such as our main 

website, NASA.gov; websites about our recent missions and discoveries; climate change; images of our 

planet and solar system; and some of our websites for children and young audiences. 

Website/Digital Service Content

nasa.gov NASA’s primary web portal to share information 

and inspiration with the public 

mars.nasa.gov Information and images about NASA’s Mars 

Exploration Program 

apod.nasa.gov Curated space images with public-friendly 

scientific captions 

spotthestation.nasa.gov Enables the public to find out when the ISS will 

pass over their city 

climate.nasa.gov Public-friendly, data-driven information about 

Earth’s changing climate 

solarsystem.nasa.gov A real-time encyclopedia of our solar system’s 

planets, moons, asteroids, and comets, and 

NASA’s robotic exploration of them

earthobservatory.nasa.gov Images, stories, and discoveries from NASA’s 

Earth science research 

jpl.nasa.gov Information about JPL and its role in space 

exploration
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spaceplace.nasa.gov Science content developed specifically for 

elementary school children

science.nasa.gov Homepage of NASA’s Science Mission 

Directorate with details on the Agency’s 

astrophysics, heliophysics, planetary, and Earth 

science programs

blogs.nasa.gov A public blogging platform that allows the sharing 

of Agency expertise and knowledge 

voyager.jpl.nasa.gov Mission homepage for NASA’s Voyager 1 and 

Voyager 2 missions, currently in interstellar space 

history.nasa.gov Information, images, and documents related to 

NASA and previous space exploration efforts 

exoplanets.nasa.gov A complete catalog and public-friendly 

explanations of the 4,000+ planets discovered 

beyond our solar system 

images.nasa.gov Public repository of NASA images and videos 

svs.gsfc.nasa.gov Public repository of NASA scientific 

visualizations, images, and videos 

eol.jsc.nasa.gov Public repository of NASA astronaut photography 

from the International Space Station 

moon.nasa.gov Information, history, and images of NASA’s 

exploration of Earth’s Moon 

photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov Repository of NASA images and videos for the 

public and science community 

visibleearth.nasa.gov Catalog of NASA images and animations of Earth 

intern.nasa.gov Details on how to apply for NASA internships 

ciencia.nasa.gov NASA Science information for Spanish speakers 

jwst.nasa.gov Mission homepage for the James Webb Space 

Telescope 

Conclusion 

Every day, NASA communicates groundbreaking and life-changing accomplishments in science,

exploration, and discovery. As an Agency, our content is compelling, visually appealing, and reaches 

millions of Americans and people around the world, making NASA one of the best-known and most 

popular organizations on the planet. As an international leader on digital content with a strong online 

presence, NASA must continually self-evaluate and ensure that we reflect the Agency’s priorities and 

activities. NASA continues working to improve our presence on the web, which includes examining 

website usability and eliminating redundancy, consolidating as necessary, and maximizing the

effectiveness of public communication efforts. NASA’s NWMT and its sub-teams have been conducting 

analyses and making data-driven recommendations and decisions to ultimately redefine and enhance the 

Agency’s digital presence with the goal of providing the best service to the public. NASA remains 

committed to complying in full with P.L. 115-336 in a timely manner, and as appropriated funds are made 

available to complete the legislative requirements of the law.