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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 2021
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Report on Modernization of Agency Websites and Digital Services

Contents

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

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

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

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

Agency Efforts............................................................................................................5

Right-Sizing NASA’s Digital Footprint..............................................................................5

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

Conclusion................................................................................................................8
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Executive Summary 

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

the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is providing this report as a follow-up to our

December 2019 and 2020 reports to Congress and to the Office of Management and Budget. The 

Congressional reporting requirement specified in Section 3 (b)(2) of that law was completed in December 

2020. However, this year’s report, along with the 2019 and 2020 reports, will be available on this public 

website: https://www.nasa.gov/reports, as required by the IDEA, or P.L. 115-336, Section 3(d)(2).

This 2021 report details how the Agency is performing when it comes to website modernization and the 

progress made in domain assessment and consolidation, redesign of NASA’s main websites, content 

management, archiving and governance. 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. 

NASA continues to work 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.

• Redesigning the Agency’s main websites (www.nasa.gov).

• Creating an Agency archiving program.

• Creating an Agency web governance structure.

This year (2021), the NWMT made large strides when it comes to analysis and consolidation of websites,

selection of the new Horizon Design for the future main Agency websites, and moving closer to 

establishing the first-ever Agency archiving program. Two other key milestones include the research and 

analysis to determine the best content management system (CMS) for the Agency and the selection of 

WordPress as the future CMS for the Agency; development of a content audit plan and process to assist 

with future web content migration and content publishing. 

Statutory Citation

SEC. 3. WEBSITE MODERNIZATION. 

(a) REQUIREMENTS FOR NEW WEBSITES AND DIGITAL SERVICES.—

Not later than 180 days after the date of enactment of

this Act, an executive agency that creates a website or digital

service that is intended for use by the public, or conducts a redesign

of an existing legacy website or digital service that is intended

for use by the public, shall ensure to the greatest extent practicable

that any new or redesigned website, web-based form, web-based

application, or digital service—

(1) is accessible to individuals with disabilities in accordance

with section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (29 U.S.C. 794d);

(2) has a consistent appearance;

(3) does not overlap with or duplicate any legacy websites and, if applicable, ensure that 

legacy websites are regularly reviewed, eliminated, and consolidated;

(4) contains a search function that allows users to easily search content intended for 

public use;
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(5) is provided through an industry standard secure connection;

(6) is designed around user needs with data-driven analysis influencing management and 

development decisions, using qualitative and quantitative data to determine user goals,

needs, and behaviors, and continually test the website, webbased form, web-based 

application, or digital service to ensure that user needs are addressed;

(7) provides users of the new or redesigned website, webbased form, web-based 

application, or digital service with the option for a more customized digital experience 

that allows users to complete digital transactions in an efficient and accurate manner; 

and

(8) is fully functional and usable on common mobile devices.

(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 

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 

A key requirement of NASA’s 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 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 real-time 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 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 
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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, with more than 6,000 of those being public web domains. To reduce risk and better manage 

costs of maintaining the devices and services with high-risk exposure, NASA reduced the number of 

Internet-exposed devices to 1,651, with about 2,800 web domains. Today, NASA’s web modernization 

efforts are focused on modernizing and consolidating, but also 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. 

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 

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. With the support of the current NASA Administrator, Bill Nelson, the NWMT 

conducted an audit of all NASA websites 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 the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (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 60 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 a new content management system and establish new/best 

processes and procedures for the new consolidated systems.

• Governance: Review or create web policies, guidance, and processes and establish leadership 

boards and new organizational structures as necessary.

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

tools to establish Agency-wide archiving program and processes.

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

generate best practices to ensure search engine optimization, and establish a 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.

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

processes.

Agency Efforts 

NASA’s extensive digital portfolio was developed and is administered across all NASA Centers and JPL. 
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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. As of December 2021, the NWMT is tracking 2,713

public NASA 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. NASA is continuing to also 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 (SMD) 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. 

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.

Right-Sizing NASA’s Digital Footprint 

The NWMT conducted a comprehensive audit and analysis to identify websites eligible for consolidation 

into modern platforms or eligible for decommission. As a result of further analysis, the NWMT has 

continued to identify existing web domains that weren’t previously tracked, which added 190 websites to 

the total Agency count. The NWMT established new guidelines and procedures and is working with each 

NASA Center to decrease the number of publicly accessible domains. In 2021, the NWMT decreased the 

number of publicly available domains by 158 and is currently working with web managers across NASA 

Centers to further assess which websites to consolidate, decommission, or archived. 

Earlier this year, NASA senior leadership determined that modernization, consolidation, and management 

of science websites will be led by the SMD. SMD will reduce its web footprint, identify which SMD 

websites will be archived, and develop a new SMD structure under the www.science.nasa.gov subdomain. 

SMD and Office of the Chief Information Officer (OCIO) will collaborate (through the NWMT) to ensure 

a comprehensive and cohesive look and feel to their websites, a seamless user experience, and a 

sustainable governance structure. Assessments and updates to these shall be made as deemed necessary. 

In order to meet this requirement, SMD created a subgroup of the NWMT, a science web modernization 

team. SMD is currently analyzing science websites and their content to determine which are candidates

for consolidation or decommissioning. By consolidating more than 30 top sites–about half of all NASA’s 

traffic in fiscal year 2021–SMD is creating a robust science information portal that provides “deep dive”

context behind the Agency headlines and discoveries, citizen science opportunities real-time, and data 

visualizations. Both new sites (www.nasa.gov and science.nasa.gov) will share a new design and new 

navigational structure. In 2021, SMD began the content audit of the 30 websites that will transition as 

part of phase 1 of the consolidation project. Simultaneously, SMD is decommissioning and archiving 

public URLs. Initially, SMD counted 1755 public-facing websites. However, in 2021, SMD discovered 

more URLs, increasing its portfolio to 1924. As of December 2021, SMD has decommissioned 456 

URLs. 

The NWMT is also evaluating the most effective methods of creating and establishing an Agency-wide 

archiving program. This will allow us to archive older websites that have low usability but rich, unique 

quality content (e.g., past missions). The Enterprise Archives Program and the OCIO are working with 
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the Web Services Office to deploy a standards-based archival system that will enable preservation of and 

access to archived websites. We are also working to assess alternatives for website crawling and 

emulation—capabilities that will support our overall approach to website consolidation. Currently, 

technical complexity and expected cost are the primary hurdles.

Modernization Priorities 

NASA’s web modernization priorities include: redesign of the main NASA websites (www.nasa.gov and 

science.nasa.gov) and improved search engine optimization, assessment and consolidation of Agency 

websites, streamlined content management, and the creation and implementation of an Agency web 

governance structure and an Agency-wide archiving program. 

NASA has identified a new unified design system that will redesign and power the future Agency 

website. Dubbed the Horizon Design System, it implements the best practices of the industry and builds 

off the Federal Web Design System. The design package is meant to be comprehensive and expansive, 

built with the input of over fifty different web experts throughout various levels of NASA. This Horizon 

Design will be the dawn of a modern era of websites at NASA with responsive and accessible support and 

a significant improvement to the overall user experience. The NWMT Design and Content sub-teams 

have been meeting with stakeholders across the Agency to share the new Horizon Design with them as 

well as the implementation plan and timeline.

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 

redesigning 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 the 

current main website, www.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. 
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jpl.nasa.gov 

Information about JPL and its role in space 

exploration.

spaceplace.nasa.gov Science content developed specifically for 

elementary school children.

science.nasa.gov 

Homepage of NASA’s SMD 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 ISS.

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. 

Earlier this year, NASA senior leadership identified the office that would be responsible for Agency web 

governance in the future, based on the recommendations from the NWMT Governance sub-team. The 

responsible office for future Agency web modernization efforts will be the OCIO. The OCIO will use an 

appropriate governance structure, including ongoing, sustainable working leadership boards comprised of 

stakeholders, subject-matter experts, and content managers from across the Agency to further 

modernization efforts. It will also require the hiring and placement of a new position, a Director who can 

lead these efforts. SMD will continue to manage science content and web modernization efforts for the 

Agency science websites (in collaboration with the NWMT).

In 2022, NWMT expects to achieve the following milestones:

• Continue the consolidation and decommissioning of websites and migration of content to and 

from www.nasa.gov and science.nasa.gov.

• Debut and use of the new Horizon Design System for the main Agency website, www.nasa.gov,

and main science website, science.nasa.gov. 

• Begin the implementation of the new CMS.
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• Provide training and support as well as an improved service delivery for use of the new CMS.

• Begin operating under a new web governance structure.

• Create and begin operations of the new robust Agency-wide archiving program.

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.