Hi. I am just an observer on SeeSat (I am doing research on issues related to space security, and improving space surveillance and transparency is one of my areas of study), so have been reluctant to chime in. However, I know a bit about this issue, having been briefed on it by officials involved. The pilot project was/is being developed by Aerospace Corp. -- in the near term they too are expected to run it for USAF. The idea behind the original concept was not only to provide basic datapoints as currently done, but also to provide the USG and other recipients with new, better analysis of, and analytical tools for using, the data. There is a debate, however, on access -- and whether the OIG will continue to exist. While I, and many other experts, believe the rationale is bogus (as noted earlier, STRATCOM approved of data published in advance), there is apparently a push by some to eliminate the public service, citing "national security" concerns. Indeed, one of the questions is how the DoD/NRO/USAF will determine who gets what data/analysis -- i.e., how a government or foreign space operator might qualify as a participant in the new program. While arguably the more nations and operators that have better tracking data, the better everyone could avoid collisions, there is a strong push for added secrecy from some within the national security community. It is currently probable that the NASA website operations will cease, and that the list of those qualified to receive data will be significantly downsized both for "security" reasons and for the simple fact that actually tracking and maintaining records on paying customers will be more administratively man-hour intensive than simply reviewing and posting data. This probably means severely limited, if any, 'public' access. However, at this stage it is a bit too early to tell, as DoD has yet to officially determine criteria or a process for applicants. There is interest in this subject on the Senate Armed Services Committee, and I'm hoping more information will come out during the upcoming budget debates for next fiscal year as the result of either hearings or written inquiries from Senate staff. I will update you all if I hear any more. Best, and Happy New Year, Theresa Hitchens Vice President CDI 202-797-5269 thitchens@cdi.org -----Original Message----- From: JAY RESPLER [mailto:jrespler@superlink.net] Sent: Sunday, December 21, 2003 12:01 AM To: SeeSat-L Subject: Re: NASA/OIG to be replaced by USAF > Anyhow, it is logical that the service, in whichever form it will continue, > should be a paid service. > Sven It IS a paid service. All US taxpayers pay for it. The agencies that collect this info exist only because we pay for them. Everything that we pay for should be made freely available unless there is some compelling national security reason for it to we withheld. I think the point of this discussion is wrong. Instead of looking for substitutes, we should look for ways to require the current info to continue to be furnished at no additional charge. If that doesn't work, then go for the substitutes. -- Jay Respler -- JRespler@superlink.net SKY VIEWS: http://mars.superlink.net/jrespler/skyviews.html Satellite Tracker * Early Typewriter Collector Freehold, New Jersey ----------------------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe from SeeSat-L, send a message with 'unsubscribe' in the SUBJECT to SeeSat-L-request@satobs.org List archived at http://www.satobs.org/seesat/seesatindex.html ----------------------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe from SeeSat-L, send a message with 'unsubscribe' in the SUBJECT to SeeSat-L-request@satobs.org List archived at http://www.satobs.org/seesat/seesatindex.html
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