NASA Launches Open Source Software Repository

If you've ever wanted to launch and track space satellites, make solar event simulations, or run a mission control center from your living room, thanks to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), you're now one step closer. The code.NASA project is a repository for more than 30, mostly space-themed, open source projects freely available for download and use.

Part of the NASA Open Government Initiative, code.NASA aims to be much more than just a distribution point for open source software. On the open.NASA blog, Nick Skytland, Program Manager, Open Government NASA Headquarters, writes that the site will also eventually participate in "publicly surfacing existing projects, providing a forum for discussing projects and processes, and guiding internal and external groups in open development, release, and contribution."