In Brief

NASA Releases Latest Software Catalog to Public to Spur Tech Innovation

News
By Mike Wall
( space.com-spaceflight )
published

If you've ever wanted to get your hands on the codes that run the Mars rover Curiosity, New Horizons Pluto probe or other NASA spacecraft, here's your (latest) chance.

The space agency has released its 2017-2018 software catalog to the public, allowing anyone to access NASA codes free of charge.

"The software catalog is our way of supporting the innovation economy by granting access to tools used by today's top aerospace professionals to entrepreneurs, small businesses, academia and industry," Steve Jurczyk, associate administrator for NASA's Space Technology Mission Directorate (STMD) in Washington, D.C., said in a statement.

"Access to these software codes has the potential to generate tangible benefits that create American jobs, earn revenue and save lives," Jurczyk added.

"Access restrictions" do apply to some of the software packages, however, NASA officials wrote in the same statement.

You can search the 2017-2018 NASA software catalog, and download the 154-page PDF version, here: https://software.nasa.gov

NASA first released its software catalog in April 2014. The latest edition marks the third such public release for the space agency.

Follow Mike Wall on Twitter @michaeldwall and Google+. Follow us @Spacedotcom, Facebook or Google+. Originally published on Space.com.

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Mike Wall
Mike Wall
Senior Space Writer

Michael Wall is a Senior Space Writer with Space.com and joined the team in 2010. He primarily covers exoplanets, spaceflight and military space, but has been known to dabble in the space art beat. His book about the search for alien life, "Out There," was published on Nov. 13, 2018. Before becoming a science writer, Michael worked as a herpetologist and wildlife biologist. He has a Ph.D. in evolutionary biology from the University of Sydney, Australia, a bachelor's degree from the University of Arizona, and a graduate certificate in science writing from the University of California, Santa Cruz. To find out what his latest project is, you can follow Michael on Twitter.