It seems like everything NASA does is on a grand scale.
From this photo of the Cygnus resupply ship reaching the International Space Station:
To a single snapshot taken from the ISS window of Australia's Great Sandy Desert:
Also on a grand scale? NASA's IT infrastructure. It is a struggle to control and protect it.
Check this out from NASA's just released annual report:
"NASA manages approximately 1,200 publicly accessible web applications, or about half of all publicly accessible, nonmilitary Federal Government websites. Coupled with the Agency’s statutory mission to share scientific information, the large number of networks and websites present unique IT security challenges."
NASA's digital configuration is certainly unique. So it may not be surprising that the report says visibility is a significant issue at the agency.
And over the last year it has also battled several major cybersecurity challenges: "Stolen Identity Credentials, phishing, malware, and an aging IT infrastructure," the report says.
Here is what NASA says it must do, next, to secure the agency's assets. How many of these things are on your 2018 to-do list?
"When taken in their totality these priorities will mitigate Agency risk and position NASA to better defend and monitor its networks."
And that is akin to defending and monitoring the galaxy.
This probably goes without saying, but all images here are courtesy of NASA. Want more? Check out NASA's Image of the Day gallery for some unbelievable images!