Brian Welch

Headquarters, Washington, D.C.

July 20, 1994(
Phone: 202/358-1600)

RELEASE: 94-121

HEADQUARTERS NEWS DISTRIBUTION GOES ON-LINE JULY 25

Distribution of news releases and other informational

materials from NASA Headquarters will take a giant leap into the
Information Age starting Monday, July 25.

As of that date, Headquarters will no longer distribute news

releases, contract announcements or notes-to-editors by mail.
Use of electronic distribution services such as the Internet,
Compuserve and Fax-on-Demand will become the primary means of
informing the news media and the public about NASA activities and
programs. Text-only versions of mission press kits also will be
available via on-line services.

"We are excited by the possibilities inherent in this new

way of doing business," said Geoffrey H. Vincent, Deputy
Associate Administrator for Public Affairs and head of the
Agency's public affairs Internet steering group. "Over time,
this change will save the taxpayers hundreds of thousands of
dollars and allow us to meet our customers' needs in a much more
effective and efficient manner."

The changeover to electronic distribution of news material

has been planned for almost a year, Vincent noted. "The Internet
is quickly evolving, and we hope to evolve with it," he said.
"In the years ahead, vast amounts of information on space
exploration, from news releases to historical documents and
photographs -- eventually even video -- will be available not
just to reporters, but to teachers, students and anyone else who
wishes to access it."

Use of the Internet to obtain information on space-related

topics is one of the fastest growing aspects of the service, he
added. "Since July 8, for example," Vincent said, "there have
been more than 90,000 inquiries on a computer server at the Jet
Propulsion Laboratory for information on the collision of Comet
Shoemaker-Levy 9 with the planet Jupiter. This is just one
example of the tremendous interest that exists, and the virtually
unlimited possibilities of this new technology."

Although the primary means of news distribution will be by

on-line services, news media currently on the Headquarters
distribution list will continue to receive news releases by fax.
Press kits will continue to be sent by mail for the foreseeable
future, but that practice ultimately will be phased out as
technological advances permit.

ACCESS BY INTERNET

The NASA Headquarters Internet database will contain NASA

news releases, mission press kits, contract announcements,
notes-to-editors, fact sheets and other publications.

NASA press releases can be obtained automatically by sending

an Internet electronic mail message to domo@hq.nasa.gov. In the
body of the message (not the subject line) users should type the
words "subscribe press-release" (no quotes). The system will
reply with a confirmation via E-mail of each subscription. A
second automatic message will include additional information on
the service.

Informational materials also will be available from a data

repository known as an anonymous FTP (File Transfer Protocol)
server at ftp.pao.hq.nasa.gov under the directory /pub/pao.
Users should log on with the user name "anonymous" (no quotes),
then enter their E-mail address as the password. Within the
/pub/pao directory there will be a "readme.txt" file explaining
the directory structure.

ACCESS BY FAX

An additional service known as fax-on-demand will enable

users to access NASA informational materials from their fax
machines. Users calling (202) 358-3976 may follow a series of
prompts and will automatically be faxed the most recent
Headquarters news releases they request.

ACCESS BY COMPUSERVE

Users with Compuserve accounts can access NASA press

releases by typing "GO NASA" (no quotes) and making a selection
from the categories offered.

The Headquarters Newsroom also will operate an automated

telephone system for users with problems accessing these
information resources. The number is (202) 358-4043.

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