This is a step forward. Earlier NASA open-source had to be released only on open channel:

http://www.openchannelsoftware.com/cosmic/

This is not workable because it wasn't possible for non-NASA developers to contribute back.

This one-way system resulted in other software being released piecemeal, outside the above process, e.g.

http://oodt.apache.org/

Doing even this took a lot of work.

I bet a Fortran unit testing framework is something the HN readership has been waiting for.

This optimization framework caught my eye: https://github.com/nasa/OpenMDAO-Framework

I'm always on the lookout for science-related Python projects from name-brand places, as well as projects that use Enthought's Traits library. (I would prefer to do my work in Python most of the time, but the powers-that-be insist on Matlab, so I'm trying to compile use examples as ammunition..).

If you liked that, then check out this ESA project, Space Trajectory Analysis: http://sourceforge.net/projects/sta/

It really needs a better UI but the possibilites are endless - you can design your own space missions, flybys, moonshots, anything really.

Is that.. bootstrap?!

It is.

It is!

It is Bootstrap's Bootstraps.

this one looks particularly interesting http://goworldwind.org/features/

- free maps

- crossplatform

It can calculate Terrain conforming shapes, volumes anad airspaces and line of sight

Open source Constellation.

This is great. It would be nice if there was a "project description" field however in addition to the names: [http://code.nasa.gov/projects/].

The projects are fairly esoteric and span a broad range of fields:

* Conflict Prevention Bands

* General Mission Analysis Tool (GMAT) version 2011A

* Goddard Satellite Data Simulation Unit

Any stellar constellation software recommended?

I looked around the links but unfortunately there wasn't any stellar constellation software. Could anyone recommend an open source software which is able to compute constellations (visible from earth) of arbitrary history which absolute accuracy?

Not quite what you're looking for, but there is Spice.

http://naif.jpl.nasa.gov/naif/toolkit.html

It is used for general astrometry (coordinate frame transfer and time references). It also can help you point your camera in the right spot as it can model relativity. AGI's STK is basically a wrapper around this JPL product.

Thanks, I'll have a long close look at it.

I hope they release a lot of cool libraries that we can repurpose. Physics engines?

Most of those aren't actually done at NASA, but at university centers with NASA funding and are already open source. Typically they are large, monolithic, un-extensible Fortran 77 programs though :(

wasn't openstack a Nasa project?

Collaboration I think. It was for NASA's cloud infrastructure called 'Nebula'. Those developers have moved on and have now started 2 new companies.