3
$\begingroup$

As this question is more about resources to ask/answer questions than actual space exploration, I am asking it on meta. Feel free to adjust tags as appropriate.

The NASA Technical Reports Server allows searching from three databases:

  • NASA STI (536297)
  • NACA (14612)
  • NIX (466225)

The first is obviously NASA's own document collection. The second is NASA's predecessor agency, the National Advisory Committee on Aeronautics.

What is NIX? I usually have it unchecked; does it have any documents that would reasonably help ask or answer a question?

$\endgroup$

2 Answers 2

Reset to default
3
$\begingroup$

NIX doesn't really exist any more. It was one of the many redundant image sites NASA had, specifically one hosted at Langley. It used to look like this.

enter image description here

(internet archive link)

Note that the weblink today doesn't go anywhere.

enter image description here

I haven't tested them all, but results found through checking the NIX option on ntrs generally result in broken links.

enter image description here

enter image description here

enter image description here

$\endgroup$
8
  • 1
    $\begingroup$ Thanks. The NTRS site currently has a banner that they are improving the search abilities. Hopefully they will follow through on that. $\endgroup$
    – DrSheldon
    Jun 7, 2020 at 16:17
  • $\begingroup$ Do any of the NIX results have Wayback Machine archive pages? Because it still might be useful in that case. $\endgroup$
    – called2voyage Mod
    Jun 8, 2020 at 11:24
  • $\begingroup$ @called2voyage no, the backend servers are gone. Internet Archive didn't capture all that stuff. $\endgroup$
    – Organic Marble
    Jun 8, 2020 at 13:37
  • 1
    $\begingroup$ @OrganicMarble Hmm, I had a moment to try myself, and the very first search result I got from NIX was in the Internet Archive. They may not have captured all of it, but it may still be useful. $\endgroup$
    – called2voyage Mod
    Jun 8, 2020 at 15:18
  • $\begingroup$ @called2voyage I searched for 'wind tunnel' and got a 404. YMMV $\endgroup$
    – Organic Marble
    Jun 8, 2020 at 15:19
  • $\begingroup$ I'm getting about a one out of five ratio on hits in the Internet Archive. So there's a lot missing but there's a good amount there. $\endgroup$
    – called2voyage Mod
    Jun 8, 2020 at 15:21
  • $\begingroup$ You're right about wind tunnel though, the top 10 are all absent from the Internet Archive $\endgroup$
    – called2voyage Mod
    Jun 8, 2020 at 15:23
  • $\begingroup$ Odd considering it was hosted at Langley ¯_(ツ)_/¯ $\endgroup$
    – Organic Marble
    Jun 8, 2020 at 15:39
1
$\begingroup$

According to NASA itself,

The NASA Image eXchange (NIX) is a web-based search engine for simultaneously searching one or more of NASA's online image and photo collections.

As the saying goes, a picture is worth a thousand words, so they might be helpful (if you can't find an appropriate picture in any other way). But YMMV ...

$\endgroup$
2
  • $\begingroup$ YMMV: "written abbreviation for your mileage may vary: used, for example on social media and in text messages and emails, to mean that you understand people may have a different opinion or experience to yours" from dictionary.cambridge.org. $\endgroup$
    – uhoh
    Jun 6, 2020 at 23:18
  • $\begingroup$ This information is out of date and incorrect. Note that the NIX link in your reference ends up at ntrs. NASA is very bad at keeping their web sites current. $\endgroup$
    – Organic Marble
    Jun 7, 2020 at 15:43

You must log in to answer this question.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged .