A request for agency documents and records pursuant to the FOIA must be in writing and identified as a "Freedom of Information Act" request. The Act requires a requester to provide a reasonable description of the documents or records sought. A reasonable description is one that allows agency employees familiar with the subject matter to locate responsive records with a reasonable amount of effort. Requests that do not meet the reasonable description standard include requests for all records within a broad category, such as requests for "all records NASA Goddard has about me," or "all records concerning NASA Goddard contracts". FOIA requests can also be made online via the E-FOIA page.
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The FOIA does not require a requester to give a reason for requesting agency records.
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There are no fees associated with downloading information from this FOIA website. See Fee Table below for other fees.
| Service | Cost | Detail |
|---|---|---|
| Duplication | $0.10 page | Standard Page |
| $0.15 page | Oversize Page | |
| $0.15 per square foot | Large Format Documents (maps, charts, etc.) | |
| Actual Costs | Disks, Tapes, Photos, etc. | |
| Search & Review |
$3.75 per quarter hour | Clerical |
| $7.50 per quarter hour | Professional | |
| $11.25 per quarter hour | Legal Review | |
| Electronic Records | Actual Costs (NTE $125 per quarter hour) | Computer Search Time and Output |
*A fee total of less than $15.00 will not be charged to the requester.
What are the various requester fee categories?
A requester may be charged a fee for some or all of the NASA Goddard's direct costs. Fees are based on the amount of time it takes to process a request, the number of pages provided, and a requester’s fee category (educational and news media, commercial, or other).
Any requester may ask for a fee waiver. The eligibility of a requester for a fee waiver will vary, depending on the ability to show how the requested information relates to the operations or activities of the government and the means to convey the information to the public. For example, a news media requester may qualify for a fee waiver. In that case, the NASA Goddard may waive in full or in part the chargeable duplication fee. Indigence is not sufficient to qualify for a fee waiver.
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The FOIA provides that an agency will respond in writing within 20 working days of receipt of a request. If a request is sent to the wrong facility, the time for response does not begin until the request is received by the custodian of the records. There are unusual circumstances in which the agency may extend the response period for another ten working days. These include requests that require a search for records from a facility other than the one processing the request, requests that require the search for and review of a large volume of records, and requests that require consultation with another agency or with other agency components having an interest in disclosure.
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Under what circumstances may I receive expedited processing?
A FOIA request will receive expedited processing under two conditions only. In one instance, the requester must demonstrate that the failure to expeditiously obtain the records could reasonably be expected to pose an imminent threat to the life or physical safety of an individual. In the other instance, the requester must demonstrate that he or she is primarily engaged in disseminating information to the public and that the requested information is urgently needed to inform the public about actual or alleged government activity.
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Under what circumstances may records be withheld?
The FOIA requires the release of any requested agency record unless it is protected from disclosure by an exemption(s) in the Act. (See the list of exemptions.) It is the policy of NASA Goddard to make its official records available to the public to the maximum extent consistent with the public interest. If records or parts of records are withheld, you have a right to appeal the denial of your request by writing to the Administrator within 30 days of the date of the denial letter. The letter of appeal should include statements concerning the denial, the reasons why it is believed to be erroneous, and the relief sought, along with copies of the original request, the denial letter, and any other related correspondence. Submit the appeal letter to:
NASA AdministratorNational and Aeronautics Space Administration
Washington DC 20546
What is a PDF file and how do I read it?
PDF stands for Portable Document Format. Adobe developed PDF to provide an easy method to distribute an electronic document across platforms while maintaining the original quality of the document (e.g. fonts, images, etc.). You can read/search/print a PDF file by downloading a free
Adobe Acrobat Reader which is available for numerous platforms (e.g. Windows 3.1/95/NT, Macintosh, DOS, IRIX, LINUX, Solaris, etc.).
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