APPLICABILITY.

a. This directive applies to NASA Headquarters and Centers, including Component Facilities, and to the Jet Propulsion Laboratory to the extent defined in its contract, for all software activities initiated by NASA after the effective date of this directive. This directive applies to software activities initiated by NASA prior to the effective date when determined by either the responsible Official-in-Charge of the sponsoring Mission Directorate, Mission Support Office, or the Center Director of the implementing Center.

b. For purposes of release under NPR 2210.1, this Directive is applicable to the release of all unclassified software: (1) created exclusively by, or jointly with, NASA employees as part of their official duties; (2) created by a non-federal party where intellectual property rights to the software have been assigned to the U.S. Government, or licensed to the Government with the right to grant sublicenses; or (3) in the lawful possession of NASA, except as otherwise provided in Section P.2 of NPR 2210.1.

c. Definitions:

Software - as used in this NPD means computer programs, procedures, rules, and associated documentation and data pertaining to the development and operation of a computer system. Software also includes COTS, GOTS, MOTS, embedded software, reuse, heritage, legacy, auto generated code, firmware (instructions, logic, or associated data loaded into programmable devices), and open source software components. Note that only for purposes of the NASA Software Release program, the term "software," as utilized in NPR 2210.1, does not include computer databases nor software documentation.

Software activities - as used in this NPD includes software management, engineering, acquisition, creation, assurance, maintenance, and release.

Definitions for the terms COTS, GOTS, heritage software, MOTS, legacy software, software reuse, and classes of software are provided in NPR 7150.2.