NASA disputes a BBC report that a computer hacker put space shuttle astronauts' lives at risk in 1997.
NASA disputed a British Broadcasting Corporation report that a computer hacker put space shuttle astronauts' lives at risk in 1997 by overloading its communications system.
"News reports that a computer hacker endangered the lives of space shuttle astronauts during a 1997 mission are wrong," the US space agency said in a statement Monday.
"There has never been an interruption of communications service with the shuttle due to computer hacker attacks," NASA said. "The command and control communications links between Mission Control and a space shuttle in orbit are extremely well insulated."
NASA Inspector General Roberta Gross told the BBC program "Panorama" that a hacker interfered with computer systems monitoring the heartbeat, pulse and medical conditions of the shuttle crew as it docked with the Russian Mir space station.
There was some hacker activity
"We had an activity at a NASA center where a hacker was overloading our systems ... to such an extent that it interfered with communications between the NASA center, some medical communications and the astronauts aboard the shuttle," Gross said.
Although NASA had backup communication systems, the incident "shows the potential that hackers have for doing some real damage to NASA's mission and astronaut safety," she said.
The NASA statement acknowledged that Gross' office found the transmission of routine medical information was "slightly delayed due to a computer hacker" during the September 1997 mission.
But the agency said the transmission was successfully completed. It said the interruption occurred between internal ground-based computer systems.
"At no time was communication between NASA and the astronauts compromised," NASA said.
"Panorama" interviewed Gross as part of an investigation into how Internet and computer systems have become the vulnerable spots in the defenses of Western nations.
