Reply #9: Depends on the security clearance [View All]

Possession of the card in and of itself most likely wouldn't have prevented the incident. However, the goal of the program is to conduct security clearance investigations comparable to those DOD employees already go through to provide some insurance the owner of the card can be trusted to have access in the first place. It's not a perfect system and someone could easily pass the clearance and snap under stress some time later like the JSC shooter did. Even so, it at least provides a basic level of investigation that will likely screen out some of the most likely security threats.

Contrary to the assertions of the article, the security investigation NASA employees will be subjected to is pretty cursory. It's roughly equivalent to the investigation DOD employees go through for a secret clearance. This requires filling out a form listing past addresses and people who can verify the individual actually lived there. The form also includes questions about friends or family members living overseas who may provide a motive in some way for foreign espionage and questions about past legal or financial troubles a foreign power could use to intimidate the individual. An investigator may call some of the contacts the applicant provides to verify he or she is who he/she says. DOD employees and contractors with higher levels of clearance are subject to a much more thorough investigation including personal interviews, but the average NASA employee would not be subject to anything this detailed.