'Arrested US scientist had no access to ISRO data'

The arrest of Stewart David Nozette, a senior National Aeronautics and Space Administration scientist who played a key role in India's first moon mission Chandrayaan-1, has shocked space scientists in both India and the United States.

Nozette, who played a key role in Chandrayaan finding evidence of water on the moon, was arrested by the Federal Bureau of Investigation on charges of spying for Israel.

However, scientists at the Indian Space Research Organisation told rediff.com that no important information regarding India's space research could have been leaked by Nozette, since he didn't have access to such data.

Nozette, 52, had visited Bengaluru twice and interacted with ISRO scientists who were working on Chandrayaan-1. However, he didn't have access to any critical data during these visits, ISRO officials told rediff.com.

ISRO follows a strict security protocol for foreign scientists and hence there is no cause for concern, said S Satish, spokesperson for the space research agency.

"We have a very good security system in place and we ensure that no important or critical data is made available to foreign scientists," he said.

When queried whether ISRO had any intention of enhancing security measures, Satish responded that the current system was sufficient and there was no cause for worry. "We have in the past and will in the future ensure that no sensitive information is leaked out," he said.

 "While Nozette was visiting Bengaluru, senior scientists of the ISRO always accompanied him and there is no way in which he could have accessed any critical data. We also ensured complete security compliance at all times," he added.

A senior scientist, on the condition of anonymity, said that when a foreign scientist visits ISRO, their passport details and other travel documents are verified. "However, we cannot probe the antecedents of a scientist who has been sent by another organisation. However, we ensure that no important data is available to him. Our security and information is not compromised at any point of time," he said.

He, however, added that ISRO scientists would hold discussions about the recent developments and develop a more stringent screening process in the future.