What Do People Misunderstand About NASA?

Most people think NASA is all about rockets and space. It is to a degree, but it's really more about open science. 

NASA gets a lot of criticism for being slow. The slowness is intentional. Science is slow. Things need to be validated and tested, and the stakes are high. 

Other space firms move quicker, but their motives are different. NASA isn't driven by profit. It's driven by accurate science, trust, and credibility. For federal institutions, whose reputation rests on being right, mistakes carry more weight. When the bedrock falls, who can you trust?