LAST week, Babbage reported on a row over a decision by NASA, citing new American laws, to ban Chinese researchers from a forthcoming conference on extra-solar planets. A similar story appeared in this week's print edition of The Economist. Appalled by the ban, several prominent scientists said they would be boycotting the meeting.
Now Charles Bolden, NASA's boss, has proclaimed the entire thing a mistake. The ban came from "mid-level managers" with an excess of zeal, he said. But it is, perhaps, an understandable error. America has long been anxious about keeping secret its activities in space. Its export rules make discussing even trivial details of American spacecraft with foreigners a crime.
China's space program provokes particular worry. Those middle managers were responding to a law passed at the behest of Frank Wolf, a Republican congressman who chairs the committee that overseas NASA, that bans NASA from cooperating with the Chinese government or any Chinese firms. Mr Wolf (who has long argued that Chinese spying represents a significant threat) has pointed out that the law says nothing about Chinese individuals. But a rumour earlier in the year that a Chinese NASA contractor had been spying (he was more interested in pornography than state secrets, it seems) fuelled the paranoia, leading Mr Bolden to issue a blanket ban on visitors from China (among a few other countries) at NASA facilities. That ban has now been lifted. But the distrustful atmosphere persists.
With Mr Bolden's intervention confirming that Chinese researchers are welcome after all, the scientists that had planned to boycott the conference will now be attending. But in a final, ironic twist, the Chinese may still not be able to go. America's government remains on enforced leave, meaning that there are no functionaries at NASA to process their applications. With the conference due to start on November 4th, there isn't much time left.