Why do I get a pop-up message about Certificates when I connect to ASRS ERS?

 

A certificate is a way to ensure your browser is connected to a legitimate NASA website and not an imposter website. 

NASA has transitioned to web certificates issued by the NASA Operational Certificate Authority, which in turn is certified through the U.S. Department of Treasury through the Federal Bridge PKI Program.  In order to ensure the web certificates are valid when you visit NASA’s secure websites and to avoid browser warning messages about NASA ASRS websites being “untrusted,” follow the links below.

The following instructions describe how to obtain and view the Department of Treasury Root Certificate and the NASA Operational Certificate Authority certificate in your internet browser. 

To obtain the Certificate, follow the instructions for your web browser.

• Internet Explorer 6 users click here.
• Internet Explorer 7 users click here.
• Firefox users click here.
• Safari users click here.

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I am using IE 7 and it is telling me that there is a problem with this website's security certificate. What should I do?

 

Internet Explorer 7 is incorrectly flagging the site as a security problem. Click YES to allow the site to be opened and/or click on CONTINUE TO THIS WEBSITE.

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Is there a way to turn off the warnings about certificates and security?

 

You can avoid the warnings about certificates by importing the certificate for NASA's certification authority. Instructions are provided here.

The warnings are designed to help prevent you from unknowingly connecting to a website that is not who they claim to be.  Since we cannot know what site you have actually connected to, you will need to make the decision to trust the web certificate or the authority that issued the certificate by taking explicit action on your end. You received the warnings because your browser does not recognize the NASA Operational Certificate Authority as a "trusted" authority by default like it recognizes other common commercial certificate authorities such as VeriSign (used by Amazon.com).  By performing the steps above, you trust that NASA's certificate authority is a valid certificate authority.

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What is supposed to happen after I click the SUBMIT button on the ERS report?

 

Once you click on SUBMIT, you may be prompted in 2 ways. First, if you are missing key identifying information or omitted the Event/Situation section, a message will notify you and confirm that you do not want to enter any such information. Second, you will be alerted to print your report prior to submitting, as the ERS system will purge all report information from your computer after report submission for security reasons. After acknowledging these prompts, the report will be encrypted and submitted to ASRS. Your browser will be redirected to a thank you page containing your verification code. The report submission and thank you page should show up almost instantaneously. If it does not, please check the version of Acrobat® that you are running and upgrade to version 6 or 7. If you do not see a verification code after report submission, please Contact ERS.

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What if I do not see a "thank you" page containing my verification code after submitting a report?

 

The report submission and thank you page should show up almost instantaneously. If it does not, please check the version of Acrobat® that you are running and upgrade to version 6 or 7. If you do not see a verification code after report submission, please Contact ERS.

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I use Mac Safari, but I am unable to submit an ERS report, what do I need to do?

 

For Safari users, Safari and other third party plug-ins are available to view PDF files. However they generally do not support Adobe's version of javascript which is necessary to interact with the ERS reporting system. Please ensure that the following steps have been executed so that you may properly submit ERS Reports.

1. A recent version of Acrobat Reader® (e.g., version 7.0.0) must be installed for your version of OS X. Remove all prior versions of Reader before installing the new version (from http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/main.html ).
   
   
2. Confirm Safari has Adobe® Acrobat® set as its default PDF viewer by going to Help >Installed Plug-Ins. Adobe Acrobat and Reader Plug-In should be set for xdp, pdf, xfdf, xfd, and fdf.
   
3. In Adobe Reader®, under Preferences >Internet Preferences, be sure the "Display PDF in browser using: Adobe Reader 7.0" is set.

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When I click on SUBMIT why does my browser display a blank page?

 

Check your version of Adobe® Acrobat®. We have noticed problems when users have attempted to submit ERS reports through Acrobat 5 or lower. It is strongly advised that you use version 6 or 7 to submit a report. If you do not see a verification code after report submission, please Contact ERS.

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Why does my ERS report display data from a previously entered report?

 

Check your version of Adobe® Acrobat®. You are probably using version 5 or lower. Version 5 of Acrobat has known security flaws. Upgrade to Acrobat version 6 or 7 to prevent your computer from storing your data.

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I have a saved electronic copy of the ERS form. Can I open it up later and submit a report?

 

No. The ERS system is a Web application and runs within a controlled and secured URL. If you attempt to submit the report outside of this environment, the report will not be submitted.

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Can I submit a report from my company’s computer?      

 

It is not advisable to submit reports through a corporate computer. Corporations will have their own firewall and security settings on their computers, which may be set to prevent Adobe® Acrobat® javascripts from being executed. When these firewall and security settings are in place, the transmission of your report may be blocked. We recommend that you use your own personal computer for report submissions.

Always be aware that after submitting your report, a page is displayed with your verification code which indicates the completion of your submission. If you do not see a verification code after report submission, please Contact ERS.

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Can I use a PDF viewer other than Adobe?         

 

No. Adobe® Acrobat Reader® or Professional® are required for ERS. You must also submit the report from within your web browser. While third party tools can view the PDF form, they generally do not support the proprietary Adobe scripting language which is necessary to submit an ERS report. You should either reinstall Adobe Acrobat 6 or 7 and/or set it as the default PDF viewer.

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How do I set up Acrobat Reader to work with ERS? 

 

A default Adobe® Acrobat® installation should already be set up to work with your browser and ERS. However if you have trouble you can check the following:

• To make sure Acrobat runs inside an internet browser (please note menu options may be slightly different depending on the Acrobat version):
• In Acrobat, on the Menu bar, select Edit >Preferences >Internet. Click on display PDF in browser.
  
  
• To confirm Adobe Javascript is enabled:
• In Acrobat, on the Menu bar, select Edit >Preferences >Javascript. Click on Enable Acrobat Javascript.
  
  
• To Make Acrobat the default PDF viewer:
• For Mac: Using Finder, select the PDF file type to change the application association. Then use File/Get Info and set the "Open with ..." and then press the "Change All" button.
  
  
• For PC: Open a File Explorer Window. On the Menu bar, select Tools >Folder Options. Click on the File Types tab. Look for the PDF extension. Click on this row. Towards the bottom it will say "Opens with" followed by the application. Make sure this says Adobe Acrobat. If not, click on the change button and select Adobe Acrobat.

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