A has not been the authoritative source for .GOV for a while.
Check G.ROOT-SERVERS.NET.
Check WHOIS, it lists a.root-servers.net as a name server.
Registrant:
Government (US Federal) top-level domain (GOV-DOM)
General Services Administration
Center for Electronic Messaging Technologies
1800 F Street, NW
Washington, DC 20405
Domain Name: GOV
Administrative Contact, Technical Contact, Zone Contact:
Borgoyne, Gary (GB260) gary.borgoyne@FED.GOV
202-501-6824 202-501-1337
Record last updated on 02-Oct-97.
Record created on 01-Jan-85.
Database last updated on 21-Sep-98 04:08:47 EDT.
Domain servers in listed order:
A.ROOT-SERVERS.NET 198.41.0.4
H.ROOT-SERVERS.NET 128.63.2.53
B.ROOT-SERVERS.NET 128.9.0.107
C.ROOT-SERVERS.NET 192.33.4.12
D.ROOT-SERVERS.NET 128.8.10.90
E.ROOT-SERVERS.NET 192.203.230.10
I.ROOT-SERVERS.NET 192.36.148.17
F.ROOT-SERVERS.NET 192.5.5.241
G.ROOT-SERVERS.NET 192.112.36.4
whois: whois.nic.gov
web: www.nic.gov
email: registrar@nic.gov
To see this host record with registered users, repeat the command with
a star ('*') before the name; or, use '%' to show JUST the registered users.
The InterNIC Registration Services database contains ONLY
non-military and non-US Government Domains and contacts.
Other associated whois servers:
American Registry for Internet Numbers - whois.arin.net
European IP Address Allocations - whois.ripe.net
Asia Pacific IP Address Allocations - whois.apnic.net
US Military - whois.nic.mil
US Government - whois.nic.gov
Besides even if it wasn't also server the domain, the root-servers
should still return the NS records of the servers that are
servering top-level domains.
See for example the DIG for the SG top level domain.
# dig @198.41.0.4 sg. ns
; <<>> DiG 2.2 <<>> @198.41.0.4 sg. ns
; (1 server found)
;; res options: init recurs defnam dnsrch
;; got answer:
;; ->>HEADER<<- opcode: QUERY, status: NOERROR, id: 10
;; flags: qr rd; Ques: 1, Ans: 5, Auth: 0, Addit: 5
;; QUESTIONS:
;; sg, type = NS, class = IN
;; ANSWERS:
sg. 172800 NS DNSSEC1.SINGNET.COM.sg.
sg. 172800 NS AUTH02.NS.UU.NET.
sg. 172800 NS NS.RIPE.NET.
sg. 172800 NS DS.NIC.NET.sg.
sg. 172800 NS NS1.PACIFIC.NET.sg.
;; ADDITIONAL RECORDS:
DNSSEC1.SINGNET.COM.sg. 172800 A 165.21.83.11
AUTH02.NS.UU.NET. 172800 A 198.6.1.82
NS.RIPE.NET. 172800 A 193.0.0.193
DS.NIC.NET.sg. 172800 A 202.42.194.205
NS1.PACIFIC.NET.sg. 172800 A 192.169.33.3
;; Total query time: 253 msec
;; FROM: drgate.dra.com to SERVER: 198.41.0.4
;; WHEN: Mon Sep 21 18:58:24 1998
;; MSG SIZE sent: 20 rcvd: 237