GAO Report GAO-03-1107: Impact of the Grounding of the Shuttle Fleet (Summary)

Full Report (PDF)

What GAO Found

Although the effects of the Columbia accident on the space station are still
being explored, it is clear that the station will cost more, take longer to
complete, and have further delay in the achievement of key research
objectives. Due to the limited payload capacity of Russia’s Soyuz and
Progress vehicles—which the program must now rely on to rotate crew and
provide logistics support—the station is currently in a survival mode. Onorbit
assembly is at a standstill, and the on-board crew has been reduced
from three to two members. NASA officials maintain that delays in on-orbit
assembly will be at least a “month for month” slip from the previous
schedule. However, these delays have presented a number of operational
challenges. For example, several key components that were ready for
launch when the Columbia accident occurred have been idle at Kennedy
Space Center and now require additional maintenance or recertification
before they can be launched. Moreover, certain safety concerns on-board
the station cannot be addressed until the shuttle fleet’s return to flight. The
grounding of the shuttle fleet has also further impeded the advancement of
the program’s science investigations. Specifically, the limited availability of
research facilities and new science materials has constrained on-board
research.

NASA has yet to estimate the potential costs and future budget impacts that
will result from the grounding of the shuttle fleet. Throughout the life of the
program, however, maintaining goals and objectives for the space station
has been a challenge for NASA. NASA has analyzed anticipated costs that the
program will incur to keep a limited crew on board the station until the U.S.
shuttles resume flight, and officials have stated that there would not be
significant changes to the execution of the current budget and that the fiscal
year 2004 budget request would remain at current levels. NASA plans to
continue to develop hardware and deliver station elements to Kennedy
Space Center to be prepared for launch as previously scheduled. However, a
number of factors will likely result in increased costs, including costs to
maintain and store station components and costs for extending contracts.

Important decisions regarding funding and partner agreements still need to
be made. For example, agreements that cover the partners’ responsibility for
shared common operations costs may need to be adjusted, an adjustment
that could result in NASA’s paying a larger share of these costs. In addition,
logistics flights using Russian vehicles may need to be accelerated to ensure
continued operations on-board the station. Russia has stated that additional
flights are possible, but it could need additional funding from the other
partners. However, the United States may be prohibited from providing
certain payments due to a statutory restriction. NASA and its partners must
also develop a plan for assembling the partners’ modules and reaching
agreement on the final station configuration. The partners were on a path to
agree on final configuration by December 2003, but this process has been
delayed by the Columbia accident.

Why GAO Did This Study

In 1998, the National Aeronautics
and Space Administration (NASA)
and its international partners—
Canada, Europe, Japan, and
Russia—began on-orbit assembly
of the International Space Station,
envisioned as a permanently
orbiting laboratory for conducting
scientific research under nearly
weightless conditions. Since its
inception, the program has
experienced numerous problems,
resulting in significant cost growth
and assembly schedule slippages.

Following the loss of Columbia in
February 2003, NASA grounded the
U.S. shuttle fleet, putting the
immediate future of the space
station in doubt, as the fleet, with
its payload capacity, has been key
to the station’s development. If
recent discoveries about the cause
of the Columbia’s disintegration
require that the remaining shuttles
be redesigned or modified, delays
in the fleet’s return to flight could
be lengthy. In light of these
uncertainties, concerns about the
space station’s cost and progress
have grown.

This report highlights the current
status of the program in terms of
on-orbit assembly and research; the
cost implications for the program
with the grounding of the shuttle
fleet; and identifying significant
program management challenges,
especially as they relate to reaching
agreements with the international
partners.

www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-03-1107.
To view the full product, including the scope
and methodology, click on the link above.
For more information, contact Allen Li (202)
512-4841 or LiA@gao.gov.
Highlights of GAO-03-1107 a report to
Chairman, Committee on Commerce,
Science, and Transportation, U.S. Senate