    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: William J. Clinton (1993, Book I)]
    [June 17, 1993]
    [Page 876]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    [[Page 876]]

    Statement on the Space Station Program
    June 17, 1993

        At a time when our long-term economic strength depends on our
    technological leadership and our ability to reduce the deficit, we must
    invest in technology but invest wisely, making the best possible use of
    every dollar. That's why I asked for a review of NASA's space station
    program. Concerns over rising costs and mismanagement raised serious
    questions about a program vital to our technological leadership. I
    instructed NASA to redesign the space station program in a way that
    would preserve its critical science and space research and ensure
    international cooperation, but significantly reduce costs and improve
    management.
        NASA has met that challenge, offering a plan that will substantially
    reduce costs to taxpayers, improve management, preserve research, and
    allow the United States to continue to work with its international
    partners and keep its international commitments. That was the conclusion
    of an outstanding panel of independent experts who carefully reviewed
    NASA's proposals. And that is my conclusion as well, after thoroughly
    considering their report and recommendations. It will take not just a
    redesign of the space station but a redesign of NASA itself.
        I am calling for the U.S. to work with our international partners to
    develop a reduced-cost, scaled-down version of the original Space
    Station Freedom. At the same time, I will also seek to enhance and
    expand the opportunities for international participation in the space
    station project so that the space station can serve as a model of
    nations coming together in peaceful cooperation. Finally, I will be
    directing NASA to implement personnel reductions and major management
    changes to cut costs, reduce bureaucracy, and improve efficiency. The
    national performance review team, led by Vice President Gore, has been
    essential in working with NASA to develop these management proposals. We
    are going to redesign NASA at the same time that we redesign the space
    station.
        To make maximum use of our investments and meet the scientific goals
    we have set, the specific design we will pursue will be a simplified
    version of Space Station Freedom recommended by the review panel. We
    will work with Congress, NASA, and our international partners during the
    next 90 days to make the very best use of this design. The details of
    this proposal will be delivered to Congress within the next few days. I
    have asked Dr. John Gibbons, my Science and Technology Adviser, to
    transmit a letter to NASA with more detailed instructions for
    implementing this decision.
        The redesigned program will capitalize on the investments we have
    already made. However, with its deep cuts in future development and
    operations costs, this redesigned program will save more than $4 billion
    over the next 5 years, compared with our assessments of what the real
    costs of funding the planned Space Station Freedom would have been. Over
    the 2-decade life of the program, these savings will grow to more than
    $18 billion.
        There is no doubt that we are facing difficult budget decisions.
    However, we cannot retreat from our obligation to invest in our future.
    Budget cuts alone will not restore our vitality. I believe strongly that
    NASA and the space station program represent important investments in
    that future and that these investments will yield benefits in medical
    research, aerospace, and other critical technology areas. As well, the
    space station is a model of peaceful international cooperation, offering
    a vision of the new world in which confrontation has been replaced with
    cooperation.
        In making this announcement today, I want to recognize the
    extraordinary efforts of all those involved. Vice President Gore and Dr.
    Gibbons assembled an outstanding team of experts, led by Dr. Charles
    Vest, president of MIT, who assessed several cost-saving options
    prepared by NASA. This review included not only the design of the space
    station but also the structure and management of NASA itself. Their work
    and the work of all those at NASA involved in this project has been
    invaluable.