[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.