United States Government Publishing Office publisher pbl distributor dst United States Government Accountability Office author aut Government Organization text government publication eng GAOREPORTS Legislative Agency Publications gao legislative 2010-08-12 U.S. Government Printing Office 2003-10-29 monographic deposited born digital 15 p. GA 1.13:GAO-04-201T https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/GAOREPORTS-GAO-04-201T P0b002ee1803a1226 f:d04201t DGPO 2010-08-12 2011-03-28 GAOREPORTS-GAO-04-201T machine generated eng fdlp REPORT GAOREPORTS-GAO-04-201T GAO-04-201T Agency missions Internal controls Investigations by federal agencies Performance measures Safety regulation Safety standards Space exploration Cost estimates NASA International Space Station Program Testimony A08781 Since its inception, the International Space Station has experienced numerous problems that have resulted in significant cost growth and assembly schedule slippages. Following the Columbia accident and the subsequent grounding of the shuttle fleet in February 2003, concerns about the future of the space station escalated, as the fleet has been key to the station's assembly and operations. In August 2003, the Columbia Accident Investigation Board drew a causal link between aggressive space station goals--supported by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA) current culture--and the accident. Specifically, the Board reported that, in addition to technical failures, Columbia's safety was compromised in part by internal pressures to meet an ambitious launch schedule to achieve certain space station milestones. This testimony discusses the implications of the shuttle fleet's grounding on the space station's schedule and cost, and on the program's partner funding and agreements--findings we reported on in September 2003. The testimony also proposes a framework for providing NASA and the Congress with a means to bring about and assess needed cultural changes across the agency. https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-GAO-04-201T/html/GAOREPORTS-GAO-04-201T.htm https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-GAO-04-201T/pdf/GAOREPORTS-GAO-04-201T.pdf GAO-04-201T https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/GAOREPORTS-GAO-04-201T Testimony GAO-04-201T; NASA: Shuttle Fleet's Safe Return to Flight Is Key to Space Station Progress; Agency missions Internal controls Investigations by federal agencies Performance measures Safety regulation Safety standards Space exploration Cost estimates NASA International Space Station Program