United States Government Publishing Office publisher pbl distributor dst United States Government Accountability Office National Security and International Affairs Division author aut Government Organization text government publication eng GAOREPORTS Legislative Agency Publications gao legislative 2010-08-12 U.S. Government Printing Office 1993-12-29 monographic deposited born digital GA 1.13:NSIAD-94-24 https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/GAOREPORTS-NSIAD-94-24 P0b002ee1803a3b87 f:ns94024 DGPO 2010-08-12 2011-03-23 GAOREPORTS-NSIAD-94-24 machine generated eng fdlp REPORT GAOREPORTS-NSIAD-94-24 NSIAD-94-24 Aerospace research Agency missions Cost control Future budget projections Scientific research Space exploration Budget cuts Program management Program evaluation Research and development NASA Comet Rendezvous Asteroid Flyby Program NASA Cassini Saturn Probe Program Mariner Mark II Spacecraft NASA Galileo Mission Titan IV Rocket Chapter Report NSIAD A combination of factors led to the cancellation of the Comet Rendezvous Asteroid Flyby (CRAF) program, which was developing spacecraft to observe comets and asteroids traveling through the solar system. In addition, the original scientific capabilities of the Cassini program, which plans a 1997 mission to study Saturn, have been pared back. First, a huge increase in estimated costs forced the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) to drop an important experiment--the comet nucleus penetrator. Second, congressional budget cuts for fiscal years 1992 and 1993 prompted a two-year schedule extension and a significant boost in estimated costs. CRAF was canceled without thoroughly examining whether its scope and that of Cassini could have been reduced in order to preserve both missions. Even with the termination of CRAF, NASA doubts whether its future budgets can handle all of its planned ongoing projects. As a result, NASA has been restructuring the Cassini project to further reduce costs. The Cassini project is now meeting its new costs and schedule goals, and NASA plans to exceed its new science goals. Several factors still threaten Cassini's future, however, including uncertainties about whether a new, more powerful solid rocket motor will be ready in time for the spacecraft's launch. https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-NSIAD-94-24/html/GAOREPORTS-NSIAD-94-24.htm GAO/NSIAD-94-24 https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/GAOREPORTS-NSIAD-94-24 Chapter Report GAO/NSIAD-94-24; Space Science: Causes and Impacts of Cutbacks to NASA's Outer Solar System Exploration Missions; Aerospace research Agency missions Cost control Future budget projections Scientific research Space exploration Budget cuts Program management Program evaluation Research and development NASA Comet Rendezvous Asteroid Flyby Program NASA Cassini Saturn Probe Program Mariner Mark II Spacecraft NASA Galileo Mission Titan IV Rocket