Jul 24 1996
From The Space Library
As Congress prepared to vote on NASA's budget, Thomas J. Shulz of the U.S. General Accounting Office (GAO) testified before a U.S. Senate committee that NASA would likely exceed its projected budget for constructing the International Space Station (ISS) and making it operational. NASA refuted the claim. GAO's report suggested that NASA had made unrealistic cost estimates and that its system to monitor costs and schedule was inadequate. The report also outlined GAO's concerns about Russia's continued commitment to the ISS endeavor. Shulz testified that "in a worst-case situation, these issues could threaten the future of the program, especially if they result in significantly higher cost estimates and substantial schedule delays." NASA's spokesperson on the issue Wilbur C. Trafton defended NASA's projected budget and its relationship with Russia. Trafton pointed out that Vice President Albert A. Gore Jr. and NASA Administrator Daniel S. Goldin had procured a new agreement during a July meeting in Russia, indicating the solidity of the partnership between the United States and Russia. GAO's critique occurred against the backdrop of the continuing quest during the mid-1990s to make NASA more cost effective.
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