In 1998, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and its international partners- Canada, Europe, Japan, and Russia-began on-orbit assembly of the International Space Station, envisioned as a permanently orbiting laboratory for conducting scientific research under nearly weightless conditions. Since its inception, the program has experienced numerous problems, resulting in significant cost growth and assembly schedule slippages. Following the loss of Columbia in February 2003, NASA grounded the U.S. shuttle fleet, putting the immediate future of the space station in doubt, as the fleet, with its payload capacity, has been key to the station's development. This report highlights the current status of the program in terms of on-orbit assembly and research; the cost implications for the program with the grounding of the shuttle fleet; and identifying significant program management challenges, especially as they relate to reaching agreements with the international partners.
Space Station: Impact of the Grounding of the Shuttle Fleet
2003
32 pages
Report
No indication
English
Unmanned Spacecraft , Space Launch Vehicles & Support Equipment , Manned Spacecraft , Aeronautics , International space station , Project planning , Space flight , Space shuttles , Tables(Data) , Research , Management , NASA space programs , Columbia(Orbiter) , Space shuttle missions , Space shuttle payloads , Laboratories , Costs , Space station , Revisions , Modification , Delays , National Aeronautics and Space Administration(NASA) , GAO reports
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