Retiring the Space Shuttle
- NASA faces numerous challenges in its planning for the retirement of the Space Shuttle in 2011. The Space Shuttle has two flights remaining scheduled, and the NASA Authorization Act of 2010 provided authorization for a third flight. These challenges include managing the overall workforce, disposing of property and equipment, completing environmental cleanup, and sustaining the International Space Station (ISS).
- The agency needs to ensure that critical skills within NASA’s workforce and its suppliers can be retained until work related to the shuttle is completed, and to provide a follow-on Space Launch System. This is not a trivial task: More than 230 of the Space Shuttle program’s 1,500 or so active suppliers are considered critical “single-source suppliers” (that is, suppliers for items—parts/materials—or providers of services for which there is no direct or immediate replacement available).
- NASA has begun planning for disposing of approximately 1 million Space Shuttle equipment items while ensuring that all useful items are transferred to human space flight programs or other NASA programs and that excess items are disposed in a manner that protects the interests of the government.
- NASA’s Office of Inspector General recently reported significant weaknesses in the disposal processes for Space Shuttle-related IT equipment, such as failing to removing sensitive information from the equipment before disposal. Some of these weaknesses resulted in the inappropriate release of NASA data regarding Space Shuttle operations and maintenance procedures.
^ Back to topWhat Needs to Be Done
- GAO has recommended that NASA identify all direct and indirect shuttle transition and retirement costs—including any potential sale proceeds of excess inventory and environmental remediation costs—in its future budget requests. NASA needs to evaluate and establish updated cost estimates for the transition and retirement in order to finalize transition and retirement activities.
^ Back to topKey Reports
Commercial Space Transportation
Development of the Commercial Space Launch Industry Presents Safety Oversight Challenges for FAA and Raises Issues Affecting Federal Roles
GAO-10-286T, Dec 2, 2009
GAO-10-286T, Dec 2, 2009
NASA
Commercial Partners Are Making Progress, but Face Aggressive Schedules to Demonstrate Critical Space Station Cargo Transport Capabilities
GAO-09-618, Jun 16, 2009
GAO-09-618, Jun 16, 2009
Property Management
NASA's Goal of Increasing Equipment Reutilization May Fall Short without Further Efforts
GAO-09-187, Jan 30, 2009
More Reports GAO-09-187, Jan 30, 2009
