International Space Station: Significant Challenges May Limit Onboard Research
GAO-10-9
Published: Nov 25, 2009. Publicly Released: Dec 22, 2009.
Skip to Highlights
Highlights
In 2010, after about 25 years of work and the expenditure of billions of dollars, the International Space Station (ISS) will be completed. According to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the ISS crew will then be able to redirect its efforts from assembling the station to conducting research. In 2005, Congress designated the ISS as a national laboratory; in addition, the NASA Authorization Act of 2008 required NASA to provide a research management plan for the ISS National Laboratory. In light of these developments, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) was asked to review the research use of the ISS. Specifically, GAO (1) identified how the ISS is being used for research and how it is expected to be used once completed, (2) identified challenges to maximizing ISS research; and (3) identified common management practices at other national laboratories and large science programs that could be applicable to the management of the ISS. To accomplish this, GAO interviewed NASA officials and reviewed key documents related to the ISS. GAO also studied two ground-based national laboratories and several large science institutions.
Recommendations
Recommendations for Executive Action
| Agency Affected | Recommendation | Status |
|---|---|---|
| National Aeronautics and Space Administration | If the Administration and NASA decide to retire the station in 2015 and to continue utilizing the ISS without increasing resources, the NASA Administrator should further develop online ISS information materials to provide easy access to details about laboratory facilities, opportunities presented by microgravity, available research hardware, resource constraints, and the results of all past ISS research, including successes and failures. |
In GAO 10-9, GAO was asked to look at the utilization of International Space Station (ISS) research facilities out of concern that the station's facilities were not being fully utilized. GAO identified shortfalls in NASA's outreach efforts to potential researchers or other users of the ISS. GAO assessed content available on the websites of other U.S. national laboratories, and recommended that NASA take steps to improve its online resources to allow potential users to better identify opportunities to conduct research onboard ISS and the available facilities. Subsequent to that report, NASA assembled a team to assess the websites for several U.S. national laboratories, and restructured the ISS home page to include additional content for potential ISS users. This website content went live in the fall of 2010. We believe the actions NASA has taken make the website more useful and accessible, and will improve user outreach and education, and will help broaden the user community.
|
| National Aeronautics and Space Administration | If the Administration and NASA decide to retire the station in 2015 and to continue utilizing the ISS without increasing resources, the NASA Administrator should, as information develops, inform users on how launch capabilities will be provided to users of the ISS, including how regular these launches will be and what the cost will be (if any) to the users. |
In the fall of 2010, subsequent to GAO's recommendation, NASA conducted a redesign of its website and included a link to its Consolidated Flight Schedule that provides information on launch opportunities. GAO believes that easy access to this information will improve the ability of potential researchers to plan and develop upcoming research, and thus enhance ISS utilization.
|
| National Aeronautics and Space Administration | If the Administration and NASA decide to retire the station in 2015 and to continue utilizing the ISS without increasing resources, the NASA Administrator should, if full utilization of available USOS facilities on board the ISS is not possible, consider sharing excess research capacity with the international partners on a quid pro quo basis. |
NASA officials stated that the ISS program plans to fully utilize the available up and down mass, as well as the on-orbit resource capabilities. However, as part of the annual tactical planning process the Program allows all international partners to use excess capacity if and when it is projected to be available. NASA's most current tactical planning document from July 2010 includes NASA and international partner use projections. According to NASA, it is in the process of competitively establishing a non-profit organization to manage the U.S. National (non-NASA) uses of the ISS consistent with with direction in the President's FY2011 Budget to Congress. NASA officials stated that if excess research capacity is available from the U.S. share, NASA plans to employ this "excess research capacity" via the U.S. National non-profit organization. However, NASA officials stated that in the unlikely event that the non-profit organization fails to utilize the excess capacity, NASA will offer it to the International Partners on a quid pro quo basis.
|
| National Aeronautics and Space Administration | If the administration and NASA decide to extend ISS operations beyond 2015 and to provide the resources required for enhanced utilization of the ISS research facilities, the NASA Administrator should implement the first three steps recommended above. |
This recommendation is closed based on a review of the now live NASA ISS website.
|
| National Aeronautics and Space Administration | If the administration and NASA decide to extend ISS operations beyond 2015 and to provide the resources required for enhanced utilization of the ISS research facilities, the NASA Administrator should establish a body that centrally oversees U.S. ISS research decision making, including the selection of all U.S. research to be conducted on board and ensuring that all U.S. ISS research is meritorious and valid. This body should also be able to strategically prioritize research proposed by many potential sponsors. |
As directed by the President's 2011 Budget to Congress, NASA is in the process of establishing a non-profit organization (NPO) through a competitive process to manage the U.S. National (non-NASA) uses of the ISS. An acquisition strategy was approved by the Agency in April 2010, and is in review with the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) at this time. NASA studied management models and draft the cooperative agreement notice language. NASA anticipates starting the cooperative agreement competition this fall and awarding the NPO agreement during the 3rd Quarter of FY 2011; transitioning management to the NPO during the 4th Quarter of FY 2011.
|
| National Aeronautics and Space Administration | If the administration and NASA decide to extend ISS operations beyond 2015 and to provide the resources required for enhanced utilization of the ISS research facilities, the NASA Administrator should ensure that potential and actual ISS users have access to scientific or technical expertise, either in-house or external, in the areas of research relevant to the ISS that can provide assistance to users as required. |
In 2011, NASA awarded a cooperative agreement with the Center for the Advancement of Science in Space Inc. (CASIS) to manage the ISS National Laboratory. As part of this agreement, CASIS will provide for collaboration with subject matter experts to ensure successful experiments, in part through its 25 implementation partners. These partners are companies that are able to provide support services to potential ISS researchers, including access to a large repository of previous space experiments; collaboration with experienced payload developers and other subject matter experts; access to state-of-the-art facilities; and coordination and collaboration with the priniciple investigators to ensure overall project success. GAO believes NASA's agreement with CASIS to provide this type of expertise will help maximize utilization of the ISS National Laboratory and therefore meets the intent of our recommendation.
|
| National Aeronautics and Space Administration | If the Administration and NASA decide to retire the station in 2015 and to continue utilizating the ISS without increasing resources, the NASA Administrator should develop and implement a plan to broaden and enhance ongoing outreach to potential users, including those in the commercial sector, with consideration given to the tight time frames for the ISS. |
NASA officials told GAO that the agency has continued to broaden outreach efforts through the generation and distribution of the Research in Space Facilities on the International Space Station publication, which describes all the research facilities on the ISS, as well as some research results highlights. According to NASA, this document has been distributed to thousands of prospective users of the ISS, and includes points of contact for each participating ISS partner agency. Further, NASA officials state that they and the ISS partner agencies are continuing with outreach efforts by recently publishing The Era of International Space Station Utilization: Perspectives on Strategy From International Research Leaders report. NASA states that this document was developed by international research leaders, including both ISS and non-ISS investigators. It describes specific potential scientific areas of study that can occurr onboard the ISS and the benefits to ISS research. NASA states that this report will be posted to its website and distributed to prospective users of the ISS. Since GAO 10-9 was issued, NASA states it has established new agreements with the Defense Advanced Research Program Agency and the National Science Foundation, as well as with Boeing, Microsoft, and Lego. They added that agreements are in the works with multiple university researchers and one private firm at this time. New NASA resarch announcements have been announced in Crew Health and Performance and Materials Science in the past few months. There are upcoming NASA research announcments from the Science Mission Directorate for Research Opportunitites in Space and Earth Sciencies. They added that the Explorer 2010 Stand Alone Missions of Opportunity Notice will list ISS as an acceptable platform. Additionally, the National Lab office has posted a Broad Agency Announcment entitled Enabling Support Equipment and Services for International Space Station (ISS) as a National Lab. The BAA is focused on the commercial sector use of ISS, and will be updated annually. NASA officials stated that the agency will continue to issue new NRA's as consistent with future funding availability. NASA officials stated that the agency has added the capability to deploy CubeSats from various expendable vehicles including the ISS commercial cargo resupply missions as another means of opening up the opportunity for space flight research to a larger group. Finally, NASA also held its first ISS Research Academy for new ISS researchers, a 3-day event that explained the science that can be done on the ISS, research funding opportunties and how to apply for funding, and the process for working on the ISS. There were over 270 attendees at this event.
|
Full Report
Topics
Facility constructionFacility maintenanceFacility managementLaboratoriesOperations researchResearch and developmentResearch and development facilitiesResearch program managementResearch programsSpace explorationUtilization managementUtilization reviewSpace operations