National Aeronautics and Space Administration Should Provide the Congress with More Information on the Pioneer Venus Project

Gao ID: PSAD-77-65 November 7, 1977

Pioneer Venus is a space flight project designed to increase knowledge of our nearest planetary neighbor and to obtain information for solving atmospheric problems on earth. The project involves launching two spacecraft to Venus in 1978.

Costs for the project have grown and technical problems have cropped up in the project. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA'S) quality assurance policy has not been applied in this program. NASA has showing congressional attempted to cooperate with the Soviet Union in joint planetary missions, but the Soviets have chosen to restrict the relationship to one of coordinating planetary goals and exchanging the results of complete missions. European Space Agency participation in the project was anticipated, but never materialized.

Recommendations

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