NASA

Changes to the Scope, Schedule, and Estimated Cost of the Earth Observing System Gao ID: NSIAD-92-223 July 22, 1992

Primarily as a result of congressional direction, NASA restructured the earth observing system program and changed its content, schedule, and estimated cost for most of its activities through fiscal year 2000. The restructuring focused on climatic changes and deleted scientific objectives and instruments related to upper atmosphere studies and measurements of solid earth processes. This reduction in scope was accompanied by an increase in the number of smaller satellites to be launched on a schedule that delays the start of operations for most instruments in the restructured program by a little over two years. Overall, the changes reduced NASA's estimated funding needs by about $5 billion through fiscal year 2000. GAO notes that these changes could potentially harm the restructured program's remaining scientific objectives.

GAO found that: (1) NASA planned for EOS to observe and predict the Earth's changing atmosphere; (2) NASA changed the original scope and timing of EOS to better meet its objectives; (3) NASA has reduced EOS funding estimates through fiscal year 2000; and (4) EOS success depends on NASA ability to arrange development and use of some atmospheric instruments.

Recommendations

Our recommendations from this work are listed below with a Contact for more information. Status will change from "In process" to "Open," "Closed - implemented," or "Closed - not implemented" based on our follow up work.

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