The International Space Station - The Cost Of Waiting

The shutdown of the shuttle program had a number of operational and cost effects on the ISS. In 2003 the General Accounting Office (now the Government Accountability Office, an investigatory agency of the U.S. Congress) released a report titled Space Station: Impact of the Grounding of the Shuttle Fleet. The report noted that modules and other equipment already ready to fly to the ISS would have to be unpacked, undergo maintenance, be repacked, and retested prior to flight. Batteries had to be recharged due to prolonged storage. All of these problems resulted in unexpected costs in NASA's ISS program.

Grounding the shuttle also had negative effects on ISS research projects. NASA had planned to launch three major research facilities to the station during 2003. Onboard experiments must be conducted using existing facilities. However, some of this equipment needs to be replaced or repaired, particularly refrigeration and freezer units in the science section. These units have suffered some failures. NASA had planned to replace them during 2003 with the launch of a new and larger cold-temperature facility.

The GAO also found that shuttle delays affect the safety of the ISS. NASA had planned to transport a new on-orbit gyro to the station in March 2003 to replace a broken unit. The station includes four gyros that maintain the structure's orbital stability and permit navigational control. NASA scientists fear that problems could arise in the station's three remaining working gyros during a prolonged delay in shuttle flights. NASA had also planned to finish installing shielding on the Russian module Zvezda during 2003. Zvezda houses the ISS expedition crews. The module is supposed to be covered with twenty-three shielded panels to protect it from impacts by space debris. Only six panels have been installed so far. Every day that goes by without the additional shielding increases the risk that the module could be struck and damaged by debris.

Shuttle delays also affect America's ISS partners. The original cost-sharing plan was worked out in the 1998 Agreement among the Government of Canada, Governments of Member States of the European Space Agency, the Government of Japan, the Government of the Russian Federation, and the Government of the United States of America Concerning Cooperation on the Civil International Space Station. This plan calls for NASA to pay the entire cost for ground operations and common supplies for the station. NASA is then reimbursed by the partner countries for their shares depending on their level of participation. Partner countries also fund operations and maintenance for any elements they contribute to the ISS, any research activities they conduct, and a share of common operating expenses. The GAO concluded that these costs would have to be adjusted as the shuttle fleet remained grounded and planned activities were cancelled.

The GAO estimates that the United States spent $32 billion on the ISS between 1985 and 2002.