The Government Accountability Office has urged NASA to establish measurable performance targets and document its assessment of the Center for the Advancement of Science in Space’s performance in the International Space Station program.Shelby Oakley, acting director for acquisition and sourcing management at GAO, said in her testimony Friday before a House panel that the recommendations aim to support CASIS’s efforts to drive ISS utilization and returns on investment.
Oakley told the House Committee on Science, Space and Technology’s subcommittee on space that ISS costs are projected to increase by nearly 53 percent from fiscal year 2015 to reach $4 billion in fiscal 2020.
CASIS, a nonprofit that oversees non-NASA scientific research on the ISS National Laboratory, has reported challenges due to increased demand for the use of facilities and crew time as well as increased costs following recent launch failures and delays in the cargo resupply mission, Oakley said.
She noted that the measurable targets for performance and documentation of NASA’s assessments of CASIS’s work will help the space agency determine if utilization and ROI goals are achieved.
