Space Station: Russian Commitment and Cost Control Problems

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO reviewed the status of Russian involvement in the International Space Station (ISS) program, focusing on: (1) the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA) progress in developing contingency plans to mitigate the possibility of Russian nonperformance and the loss or delay of other critical components; (2) NASA's efforts to ensure that Russian quality assurance processes meet the station's safety requirements; and (3) the effectiveness of cost control efforts regarding the prime contract and nonprime activities.