Slide 55 of 99
Notes:
The Sun sets on the Space Station “Fred” project.
Although the 1991 redesign greatly enhanced NASA's capability to actually
build and launch the Space Station, the project continued to be unpopular
with politicians and scientists. In May 1991, a House Appropriations
subcommittee voted to terminate the project although the full House of
Representatives reversed the decision a month later. The project received its
full $2.03-billion Fiscal 1992 budget, but only after some other NASA
projects were cancelled. The Station dodged another bullet in August 1992
when an amendment to cancel the project failed, 181-237. NASA then had to
absorb a $150-million Space Station budget reduction in Fiscal 1993 as the
project entered its early flight hardware production phase. NASA was now
forced to slip the first launch by four months into 1996 while the man-tended
Space Station operations phase would be delayed by six months. The
capability to support a permanent crew was delayed by nine months.
The end of the Cold War lead to calls for reduced spending on defense and
space programs.
Following reports of new cost overruns of $1 billion in Fiscal 1993-95, the new Clinton Administration finally ordered a new redesign in March 1993... NASA was to provide three alternatives costing $5,$7 and $9 billion (Fiscal 1994-98) by June 1993. The important objectives were: maintain international commitments, advance the date for Permanent Manned Capability to 1998, preserve as much previously designed hardware and growth potential as possible while meeting minimum life science & microgravity objectives, cut astronaut EVA requirements, flight, mission operations and logistics by 50%, and streamline technical and program management.