House foes target space station

While opponents of the space station in recent years have lost ground in their battle to eliminate funding for the project, Rep. Tim Roemer, D-Ind., and his allies this year believe they may have their best chance yet, following a recent series of reports outlining problems that continue to plague the program.

With cost estimates growing higher each year and questions over whether Russia can fulfill its financial obligations to the project, Roemer, an aide said, believes House members may reconsider the support they gave last year.

In 1993, opponents came within one vote on the House floor of canceling the $94 billion space station project. But by 1997, in a vote on the NASA reauthorization bill, the elimination effort spearheaded by Roemer lost 305-112.

Roemer and Rep. Greg Ganske, R-Iowa, will attempt another floor amendment in the coming weeks on the FY99 VA-HUD appropriations bill, which also funds NASA. Sen. Dale Bumpers, D- Ark., will offer a similar amendment in the Senate.

Recent reports from the GAO and the Cost Assessment and Validation Task Force on the space station have left even its biggest supporters acknowledging that problems with costs and Russian participation need to be addressed.

The United States is building the space station with the help of Japan, Canada, the European Space Agency and Russia.

A GAO report released last month found cost estimates to develop and operate the space station over the life of the program have grown from $94 billion to $96 billion.

Meanwhile, the task force report, prepared by private, independent auditors, found the space station likely will fall two years behind schedule. Each month of delay would add $100 million to the final cost of the project.

The task force also found the current space station budget underestimates needed funding for the project by $130 million to $250 million over the next five years.

With the fate of Russian project support contingent on political and economic uncertainties in that country, the task force said NASA must have alternative plans to develop some of the Russian hardware, including the station's "service module," which NASA said could cost up to $790 million over the next five years.

However, space station supporters, including NASA Administrator Daniel Goldin and House Science Chairman James Sensenbrenner, R-Wis., will pursue a strategy of being upfront about the problems and proposals to fix them.

In a letter last week to Sensenbrenner, Goldin acknowledged, "It is NASA's assessment that potential actions linked to uncertainties in the Russian government funding to meet their [space station] commitments could prompt the need for additional resources in FY 1999 for the [space station]."

At a recent hearing, Sensenbrenner said: "We can stick our heads in the sand, put on a happy face, and hope nobody will notice the delays and cost overruns. Or we can admit mistakes, move on, and work together, Republicans and Democrats, Congress and the White House, industry and NASA, the [United States] and its international partners, to get the station built."

Goldin and representatives from the GAO and the cost assessment task force will appear Wednesday before the House Science Committee to discuss all the new information in their reports.

Space station opponents, of course, will listen carefully for more ammunition they can use in their attempt to swing the more than 100 House votes needed to block funding in the VA-HUD appropriations measure.