Scientific Knowledge of the Earth System

The performance report indicated that NASA made progress toward achieving its key outcome of expanding the scientific knowledge of the Earth system. NASA provided clear and reasonable explanations for targets that were not met. International Space Station Deployment, Operation, and Cost

The performance report indicated that NASA’s progress toward achieving the key outcome of deploying and operating the space station safely and cost-effectively was limited with respect to achievement of the agency’s planned performance targets. NASA’s strategies and time frames for achieving the unmet targets were reasonable. Comparison of NASA’s Fiscal Year 2000 Performance Report With the Prior Year Report

For the selected key outcomes, this section describes major improvements or remaining weaknesses in NASA’s fiscal year 2000 performance report in comparison with its fiscal year 1999 report. Newly developed targets that have no corresponding fiscal year 1999 target to facilitate an assessment are characterized as “new target.”

	NASA’s Efforts to Address its Major Management Challenges Identified by GAO

GAO has identified two governmentwide high-risk areas: strategic human capital management and information security. In addition, we have identified three major management challenges facing NASA: (1) correcting contract management weaknesses, (2) controlling International Space Station costs, and (3) effectively implementing the faster-better-cheaper approach to space exploration projects. As we discussed under outcomes, NASA did not address the challenge of controlling space station costs. Appendix II: Comments From the National Aeronautics and Space Administration
Why GAO Did This Study

GAO reviewed the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA) fiscal year 2000 performance report to assess the agency's progress in achieving selected key outcomes important to NASA's mission.

What GAO Found

The selected key outcomes are to (1) expand scientific knowledge of the Earth system, (2) expand the commercial development of space, and (3) deploy and operate the International Space Station safely and cost effectively. NASA reported mixed progress in achieving these key outcomes. In general, NASA's strategies for achieving unmet performance targets for theses outcomes are clear and reasonable. NASA achieved most targets related to expanding knowledge of the Earth system. However, its progress in other areas was more limited. NASA has made improvements in its fiscal year 2000 performance report in comparison to its fiscal year 1999 performance report. Specifically, NASA describes its verification and validation efforts and discloses its data sources for each performance target. NASA's report partially addressed the governmentwide high-risk area of strategic human capital management but not the area of information security. GAO has previously found that NASA lacks an effective agencywide security program. NASA's report only addressed two of the three critical management challenges: (1) correcting weaknesses in contract management and (2) effectively implementing the faster, better, cheaper approach to space exploration projects. It did not address the challenge of controlling space station costs.