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Executive Summary 



Purpose 



The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (nasa) has a 

 $15 billion network of facilities to house and support its research, devel- 

 opment, and flight activities. These facilities are located throughout the 

 ' United States at nine centers, six auxiliary installations, and three deep 

 space network sites. Many of these facilities support development of the 

 spaced-based shuttle payloads and space shuttle launches. They also 

 contnbute to the aeronautical and aerospace testing capabilities of nasa, 

 as well as military and pnvate industry users. Proper mamtenance is 

 needed to ensure that these facilities are available for nasa and others to 

 accomplish their missions. 



At the request of the Subcommittee on VA. HUD and Independent Agen- 

 cies, Senate Committee on Appropriations, gao evaluated the condition i 

 of NASA facilities and, because the facilities had detenorated, the reasons 

 for such condition, gao also reviewed the accuracy of nasa's accounting 

 and budgetmg for its maintenance activities. 



Background 



NASA's centers and other activities contain 2,700 buildings and 3,200 

 other major structures, and encompass 36 million square feet of space. 

 Many of nasa's facilities are 30 to 50 years old. All facilities require 

 maintenance, but the effect of neglected or deferred maintenance 

 becomes more apparent as facilities age. 



Federal government standards for internal controls require federal 

 agencies to ensure that all assets entrusted to them are safeguarded. The 

 National Research Council's Building Research Board believes that this 

 safeguarding should include a commitment to provide the maintenance 

 needed to prevent deterioration and to ensure the continued use of the 

 facilities, nasa funds its maintenance efforts from portions of three dif- 

 ferent appropnations; ( 1 ) Research and Program Management, 

 (2) Research and Development, and (3) Space Flight Control and Data 

 Communications, nasa headquarters uses the budget process to oversee 

 the centers' programs and facilities, but center directors have been given 

 the authonty to allocate budgeted resources among various center func- 

 tions as they deem appropriate. 



Results in Brief 



Many of nasa's facilities have not been adequately maintained and are 

 in degraded condition. Consequently, many need significant repair In 

 addition, several serious incidents have been caused by the facilities' 

 detenoration. including a fire and a steam line explosion. Deferred or 

 insufficient maintenance increases the likelihood of more such events in 



