PERFORMANCE AS PROMISED - RESTRUCTURING THE UNITED-STATES CIVIL SPACE PROGRAM

Projects in the US civil space programme typically cut back capabilities, slip schedules and overrun cost estimates. Such shortfalls in performance are normal but not inevitable. They call into question NASA's viability as an institution, jeopardize long-term support for the space programme and waste re. sources that could be used to advance space science, exploration and applications. A restructured programme, built up from relatively modest and discrete Projects, would allow project managers to improve performance as promised and would provide the resilience necessary for the programme as a whole to adapt to changing national needs and the lessons of experience. Restructuring requires leadership brought to bear on certain key decisions to establish the expectation that performance counts. In any case, restructuring of some kind may be unavoidable over the next few years.