Testifying before the House space subcommittee in September, Martin highlighted the A-3 as an example of how lawmakers, looking to keep federal dollars flowing to their states, can block efforts to cut unnecessary spending. “The political context in which NASA operates often impedes its efforts to reduce infrastructure,” he said.
You can find more such stories of wast in the February 2013 NASA IG report, NASA's Efforts to Reduce Unneeded Infrastructure and Facilities. The report noted:
During our fieldwork we identified a variety of facilities at multiple NASA Centers that the Agency was not utilizing or for which Agency officials could not identify a future mission use. These facilities ranged from smaller, low value post-World War II era thermal vacuum chambers to newer rocket test stands that cost several hundred million dollars to construct.
We concluded that previous efforts by NASA to reduce its underutilized facilities have been hindered by: 1) fluctuating and uncertain strategic requirements; 2) Agency culture and business practices; 3) political pressure; and 4) inadequate funding. The combination of these forces has frustrated NASA’s efforts over the years to make meaningful reductions in the size of its real property portfolio.
Either we want a space program or a jobs program, but trying to do both ties our hands and limits our reach as a nation. We will always have some level of politics in anything that requires the involvement of Congress, but it may be time to let NASA focus on the future and not be hindered by leftover from the past.
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