What Is The Real Cost of Shuttle Retirement?

GAO: NASA Faces Challenges Defining Scope and Costs of Space Shuttle Transition and Retirement

“The total cost of SSP transition and retirement is not transparent in NASA’s current budget request and is not expected to be reflected in its fiscal year 2010 budget request. This is due in part to delays in estimating costs, but also to where costs are being reflected. For example, although SSP’s direct transition and retirement costs are identified in the SSP budget line, indirect costs related to environmental clean-up and restoration, maintenance of required real property facilities during the gap in human spaceflight, and demolition of excess facilities are not. In addition, NASA plans to offset some transition costs by utilizing an “exchange/sale” authority that allows executive agencies to exchange or sell non-excess, non-surplus personal property and apply the proceeds toward acquiring similar replacement property.”