NASA OIG: $368 Million Cost to Make Constellation Metric Compliant

Review of the Constellation Program’s Request to Discontinue Using the Metric System of Measurement, NASA OIG
“During our fieldwork, NASA’s Chief Engineer told the OIG that he planned to approve the Constellation Program’s request for an exception based on the additional costs required to implement the metric system, which Constellation Program officials estimated at $368 million. These implementation costs arise mainly from the reuse of hardware and software from previous NASA programs, including the Space Shuttle, that did not use the metric system, thus requiring revisions to engineering documents, test plans, test equipment, facilities, training, and operations. According to the Chief Engineer and Constellation Program management, the estimated $368 million for metric system implementation would be better spent on mitigating higher priority Program risks.”