Al Gore's Cheap Satellite is Not Cheap

Assessment of the Triana Mission, G-99-013, Final Report, 10 September 1999, NASA OIG

"When the Triana mission was announced in March 1998, NASA hoped to keep the project's cost close to $20 million and definitely below $50 million. ... NASA did not maintain the original budget goal of $20 to $50 million. Instead, NASA chose to increase the size and complexity of the Triana spacecraft, primarily to augment its scientific capabilities. ... NASA added elements of a Goddard proposal to the Scripps proposal and increased the mission budget by $27 million, to $77 million. NASA officials told us that the increased funding was intended to support increased scientific capabilities. The mission budget has not increased since it was set at $77 million."

Keith's note: NASA PAO told me a few minutes ago that the total cost of DSCOVR including its design and construction as "Triana", initial adaptation to Shuttle launch, then ELV launch, storage, instrument changes/upgrades, integration for launch on Falcon 9 and launch on Falcon 9 in 2015 is $340 million. $340 Million is 17 times $20 million, 6.8 times $50 million, and 4.4 times $77 million.

So much for Faster-Better-Cheaper no matter how you calculate it.