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. t:O'J REPORT TO THE COMMITTEE 7 ON SCIENCE AND ASTRONAUTICS :J~ HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES Review Of Selected Aspects Of The Management And Operation Of Tracking And Data Acquisition Stations At Goldstone, California B-162407(31 I. National Aeronautics and Space Administration BY THE COMPTROLLER GENERAL OF THE UNITED ST ATES _ 1 l. 1 Lv i r-1 1 c:; ~ c J_I 11L., ......... ..1 ....J..___. COMPTROLLER GENERAL OF THE UNITED STATES WASHINGTON, D.C. 20548 B-162407(3) Dear Mr. Chairm.an: The accom.panying report presents the results of our review· of selected aspects of the management and operation of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's trackb1g and data acquisition stations at Goldstone, Califor­ nia. Comments were obtained from the Space Administra­ tion and were considered in the preparatio·n of the report. As agreed with the Committee staff, copies of this report will be given to the Space Administ;ration. We plan to make no further distribution of this report unless copies are specifically requested, and then we shall make distribution only after your agreem.e;n.t ha.s been ob­ tained or public announcement has. been made by you con­ cerning the contents of the report. Sincerely yours., Comptroller General of the United States The Honorable George P. Miller, Chairman Committee on Science and Astronautics House of Representatives C o n t e n t s DIGEST 1 INTRODUCTION 3 PERSONNEL 7 Employment levels 7 Personnel utilization 8 Cross utilization of personnel between stations 9 PROPERTY 11 Excess equipment 11 Calibration and repair activities 11 SUPPLY SUPPORT 13 Supply operations 13 Control of DSN spare components and modules 15 SCOPE OF REVIEW 18 Appendix APPENDIXES Agency comments I 21 Location map of Goldstone tracking stations II 26 Pioneer DSN Station III 27 Echo DSN Station IV 28 Venus DSN Station v 29 Mars DSN Station VI 30 MSFN Station VII 31 STADAN Station VIII 32 ABBREVIATIONS ATS Applications Technology Satellite BFEC Bendix Field Engineering Corporation DSN Deep Space Network GAO General Accounting Off ice GSFC Goddard Space Flight Center JPL Jet Propulsion Laboratory MSFN Manned Space Flight Network NASA National Aeronautics and Space Administration OTDA Office of Tracking and Data Acquisition SPL Spare Parts List ST ADAN Space Tracking and Data Acquisition Network Cwl}PTROLLER GENERAL 'S REVIEW OF SELECTED ASPECTS OF THE MAN­ REPORT TO THE CHAIRMAN,, AGEMENT AND OPERATION OF TRACKING AND HOUSE COMMITTEE ON DATA ACQUISITION STATIONS AT GOLDSTONE, SCIENCE AND ASTRONAUTICS . CALIFORNIA National Aeronautics and Space Adminis­ tration B-162407(3) D I G E S T WHY THE REVIEW WAS 1'4ADE The General Accounting .Office (GAO) initially reviewed financial infor­ mation on the operations of the National Aeronautics and Space Adminis­ tration's (NASA's) tracking and data acquisition stations located at Goldstone, California, in response to an August 1967 request of the Chairman, House Committee on Science and Astronautics. A report on that review (B-162407(3)) was issued to the Chairman on February 15, 1968. GAO was requested to undertake an additional review of operations of the Goldstone tracking and data acquisition stations and to make a similar review of the Madrid, Spain, facilities. The re­ port on the review of the Madrid facilities (B-162407(8)) was issued to the Chairman on March 11, 1969. This report covers the additional re­ view at the Goldston~ stations. FINDINGS AND CONCLUSIONS Special-purpose equipment from the Lunar Orbiter Program, valued at over $1 million, had been stored at the Deep Space Network (DSN) Echo station since February 1968 although there were no plans for its use at the sta­ tion. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) initiated steps to dispose of the equipment in August 1968. Similarly, about $1 .4 million in Surveyor Program command and data handling equipment had been in stora~e at Goldstone and at other Govern­ ment facilities since February 1968. In March 1969, predisposal screening action had been completed on both the Lunar Orbiter and the Surveyor Program equipment. The equipment was then scheduled for transfer to the General Services Administration for screening through other Federal agencies. (Seep. 11.) Each of the tracking and data acquisition networks at Goldstone has sep­ arate calibration and repair facilities. DSN officials are of the opin­ ion that their facilities could provide support to all the stations. (See pp. 11 and 12 . ) 1 Controls over supplies at the DSN Goldstone Central Stores Depot were adequate. Improvements were needed in supply practices at the Manned , Space Flight Network (MSFN) and Space Tracking and Data Acquisition Net­ work (STADAN) stations. GAO test counts disclosed error rates of 13 per­ cent in the MSFN stock records cards and 45 percent in the STADAN cards. As a result of earlier work by GAO, NASA undertook a comprehensive review of all property, including supply-support items at the tracking stations, under the res pons i bi 1 i ty of the Goddard Space Flight Center ( GSFC), Greenbelt, Maryland. Actions proposed by GSFC included the completion of physical inventories of supply items at all tracking stations by the end of calendar year 1969. GAO endorsed that proposal and stated that it believed that the inventories should be coupled with analyses of inventory discrepancies with a view toward making the necessary improvements in station procedures and practices. (See pp. 13 to 15.) At the various Goldstone DSN stations, certain spare parts were being stocked that may have been excess to the stations' needs. The Goldstone DSN stations are reasonably close to the DSN depot and apparently could obtain most spare parts readily from the depot when necessary. (See pp. 15 to 17 . ) RECOMMENDATIONS OR SUGGESTIONS GAO proposed that NASA study the methods by which the calibration and repair work at Goldstone was done, to determine whether the most effi­ cient and economical methods were being utilized. (See p. 12.) GAO proposed also that NASA require JPL to identify critical spare parts which must be stored at each Goldstone station and that all other com­ ponents be returned to the DSN depot. (Seep. 17.) AGENCY ACTIONS AND UNRESOLVED ISSUES In general, NASA agreed with the GAO findings and concurred in GAO pro­ posals. NASA comments are included as appendix I to this report. 2 INTRODUCTION The General Accounting Off ice has examined into se­ lected aspects of the management and operation of the tracking and data acquisition stations operated by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration at Goldstone, California, and near Madrid, Spain. Our review was made pursuant to a request by the Chairman, Committee on Sci­ ence and Astronautics, House of Representatives, and in accordance with agreements made in February 1968 with Committee· staff members. This report deals with our examination at the Gold- s tone stations. A separate report was issued to the Com­ mittee (B-162407 (8), March 11, 1969) regarding our work at the facilities near Madrid. We did not evaluate the manner in which the tracking and data acquisition mission activities were performed. The scope of our work is pre­ sented on page 18. This report includes discussions of certain aspects of the various operations at the Goldstone stations and in some·cases presents our conclusions and NASA's views. We were, however, unable to reach any evaluative con­ clusions for certain areas, such as personnel utilization, because of the technical nature of the activity involved. The National Aeronautics and Space Act of 1958, which established NASA, authorized the peaceful exploration of space. Such exploration is accomplished by the use of manned and unmanned space vehicles, in proximity to the earth and in outer space, which collect data and transmit it back to ground stations. NASA has established three networks of ground stations to track space vehicles and to receive and collect the data that is transmitted--the Deep Space Network, the Manned Space Flight Network, and the Space Tracking and Data Acquisition Network. The NASA Headquarters off ice responsible for tracking and data acquisition activities is the Office of tracking and Data Acquisition (OTDA). OTDA's responsibilities in­ clude the development and operation of communications, 3 tracking and data acquisition, and the data processing facilities and systems required to support NASA's manned and unmanned space programs. The Goldstone stations--four DSN, one MSFN, and one STADAN--are situated on 68 square miles of land near the Goldstone Dry Lake. NASA obtained a permit from the De­ partment of the Army to use this land for a 25-year period ending December 31, 1985, with a renewal option for an additional 25 years. A location map of the Goldstone stations is presented as appendix II. The California Institute of Technology, under a con­ tract with NASA for the operation of the Government-owned Jet Propulsion Laboratory, is responsible for the opera­ tions of the four DSN stations at Goldstone. (Because of its unique position in the operation of JPL, the contrac­ tor is referred to in this report as JPL.) The four DSN stations at Goldstone are named "Pio­ neer," "Echo," "Venus," and "Mars." Pioneer, the first DSN station constructed at Goldstone, began operations in 1958. The Echo station serves as the administration center and operations headquarters for the Goldstone DSN stations. This station also provides certain facilities and services for the Goldstone MSFN and STADAN stations. The communications building at the Echo station is the control center for Goldstone DSN communications with JPL and with other DSN stations. The Echo station also pro­ vides emergency communications to the Goddard Space Flight Center. The Venus station is the focal point for DSN research and development projects and serves as a backup station for the Pioneer and Echo stations.

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