NASA's Planetary Science Portfolio (IG-20-023)
NASA Office of Inspector General National Aeronautics and Space Administration Office of Audits NASA’S PLANETARY SCIENCE PORTFOLIO September 16, 2020 Report No. IG-20-023 Office of Inspector General To report, fraud, waste, abuse, or mismanagement, contact the NASA OIG Hotline at 800-424-9183 or 800-535-8134 (TDD) or visit https://oig.nasa.gov/hotline.html. You can also write to NASA Inspector General, P.O. Box 23089, L’Enfant Plaza Station, Washington, D.C. 20026. The identity of each writer and caller can be kept confidential, upon request, to the extent permitted by law. To suggest ideas or request future audits, contact the Assistant Inspector General for Audits at https://oig.nasa.gov/aboutAll.html. RESULTS IN BRIEF NASA’s Planetary Science Portfolio NASA Office of Inspector General Office of Audits September 16, 2020 IG-20-023 (A-19-013-00) WHY WE PERFORMED THIS AUDIT NASA’s Planetary Science Division (PSD) is responsible for a portfolio of spacecraft, including orbiters, landers, rovers, and probes, that seek to advance our understanding of the solar system by exploring the Earth’s Moon, other planets and their moons, asteroids and comets, and the icy bodies beyond Pluto. Currently, the planetary science portfolio consists of 30 space flight missions in various stages of operation. PSD missions fall under three categories: Discovery (small-class missions with development costs capped at $500 million); New Frontiers (medium-class missions with estimated development costs under $1 billion); and Flagship (large-class missions costing several billion dollars). With a proposed budget averaging $2.8 billion annually for the next 5 years, PSD is forecasted to maintain the largest budget of the six divisions within NASA’s Science Mission Directorate while supporting a wide range of exploration and research activities recommended by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (National Academies) or mandated by Congress.
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