National Aeronautics and Space Administration Fiscal Year 2002 Performance and Accountability Report The NASA Vision To improve life here To extend life to there To find life beyond. The NASA Mission To understand and protect our home planet To explore the universe and search for life To inspire the next generation of explorers …as only NASA can. Contents NASA Vision and Mission Part I: Management’s Discussion and Analysis Transmittal Letter 6 Message From the Administrator 8 Reliability and Completeness of Financial and Performance Data 9 Federal Managers’ Financial Integrity Act Statement of Assurance Overview 13 Mission 13 Organizational Structure 15 Highlights of Performance Goals and Results 53 Actions Planned to Achieve Key Unmet Goals 53 Looking Forward 55 Analysis of Financial Statements 55 Systems, Controls, and Legal Compliance 56 Integrity Act Material Weaknesses and Non-Conformances 58 Additional Key Management Information 58 The President’s Management Agenda 71 Management Challenges and High-Risk Areas Part II: Performance 84 Summary of Annual Performance by Strategic Goals Performance Discussion 87 Space Science 99 Earth Science 109 Biological and Physical Research 117 Human Exploration and Development of Space 123 Aerospace Technology Supporting Data 133 Space Science 145 Earth Science 173 Biological and Physical Research 185 Human Exploration and Development of Space 193 Aerospace Technology 209 Manage Strategically Crosscutting Process 219 Provide Aerospace Products and Capabilities Crosscutting Process 223 Generate Knowledge Crosscutting Process 225 Communicate Knowledge Crosscutting Process Part III: Financial 233 Letter From the Chief Financial Officer Financial Statements and Related Auditor’s Reports 236 Financial Overview 238 Financial Statements 239 Auditor’s Reports NASA Office of Inspector General Summary of Serious Management Challenges Other Agency-Specific Statutorily Required Reports 246 Inspector General Act Amendment Reports 246 Audit Followup 246 Audit Reports With Disallowed Costs and Recommendations 247 Audit and Inspection Reports Pending Final Action Acronyms PART I Management’s Discussion and Analysis Transmittal Letter Message From the Administrator I am pleased to present the NASA Fiscal Year 2002 Performance and Accountability Report. Over the past year, we began to implement significant changes that will greatly improve NASA’s management, while continuing to break new ground in science and tech- nology. We made excellent progress in implementing the President’s Management Agenda. As the Office of Management and Budget reported in its FY 2002 midsession review on progress implementing the President’s Management Agenda, “NASA is leading the gov- ernment in its implementation of the five government-wide initiatives.” We received an unqualified audit opinion on our FY 2002 financial statements. We achieved the vast major- ity of our performance goals, furthering each area of our mission: To understand and protect our home planet In FY 2002, we investigated solar flares to help explain and predict damage the Sun caus- es to communications systems and power grids on Earth. We documented changes to the Earth’s ice mass that affect the oceans, ocean ecosystem food chains, and the climate. Our observations from space enhanced efforts to track and predict the spread of West Nile Virus. We advanced technologies that may by the end of this decade double weather forecast accu- racy and refine hurricane prediction capabilities. We helped the U.S. Forest Service use our satellite data to determine how best to mobilize scarce firefighting resources. Our aeronau- tics research continued to make progress in ensuring that air travel is not only safer, but also quieter and cleaner. Our researchers demonstrated a new device that monitors the air for bacterial spores and may help detect biohazards such as anthrax. To explore the universe and search for life During FY 2002, our Mars Odyssey spacecraft went into orbit around the Red Planet. At the Martian north and south poles, the spacecraft detected vast amounts of water ice—so much ice that, if thawed, it would fill Lake Michigan twice. This confirmed that our near- est neighbor has abundant supplies of one of the key elements needed for life. We also dis- covered new planets in other solar systems, including a Jupiter-sized planet that is about as far from its parent star as Jupiter is from our Sun. This suggests that there may be Earth- like planets as well in such systems. We investigated other space mysteries. For the first time, astronomers tracked the life cycle of x-ray jets from a deep-space black hole. In a fitting culmination to his decades of work in exploring cosmic x-ray sources, NASA-sponsored researcher Riccardo Giacconi won the Nobel Prize in Physics. Investigating other exploration modes, we demonstrated technolo- gies to make planetary rovers more autonomous, able to respond to unexpected events, replan their course, and even improvise science experiments when opportunities arise. Further enhancing our space science capabilities, the Space Shuttle Columbia (STS-109) completed a spectacular servicing mission to the Hubble Space Telescope. Making one of the best astronomical observatories ever built even better, the crew installed new solar pan- els, an improved central power unit, and a new camera that increased Hubble’s “vision” tenfold. They even revived a disabled infrared camera. Hubble rewarded these efforts with stunning data and images including new measurements of the age of the universe based on observations of the oldest stars. The Shuttle continued its superb safety record. In addition to the Hubble mission, we flew three other Shuttle missions in FY 2002, delivering crew, supplies, and assembly pieces to the International Space Station. Although we had originally planned for seven flights in FY 2002, we delayed three flights because of propulsion system safety concerns. The vig- ilant, diligent work that went into discovering and repairing tiny cracks in the propellent lines was just one example of NASA employees constantly making the difference that keeps our operations safe. 6 NASA FY 2002 Performance and Accountability Report FY 2002 was the second year of continuous, permanent human habitation of the International Space Station. As the Station’s size and capabilities grew, so did the amount of scientific research it hosts. Astronaut Peggy Whitson came on board as the Station’s first Science Officer to coordinate efforts of the Station’s international research teams. To inspire the next generation of explorers During FY 2002, we made progress toward creating an Education Enterprise to coordinate all of our education and outreach activities. We also announced that Barbara Morgan will become NASA’s first Educator Astronaut, flying on STS-118 next November. NASA’s edu- cation and outreach work will not only enhance U.S. education and the scientific and tech- nical literacy of our citizens, it will also help build the future workforce our Nation needs to remain a leader in science and technology. as only NASA can In FY 2002, we comprehensively changed our structure and management philosophy to reflect the concept of “One NASA,” focusing all of NASA’s elements on achieving our new Vision and Mission. This is a robust, flexible, research-driven philosophy that maximizes our efficiency in meeting Agency goals. One example of this is the new Integrated Space Transportation Plan. It systematically coordinates all of our space transportation invest- ments to support science-driven exploration and continue safe, reliable access to the Space Station. Similarly, we rigorously assessed Space Station research and adjusted our invest- ments to focus on the highest priority research. In FY 2003, we will continue assembly of the International Space Station nearing comple- tion of the U.S. core, conducting new research there and on the Shuttle, sending rovers and other exploratory spacecraft to Mars, and launching spacecraft to better monitor the Earth. We are facing a very exciting period of challenges, changes, and expanding scientific accomplishment. I hope that as you read this report, you will share my pride in and enthu- siasm for NASA’s FY 2002 achievements. Sean O’Keefe NASA Administrator Part I • Administrator’s Message 7 Reliability and Completeness of Financial and Performance Data The performance data in this report indicate the extent to which NASA achieved the per- formance measures that we specified in the FY 2002 Revised Final Performance Plan. These performance measures help gauge how well we met our goals. Experience has taught us that measuring performance in a cutting-edge research and development envi- ronment is a challenging process. Most of our projects are complex multiyear efforts with inherently unpredictable outcomes and timelines. Therefore, many of our goals are not specific because we work in the realm of discovery and the unknown. Finding measures that are concrete yet clearly linked to goals is often difficult. As we are strongly commit- ted to explaining to the Administration, Congress, and the U.S. public the progress we are making toward our goals, we regularly attempt to improve our performance measures. The FY 2002 Revised Final Performance and Accountability Report reflect such efforts in several program areas. We hope that the new performance measures provide a clearer link between quantifiable results and ambitious long-term goals. In addition, I am pleased to state that for the FY 2004 Performance Plan, which is included in the new Integrated Budget and Performance Document, we have redesigned performance measures Agency-wide to better relate to outcomes. This in-depth effort eclipses the ad hoc work that individual pro- gram areas conducted previously to devise better measures. Future reports will benefit from this effort. Outcomes and measures in future performance plans will be refined and made more concise and quantifiable. With regard to completeness and accuracy, the FY 2002 report makes a conscientious effort to provide all pertinent data that are available, to ensure that they are reliable, and to identify the few deficiencies that exist.