Aerospace Testing; Promise of Closer NASA/DOD Cooperation Remains Largely Unfulfilled (GAO/NSIAD-98-52)

46 pages. Front cover corner creased. Report to the Chairman and the Ranking Minority Member, Subcommittee on Science, Technology and Space, Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, U.S. Senate. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the Department of Defense (DOD) operate several types of aerospace test facilities, including wind tunnels and rocket engine test stands. The NASA and the DOD operate several types of aerospace test facilities, including wind tunnels and rocket engine test stands. Congress has been appropriating less money for aerospace programs. In response to declining budgets and reductions in personnel, NASA and DOD agreed in 1995 to perform essential aerospace testing on a more cooperative basis. The agencies recommended, in April 1996, that they establish joint working groups to assess and make recommendations on investments and other issues. GAO is providing the results of our review of NASA's and DOD's cooperation since May 1996 to develop a national perspective on aerospace test facilities. To assess the progress GAO determined (1) the extent to which NASA/DOD working groups on major test facilities have been operating on a regular basis, (2) NASA's and DOD's actions in response to a future need to test an engine for new Air Force rockets, (3) whether NASA and DOD prepared a congressionally required joint plan on rocket propulsion test facilities, and (4) whether NASA and DOD are implementing a DOD assessment team's recommendation in 1997 to jointly manage with NASA certain aeronautical test facilities. This report includes a matter for congressional consideration. The GAO found that the promise of closer NASA/DOD cooperation and the development of a national perspective on aerospace test facilities remains largely unfulfilled because NASA and DOD (1) have not yet convened most test facility alliances, (2) compete with each other to test engines for new rockets, and (3) did not prepare a congressionally required joint plan on rocket propulsion test facilities. Although NASA and DOD have agreed to go beyond cooperative alliances in aeronautics and jointly manage their aeronautical test facilities, they have not yet reached agreement on key aspects of a management organization. NASA and DOD took 20 months (May 1996 through Dec. 1997) to negotiate and sign agreements formally establishing the six test facility-related cooperative alliances. During that time, only the space environmental simulation alliance met regularly and conducted business. The already established rocket propulsion alliance met only once during this period despite a desire by some members to meet regularly. NASA and DOD officials did not regularly convene the other four alliances in the absence of approved charters. Despite the formation of the rocket propulsion alliance, NASA and DOD compete against each other to test engines for new rocket programs. A principal arena of competition is the next phase of the Air Force's Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle (EELV) program. In particular, the Air Force has spent millions of dollars to upgrade a test stand on the assumption that it, not NASA, would test EELV engines. DOD did not prepare a legislatively mandated joint plan with NASA to coordinate rocket propulsion test facilities.…