Institutional Arrangements for Space Station Research (1999)

Summary: This report responds to a request from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) to assess alternative approaches to the management of International Space Station (ISS) research. The National Research Coucil task group considered a range of options, and it concludes that NASA should establish a nongovernment organization (NGO) to manage all aspects of research on the ISS and that the NGO should have sufficient authority to carry out its assigned responsibilities. These responsibilities would encompass all ISS research activities, but not the maintenance or upkeep of the facility itself. The report also elucidates some general principles that should govern NASA's specification and selection of the NGO and proposes an implementation plan for a progressive transfer of responsibility to the new entity.