Summary: In terms of national security, the Pentagon has no real need for a manned space station. In fact, the Space Station Freedom would be less suitable for military research than would existing facilities on the space shuttle. In March 1993, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) revised its cost estimate for the station to $31.3 billion. At the same time, NASA stretched the schedule for having permanent occupants in the space station to the year 2000. NASA's updated estimate, like earlier estimates, excludes substantial sums required to successfully complete development and support the station during its planned 30-year life. Additional funding necessary to support and outfit the station for permanent occupancy would top $11 billion. Further, at least $78 billion would be required to bring the facility to its full planned capability and maintain, supply, and operate the station after permanent occupancy was achieved. When these costs are included, the space station funding requirements through 2027 soar to at least $121 billion. The only existing space station is the Russian Mir, which, although believed to be beyond its design life, continues in use, and major upgrades are planned in 1994 to add remote sensing and atmospheric studies capabilities. In the long term, the Russians plan to build a more capable space station.
