If NASA wanted to carry out that agenda, its only recourse,
given its budget allocation, was to become more efficient,
accomplishing more at less cost. The search for cost reductions
led top NASA leaders over the past decade to downsize
the Shuttle workforce, outsource various Shuttle Program
responsibilities – including safety oversight – and consider
eventual privatization of the Space Shuttle Program. The
programʼs budget was reduced by 40 percent in purchasing
power over the past decade and repeatedly raided to make
up for Space Station cost overruns, even as the Program
maintained a launch schedule in which the Shuttle, a developmental
vehicle, was used in an operational mode. In
addition, the uncertainty of top policymakers in the White
House, Congress, and NASA as to how long the Shuttle
would fly before being replaced resulted in the delay of
upgrades needed to make the Shuttle safer and to extend its
service life.