Back to the Future

<p>The space acquisition community has suffered through a series of high-visibility setbacks that have cast doubt on the U.S. defense establishment's ability to procure space systems. The USAF has endured through an $8B overrun and 6 year delay with its Space-based Infrared System. The Department of Commerce's National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration partnered with the USAF and NASA has suffered through a $4B overrun and more than a year launch delay with its National Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite System. Even the traditionally efficient National Reconnaissance Office has experienced a highly publicized multibillion dollar overrun and several year launch delay with its Future Imaging Architecture. This trend of delays and overruns has unfortunately become the norm rather than the exception for U.S. space acquisition. To help reverse the current trend program managers should study successful programs of the past in search of techniques that may still be relevant today. George Bernard Shaw the famous Irish playwright said We learn from history that we learn nothing from history.</p><p>This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore you will see the original copyright references library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world) and other notations in the work.</p><p>This work is in the public domain in the United States of America and possibly other nations. Within the United States you may freely copy and distribute this work as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.</p><p>As a reproduction of a historical artifact this work may contain missing or blurred pages poor pictures errant marks etc. Scholars believe and we concur that this work is important enough to be preserved reproduced and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.</p>