The subcommittee heard testimony on the development of the space station Freedom, an ambitious project planned for completion before the year 1997. Specifically, the subcommittee investigated and compared the estimate of the cost of the project supplied by NASA and the estimates of the cost from independent agencies. In 1988, the General Accounting Office reported to Congress that NASA has not and does not provide full cost estimates for their projects to Congress. NASA estimates the cost of the space station project to be approximately $30 billion in a 30 year program. The subcommittee found the cost of the project to be approximately $180 billion through the course of the project. Rep. Boxer said the subcommittee’s estimate also only accounts for a bare-bones space station without including the cost of associated scientific projects or additional hardware. Witnesses testified on various factors affecting the cost of the space station program, including technological hurdles to be overcome and delays in development.