Space Pork

Streamlined or not, the station is costing more than ever. The Clinton Administration promised that U.S. spending on the ISS would be capped at $17.4 billion--on top of the $10 billion already spent, that is. But production problems and periodic bailouts of the Russians have pushed that figure closer to $25 billion. Boeing and others stress that up to 90% of the hardware has been built without busting the federal budget. That money, however, does not include the dozens of shuttle flights that will be necessary to ferry the ISS components into space, adding $15 billion to $20 billion to the bottom line. Even after the construction work is done, many contractors will stay on board to support the ISS over its 20-year life-span. "We need the contractors so that if problems arise, we can get to the right people," says Greg Martin, a Boeing manager. Adding two decades of this high-priced consulting and repair work could push costs upwards of $96 billion.

Whether such a jaw-dropping figure is worth it for so scientifically dubious a project is unclear. Goldin--who has made "better, faster, cheaper" NASA's operating refrain--insists it is. "This is about America's quest to go to Mars and back to the moon," he says.

It's too early to tell if the space station can help the country accomplish anything so ambitious. In October a shuttle will deliver the first piece of the enormous truss that will hold the ISS's solar panels and modules in place. By November the first three-man crew may be aboard. NASA's latest budget has been stalled in Congress as lawmakers debate new ISS spending caps. But if history is any indication, the differences will be resolved, and the spending will go on. When taxpayers get the final bill, the Zvezda astronauts may not be the only ones losing sleep.

--Reported by Dan Cray/Los Angeles, Brad Liston/Cape Canaveral, Massimo Calabresi, Elaine Shannon and Mark Thompson/Washington

Is your state in on the pork? For more about the station, including a list of the major contractors, visit time.com