A special National Ignition Facility (NIF) Laser System Task Force of the DOE Secretary of Energy Advisory Board (SEAB) met for the third time December 13-14 at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) to review cost and schedule problems of the NIF (FPN99-41). A panel of the University of California (operating contractor for LLNL) also recently completed a NIF review (FPN99-60). The SEAB Task Force is being chaired by John McTague, former vice-president for technical affairs at Ford Motor Company. The review, which was requested by Energy Secretary Bill Richardson, began its review November 15-16 and met a second time November 29-30. The Task Force's review is to include evaluation of the engineering viability of the proposed assembly method, the installation cleanliness protocols, the management structure and the adequacy of the cost estimating methodology.

McTague commented, "We are looking at the technical aspects to make sure there are solutions so NIF can be carried out." Gil Weigand, DOE's Deputy Assistant Secretary for Research, Development and Simulation told the panel, "Stockpile Stewardship is the policy of the nation. There is a schedule here. We are not sitting on our hands." Recently-appointed NIF project manager Ed Moses told the panel that many of NIF's challenges have been successfully overcome, including reducing the costs for large glass laser systems by about a factor of six compared to what would have been projected based upon previous laser technology. He said that breakthroughs were required for virtually every element of the NIF design and that most of the required developments have already been accomplished, including new manufacturing processes for optical components such as laser glass, lenses, crystals and mirrors, whose costs have been reduced by factors of three or more and whose production rates have been increased by a factor of ten or more. "Given the fact that all previous external reviews identified optics production to be the major NIF vulnerability for cost and schedule growth, this is something we are very proud of," said Moses.

LLNL presenters told the Task Force that NIF's remaining issues are few but these will impact the NIF project's cost and schedule. It has been widely speculated that a 30% increase in the total cost of the $1.2 billion project should be expected. However, McTague commented that "it is premature to verify" what the cost and schedule impact will be. The major issue for cost and schedule is the method of assembling the laser beamline infrastructure (the mechanical and electrical structures that will hold and service the optical components placed inside them), the panel was told. Hundreds of these huge components must be assembled into the large but relatively crowded space inside the laser building. More importantly, the inside of the beamlines must end up being very clean even while using relatively normal construction practices and working in the environment of the NIF high bays.

LLNL Associate Director for National Security George Miller told the Task Force that during the past year the Laboratory has reevaluated its plan for assembling the laser infrastructure and keeping it clean. He said, "We now realize that the original method of assembly and integration of the laser infrastructure was unlikely to succeed." Previous assembly methods called for assembling some of the infrastructure and inserting optical components while conventional construction was still proceeding in other parts of the building. The new proposed plan calls for a more sequential and controlled approach wherein the entire infrastructure is assembled and interior cleanliness verified before any optical components are inserted. LLNL now proposes to make more extensive use of outside industrial contractors for this purpose.

McTague commented, "We are not here to talk about history but to assure the future." He said he was not interested "in who knew what when" in regard to NIF cost and schedule problems. "What we are concerned about is making sure the program is sound, that a very robust management system is in place so they can better handle any surprises." The Task Force has now completed its fact-finding meetings and will prepare a report. Congress has also ordered a review of NIF by the General Accounting Office (GAO).