II 

Calendar No. 628 

113TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. 1317 

To authorize the programs of the National Aeronautics and Space 

Administration for fiscal years 2014 through 2016 and for other purposes. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

JULY 17, 2013 

Mr. NELSON (for himself and Mr. ROCKEFELLER) introduced the following 

bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, 

Science, and Transportation 

DECEMBER 10, 2014 

Reported by Mr. ROCKEFELLER, with an amendment 

[Strike out all after the enacting clause and insert the part printed in italic] 

A BILL 

To authorize the programs of the National Aeronautics and 

Space Administration for fiscal years 2014 through 2016 

and for other purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; TABLE OF CONTENTS. 

4 (a) SHORT TITLE.—This Act may be cited as the 

5 ‘‘National Aeronautics and Space Administration Author6 ization Act of 2013’’. 


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1 (b) TABLE OF CONTENTS.—The table of contents of 

2 this Act is as follows: 

Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents. 

Sec. 2. Findings. 

Sec. 3. Definitions. 

TITLE I—AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS 

Sec. 101. Fiscal year 2014. 

Sec. 102. Fiscal year 2015. 

Sec. 103. Fiscal year 2016. 

TITLE II—HUMAN SPACE FLIGHT EXPLORATION AND 

OPERATIONS 

Subtitle A—Exploration 

Sec. 201. Missions and destinations. 

Sec. 202. NASA processing and launch infrastructure. 

Sec. 203. Naming of the space launch system. 

Sec. 204. Report; space suit system. 

Subtitle B—Maximizing ISS Utilization 

Sec. 221. Operation and utilization of the ISS. 

Sec. 222. Research roles and responsibilities. 

Sec. 223. ISS national laboratory; property rights in inventions. 

Sec. 224. Commercial cargo and crew capabilities. 

Subtitle C—Other Matters 

Sec. 231. Safety and mission assurance in human space flight. 

Sec. 232. Launch liability provisions. 

TITLE III—SCIENCE 

Subtitle A—Earth Science 

Sec. 301. Earth science. 

Subtitle B—Space Science 

Sec. 321. Human exploration and science collaboration. 

Sec. 322. Maintaining a balanced space science portfolio. 

Sec. 323. Science mission extensions. 

Sec. 324. Planetary science. 

Sec. 325. Space weather. 

Sec. 326. James Webb space telescope. 

Sec. 327. University class science missions. 

TITLE IV—AERONAUTICS 

Sec. 401. Sense of Congress on NASA aeronautics. 

TITLE V—SPACE TECHNOLOGY 

Sec. 501. Space technology. 


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TITLE VI—EDUCATION 

Sec. 601. Education and outreach activities. 

TITLE VII—OTHER MATTERS 

Sec. 701. Sense of Congress on NASA’s cross agency support. 

Sec. 702. Space communications network. 

Sec. 703. Astronaut occupational healthcare. 

Sec. 704. Helium capture and recovery. 

Sec. 705. Information technology governance. 

Sec. 706. Improvements to baselines and cost controls breach reporting process. 

Sec. 707. Infrastructure. 

Sec. 708. Knowledge management. 

1 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

2 Congress makes the following findings: 

3 (1) A robust and balanced space program en4 hances the United States long-term national and 

5 economic security by— 

6 (A) stimulating development of advanced 

7 technologies with widespread applications; 

8 (B) increasing the United States techno9 logical competitiveness; 

10 (C) enhancing global prosperity and secu11 rity through cooperation in shared interests, 

12 such as advancement of science, understanding 

13 of Earth and the universe, and protection from 

14 space borne threats, such as asteroids; 

15 (D) opening the solar system to the full 

16 range of peaceful human activity; and 

17 (E) inspiring students to pursue disciplines 

18 in science, technology, engineering, and mathe19 matics. 


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1 (2) The Nation’s space program should in2 clude— 

3 (A) national security and civil space activi4 ties; 

5 (B) robotic and human exploration; 

6 (C) advancement of scientific knowledge 

7 and engagement of the general public; 

8 (D) U.S. Government led launch capability 

9 development, including the Space Launch Sys10 tem and the Orion multi-purpose crew vehicle, 

11 and partnerships with commercial and inter12 national entities; 

13 (E) advancement of the space frontier and 

14 stimulation of commerce; and 

15 (F) searching outward to further our un16 derstanding of the universe and observing 

17 Earth to expand knowledge of our home planet. 

18 SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS. 

19 In this Act: 

20 (1) ADMINISTRATION.—The term ‘‘Administra21 tion’’ means the National Aeronautics and Space 

22 Administration. 

23 (2) ADMINISTRATOR.—The term ‘‘Adminis24 trator’’ means the Administrator of the National 

25 Aeronautics and Space Administration. 


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1 (3) APPROPRIATE COMMITTEES OF CON2 GRESS.—The term ‘‘appropriate committees of Con3 gress’’ means— 

4 (A) the Committee on Commerce, Science, 

5 and Transportation of the Senate; and 

6 (B) the Committee on Science, Space, and 

7 Technology of the House of Representatives. 

8 (4) ISS.—The term ‘‘ISS’’ means the Inter9 national Space Station. 

10 (5) NASA.—The term ‘‘NASA’’ means the Na11 tional Aeronautics and Space Administration. 

12 (6) ORION.—The term ‘‘Orion’’ means the 

13 multi-purpose crew vehicle described under section 

14 303 of the National Aeronautics and Space Adminis15 tration Authorization Act of 2010 (42 U.S.C. 

16 18323). 

17 (7) SPACE LAUNCH SYSTEM.—The term ‘‘Space 

18 Launch System’’ has the meaning given the term 

19 under section 3 of the National Aeronautics and 

20 Space Administration Authorization Act of 2010 (42 

21 U.S.C. 18302). 


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1 TITLE I—AUTHORIZATION OF 

2 APPROPRIATIONS 

3 SEC. 101. FISCAL YEAR 2014. 

4 There are authorized to be appropriated to NASA for 

5 fiscal year 2014, $18,100,000,000, as follows: 

6 (1) For Exploration, $4,275,000,000, of 

7 which— 

8 (A) $1,600,000,000 shall be for Space 

9 Launch System; 

10 (B) $1,200,000,000 shall be for the Orion 

11 multi-purpose crew vehicle; 

12 (C) $350,000,000 shall be for Exploration 

13 Ground Systems; 

14 (D) $325,000,000 shall be for Exploration 

15 Research and Development; and 

16 (E) $800,000,000 shall be for Commercial 

17 Space Flight. 

18 (2) For Space Operations, $3,832,000,000, of 

19 which— 

20 (A) $3,000,000,000 shall be for the ISS 

21 program; and 

22 (B) $832,000,000 for Space and Flight 

23 Support. 

24 (3) For Science, $5,154,000,000, of which— 


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1 (A) $1,800,000,000 shall be for Earth 

2 Sciences; 

3 (B) $1,400,000,000 shall be for Planetary 

4 Science; 

5 (C) $642,000,000 shall be for Astro6 physics; 

7 (D) $658,000,000 shall be for the James 

8 Webb Space Telescope; and 

9 (E) $654,000,000 shall be for 

10 Heliophysics. 

11 (4) For Aeronautics, $570,000,000. 

12 (5) For Space Technology, $635,000,000. 

13 (6) For Education, $136,000,000. 

14 (7) For Cross-Agency Support Programs, 

15 $2,850,000,000. 

16 (8) For Construction and Environmental Com17 pliance and Restoration, $610,000,000. 

18 (9) For Inspector General, $38,000,000. 

19 SEC. 102. FISCAL YEAR 2015. 

20 There are authorized to be appropriated to NASA for 

21 fiscal year 2015, $18,462,000,000, as follows 

22 (1) For Exploration, $4,522,000,000, of 

23 which— 

24 (A) $1,725,000,000 shall be for Space 

25 Launch System; 


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1 (B) $1,225,000,000 shall be for the Orion 

2 multi-purpose crew vehicle; 

3 (C) $425,000,000 shall be for Exploration 

4 Ground Systems; 

5 (D) $332,000,000 shall be for Exploration 

6 Research and Development; and 

7 (E) $815,000,000 shall be for Commercial 

8 Space Flight. 

9 (2) For Space Operations, $3,948,000,000, of 

10 which— 

11 (A) $3,103,000,000 shall be for the ISS 

12 program; and 

13 (B) $845,000,000 for Space and Flight 

14 Support. 

15 (3) For Science, $5,234,400,000, of which— 

16 (A) $1,836,000,000 shall be for Earth 

17 Sciences; 

18 (B) $1,450,000,000 shall be for Planetary 

19 Science; 

20 (C) $670,000,000 shall be for Astro21 physics; 

22 (D) $645,400,000 shall be for the James 

23 Webb Space Telescope; and 

24 (E) $633,000,000 shall be for 

25 Heliophysics. 


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1 (4) For Aeronautics, $581,000,000. 

2 (5) For Space Technology, $650,000,000. 

3 (6) For Education, $139,800,000. 

4 (7) For Cross-Agency Support Programs, 

5 $2,907,000,000. 

6 (8) For Construction and Environmental Com7 pliance and Restoration, $441,000,000. 

8 (9) For Inspector General, $38,800,000. 

9 SEC. 103. FISCAL YEAR 2016. 

10 There are authorized to be appropriated to NASA for 

11 fiscal year 2016, $18,831,000,000, as follows: 

12 (1) For Exploration, $4,660,000,000, of 

13 which— 

14 (A) $1,800,000,000 shall be for Space 

15 Launch System; 

16 (B) $1,250,000,000 shall be for the Orion 

17 multi-purpose crew vehicle; 

18 (C) $435,000,000 shall be for Exploration 

19 Ground Systems; 

20 (D) $350,000,000 shall be for Exploration 

21 Research and Development; and 

22 (E) $825,000,000 shall be for Commercial 

23 Space Flight. 

24 (2) For Space Operations, $4,010,000,000, of 

25 which— 


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1 (A) $3,196,000,000 shall be for the ISS 

2 program; and 

3 (B) $814,000,000 for Space and Flight 

4 Support. 

5 (3) For Science, $5,315,800,000, of which— 

6 (A) $1,872,000,000 shall be for Earth 

7 Sciences; 

8 (B) $1,500,000,000 shall be for Planetary 

9 Science; 

10 (C) $686,800,000 shall be for Astro11 physics; 

12 (D) $620,000,000 shall be for the James 

13 Webb Space Telescope; and 

14 (E) $637,000,000 shall be for 

15 Heliophysics. 

16 (4) For Aeronautics, $593,000,000. 

17 (5) For Space Technology, $665,000,000. 

18 (6) For Education, $142,000,000. 

19 (7) For Cross-Agency Support Programs, 

20 $2,965,000,000. 

21 (8) For Construction and Environmental Com22 pliance and Restoration, $441,000,000. 

23 (9) For Inspector General, $39,200,000. 


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1 TITLE II—HUMAN SPACE FLIGHT 

2 EXPLORATION AND OPER3 ATIONS 

4 Subtitle A—Exploration 

5 SEC. 201. MISSIONS AND DESTINATIONS. 

6 (a) IN GENERAL.—Congress reaffirms that the long7 term goal of the human space flight and exploration ef8 forts of NASA shall be to expand permanent human pres9 ence beyond low-Earth orbit and to do so, where practical, 

10 in a manner involving international partners, as stated in 

11 section 202(a) of the National Aeronautics and Space Ad12 ministration Authorization Act of 2010 (42 U.S.C. 

13 18312(a)). 

14 (b) HUMAN EXPLORATION OF MARS.—Section 

15 202(b) of the National Aeronautics and Space Administra16 tion Authorization Act of 2010 (42 U.S.C. 18312(b)) is 

17 amended— 

18 (1) by striking ‘‘and’’ at the end of paragraph 

19 (3); 

20 (2) by striking the period at the end of para21 graph (4) and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 

22 (3) by adding at the end the following: 

23 ‘‘(5) to achieve human exploration of Mars, in24 cluding the establishment of a capability for human 

25 habitation on the surface of Mars.’’. 


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1 (c) DEVELOPMENT OF EXPLORATION STRATEGY.— 

2 (1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 270 days 

3 after the date of enactment of this Act, and bienni4 ally thereafter, the Administrator shall submit to the 

5 appropriate committees of Congress a strategy to 

6 achieve the objective under section 202(b)(5) of the 

7 National Aeronautics and Space Administration Au8 thorization Act of 2010, as amended (42 U.S.C. 

9 18312(b)(5)) through a series of successive, free10 standing, but complementary missions making ro11 bust utilization of cis-lunar space and employing the 

12 Space Launch System, Orion, and other capabilities 

13 provided under titles III, IV, V, and IX of that Act 

14 (42 U.S.C. 18301 et seq.). 

15 (2) STRATEGY REQUIREMENTS.—In developing 

16 the strategy under paragraph (1), the Administrator 

17 shall include— 

18 (A) the utility of an expanded human pres19 ence in cis-lunar space toward enabling mis20 sions to various lunar orbits, the lunar surface, 

21 asteroids, the Mars system, and other destina22 tions of interest for future human exploration 

23 and development; 


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1 (B) the utility of an expanded human pres2 ence in cis-lunar space for economic, scientific, 

3 and technological advances; 

4 (C) the opportunities for collaboration 

5 with— 

6 (i) international partners; 

7 (ii) private industry; and 

8 (iii) other Federal agencies, including 

9 missions relevant to national security or 

10 scientific needs; 

11 (D) the opportunities specifically afforded 

12 by the ISS to support high priority scientific 

13 and technological developments useful in ex14 panding and sustaining a human presence in 

15 cis-lunar space and beyond; 

16 (E) a range of exploration mission archi17 tectures and approaches for the missions identi18 fied under paragraph (1); and 

19 (F) standards for ensuring crew health 

20 and safety, including limits regarding radiation 

21 exposure and countermeasures necessary to 

22 meet those limits, means and methods for ad23 dressing urgent medical conditions or injuries, 

24 and other such safety, health, and medical 


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1 issues that can be anticipated in the conduct of 

2 the missions identified under paragraph (1). 

3 (3) COMPARISON OF MISSION ARCHITECTURES

4 AND APPROACHES.— 

5 (A) IN GENERAL.—The strategy shall in6 clude a comparison of mission architectures and 

7 approaches identified under paragraph (2)(E) 

8 with a primary objective of identifying the ar9 chitectures and approaches that— 

10 (i) best support the long-term goal 

11 under section 202(a) of the National Aero12 nautics and Space Administration Author13 ization Act of 2010 (42 U.S.C. 18312(a)); 

14 and 

15 (ii) are enabled by the Space Launch 

16 System, Orion, and other transportation 

17 capabilities and technologies provided 

18 under titles III, IV, V, and IX of the Na19 tional Aeronautics and Space Administra20 tion Authorization Act of 2010 (42 U.S.C. 

21 18301 et seq.) and by other capabilities 

22 that may be available commercially or 

23 internationally. 

24 (B) FACTORS.—The comparison of mission 

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1 graph (A) shall include options that assess cost, 

2 schedule, safety, sustainability, opportunities 

3 for international collaboration, the enabling of 

4 new markets and opportunities for U.S. private 

5 industry, compelling scientific opportunities or 

6 national security considerations and require7 ments, the flexibility of the architecture to ad8 just to evolving technologies, leadership, and 

9 priorities, and contributions made to U.S. tech10 nological excellence, competitiveness, and lead11 ership. 

12 (C) NATIONAL SECURITY COLLABORA13 TION.—In identifying opportunities for collabo14 ration under paragraph (2)(C)(iii), the Admin15 istrator, in collaboration with the Secretary of 

16 Defense and Director of National Intelligence, 

17 shall include a discussion of the work, cost, and 

18 schedule required to enable and utilize a cargo 

19 variant of the Space Launch System, including 

20 the 70-, 105-, and 130-metric ton configura21 tions, with both a 5-meter or 8-meter faring. 

22 (4) ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS.—The strat23 egy shall include— 


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1 (A) technical information as needed to 

2 identify interest from the scientific and national 

3 security communities; and 

4 (B) an assessment of the Space Launch 

5 System to enable and sustain near-Earth object 

6 surveillance of potentially Earth-threatening ob7 jects for the purpose of planetary protection. 

8 SEC. 202. NASA PROCESSING AND LAUNCH INFRASTRUC9 TURE. 

10 (a) POLICY.—It is the policy of the United States 

11 that the Exploration Ground Systems to process and 

12 launch the Space Launch System, Orion, and related ex13 ploration elements, and the 21st Century Space Launch 

14 Complex to enable and facilitate civil, defense, and private 

15 launches are complementary efforts to modernize infra16 structure, reduce costs, and maintain capabilities for cur17 rent and future missions. 

18 (b) DEVELOPMENT OF THE PROCESSING AND

19 LAUNCH SUPPORT INFRASTRUCTURE.—In executing the 

20 programs described under subsection (a), the Adminis21 trator, to the extent practicable— 

22 (1) may not exclude the ability of Exploration 

23 Ground Systems to support efforts under section 

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1 ministration Authorization Act of 2010 (42 U.S.C. 

2 18325(b)); 

3 (2) shall allow for cost-sharing opportunities by 

4 providing multi-use systems and capabilities to cur5 rent and future users of the 21st Century Space 

6 Launch Complex through modernization, refurbish7 ment, or development of infrastructure; and 

8 (3) shall pursue, in collaboration with local, 

9 State, or Federal agencies, or private industry, capa10 bilities and investments that support multiple enti11 ties to advance NASA’s current and future missions 

12 and benefit NASA by creating new partnerships. 

13 SEC. 203. NAMING OF THE SPACE LAUNCH SYSTEM. 

14 (a) FINDINGS.—Congress finds that education and 

15 outreach to encourage the next generation of scientists 

16 and engineers to become involved in science and space ex17 ploration is one of the Administration’s most important 

18 missions. 

19 (b) REPORT.—Not later than 30 days after the date 

20 of enactment of this Act, the Administration shall submit 

21 to the appropriate committees of Congress a plan to en22 gage the public, including science students in elementary 

23 and secondary education programs, throughout the United 

24 States in naming the Space Launch System. 


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1 SEC. 204. REPORT; SPACE SUIT SYSTEM. 

2 Not later than 90 days after the date of enactment 

3 of this Act, the Administration shall submit to the appro4 priate committees of Congress a report updating Congress 

5 on the Constellation Space Suit System. The report shall 

6 include justification as to whether another competition to 

7 award contracts for the design, development, certification, 

8 production, and sustaining engineering of this space suit 

9 system is required to meet the needs of NASA’s human 

10 exploration program. 

11 Subtitle B—Maximizing ISS 

12 Utilization 

13 SEC. 221. OPERATION AND UTILIZATION OF THE ISS. 

14 (a) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Con15 gress that— 

16 (1) maximum utilization of partnerships, sci17 entific research, commercial applications, and explo18 ration test bed capabilities of the ISS is essential to 

19 ensuring the greatest return on investments made by 

20 the United States and its international partners in 

21 the development, assembly, and operations of that 

22 unique facility; and 

23 (2) every effort should be made to ensure that 

24 decisions regarding the service life of the ISS are 

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1 tinue providing effective and productive research and 

2 exploration test bed capabilities. 

3 (b) CONTINUATION OF THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE

4 STATION.—Congress reaffirms the policy stated in section 

5 501(a) of the National Aeronautics and Space Administra6 tion Authorization Act of 2010 (42 U.S.C. 18351(a)) that 

7 it shall be the policy of the United States, in consultation 

8 with its international partners in the ISS program, to sup9 port full and complete utilization of the ISS through at 

10 least 2020. 

11 (c) NASA ACTIONS.—In furtherance of the policy 

12 under subsection (b), the Administrator shall ensure, to 

13 the extent practicable, that the ISS, as a designated na14 tional laboratory— 

15 (1) remains viable as an element of overall ex16 ploration and partnership strategies and approaches; 

17 and 

18 (2) remains an effective, functional vehicle pro19 viding research and test bed capabilities for the 

20 United States through 2020, up to 2028, and pos21 sibly beyond. 

22 (d) REPORT.—The Administrator, in consultation 

23 with the Office of Science and Technology Policy, shall 

24 determine, through analyses and discussions with ISS 

25 partners, the feasible and preferred service life of the ISS 


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1 as a unique scientific, commercial, and exploration-related 

2 facility. Not later than 120 days after the date of enact3 ment of this Act, and triennially thereafter, the Adminis4 trator shall submit to the appropriate committees of Con5 gress a report that, at a minimum, includes— 

6 (1) an assessment of whether ISS operations 

7 can be extended to at least 2028, including— 

8 (A) a description of any activities that 

9 would be required of the international partner10 ship to ensure that safety requirements are 

11 met; 

12 (B) a general discussion of international 

13 partner capabilities and interest in extension, to 

14 include the potential for participation by addi15 tional countries; 

16 (C) a review of essential systems or equip17 ment upgrades that would be necessary for ISS 

18 extension and utilization to at least 2028; 

19 (D) an evaluation of the cost and schedule 

20 requirements associated with the development 

21 and delivery of essential systems or equipment 

22 upgrades identified under subparagraph (C); 

23 and 

24 (E) an identification of possible partner 

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1 vide the upgrades identified under subpara2 graph (C); 

3 (2) an evaluation of the potential for expanding 

4 the use of ISS facilities to accommodate the needs 

5 of researchers and other users, including changes to 

6 policies, regulations, and laws that would stimulate 

7 greater private and public involvement on the ISS; 

8 and 

9 (3) such other information as may be necessary 

10 to fully describe the justification for and feasibility 

11 of extending the service life of the ISS, including the 

12 potential scientific or technological benefits to the 

13 Federal Government or public, or to academic or 

14 commercial entities that, within the United States15 owned modules of the ISS or in partner-owned facili16 ties of the ISS allocated for United States utilization 

17 by international agreement, are or may become en18 gaged in research and testing activities sponsored, 

19 conducted, and managed by the Administration or 

20 by the ISS management entity. 

21 (e) DEFINITION OF ISS MANAGEMENT ENTITY.—In 

22 this section, the term ‘‘ISS management entity’’ means 

23 the organization with which the Administrator enters into 

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1 tional Aeronautics and Space Administration Authoriza2 tion Act of 2010 (42 U.S.C. 18354(a)). 

3 SEC. 222. RESEARCH ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES. 

4 (a) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Con5 gress that— 

6 (1) expansion of the non-NASA utilization of 

7 the ISS is critical to maximizing the research poten8 tial of the ISS national laboratory and to facilitating 

9 expanded commercial activity in low-Earth orbit; 

10 and 

11 (2) in order to expand the non-NASA scientific 

12 utilization of ISS research capabilities and facilities, 

13 it is essential to clarify the roles and responsibilities 

14 of the entities managing research within the U.S. 

15 Segment of the ISS. 

16 (b) MANAGEMENT OF THE ISS NATIONAL LABORA17 TORY.—Section 504 of the National Aeronautics and 

18 Space Administration Authorization Act of 2010 (42 

19 U.S.C. 18354) is amended— 

20 (1) in subsection (b), by adding at the end the 

21 following: 

22 ‘‘(3) CONFLICTS OF INTEREST.—The Adminis23 trator shall ensure that the liaison function under 

24 this subsection is implemented in a manner that pre25 cludes any conflict of interest between the objectives 


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1 and activities of the entities identified under sub2 section (e).’’; 

3 (2) in subsection (d)(2)— 

4 (A) by inserting ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—’’ be5 fore ‘‘If any NASA research plan’’ and adjust6 ing the text accordingly; 

7 (B) by inserting ‘‘and subject to subpara8 graph (B)’’ after ‘‘Until September 30, 2020’’ 

9 in subparagraph (A), as redesignated; and 

10 (C) by adding at the end the following: 

11 ‘‘(B) MUTUAL AGREEMENT.—An exception 

12 under subparagraph (A) may only be granted if 

13 there is mutual agreement between the entities 

14 identified under subsection (e).’’; and 

15 (3) by adding at the end the following: 

16 ‘‘(e) CLARIFICATION OF ROLES.—The organization 

17 with which the Administrator enters into a cooperative 

18 agreement under subsection (a) for management of the 

19 ISS national laboratory shall be considered a separate and 

20 equal partner of any NASA organizational entity respon21 sible for management of the NASA research plan onboard 

22 the ISS.’’. 

23 (c) REPORT.— 

24 (1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 180 days 

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1 trator shall submit to the appropriate committees of 

2 Congress a report on the following: 

3 (A) Options for expanding the Administra4 tion’s collaboration with its ISS partners, in5 cluding— 

6 (i) providing U.S. personnel expanded 

7 access to international partner research fa8 cilities; and 

9 (ii) coordinating research efforts to 

10 minimize the duplication of effort, unless 

11 duplication is a justified element of the sci12 entific process or essential for backup or 

13 redundant capability. 

14 (B) The potential for increasing ISS crew 

15 size to maximize utilization and applications. 

16 (C) Efforts undertaken by the Administra17 tion and the ISS management entity— 

18 (i) to enhance collaborative research 

19 between the Administration and other Fed20 eral science agencies, such as the National 

21 Institutes of Health and the National 

22 Science Foundation; and 

23 (ii) to expand the use of the ISS na24 tional laboratory capabilities by Federal 

25 science agencies. 


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1 (2) DEFINITION OF ISS MANAGEMENT ENTI2 TY.—In this subsection, the term ‘‘ISS management 

3 entity’’ means the organization with which the Ad4 ministrator enters into a cooperative agreement 

5 under section 504(a) of the National Aeronautics 

6 and Space Administration Authorization Act of 2010 

7 (42 U.S.C. 18354(a)). 

8 SEC. 223. ISS NATIONAL LABORATORY; PROPERTY RIGHTS 

9 IN INVENTIONS. 

10 Section 20135 of title 51, United States Code, is 

11 amended— 

12 (1) in subsection (g), by striking ‘‘Each such 

13 waiver’’ and inserting ‘‘Except as provided under 

14 subsection (l), each such waiver’’; and 

15 (2) by adding at the end the following: 

16 ‘‘(l) WAIVER OF RIGHTS TO INVENTIONS; COMMER17 CIAL MICROGRAVITY RESEARCH.— 

18 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—With respect to any inven19 tion or class of inventions made or which may be 

20 made by any person or class of persons in the per21 formance of any non-NASA scientific utilization of 

22 the ISS national laboratory, the Administrator may 

23 waive the license reserved by the Administrator 

24 under subsection (g), in whole or in part and accord25 ing to negotiated terms and conditions, including the 


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1 terms and conditions under paragraphs (1), (2), (3), 

2 and (5) of section 202(c) of title 35, if the Adminis3 trator finds that the reservation of the license by the 

4 Administrator would substantially inhibit the com5 mercialization of an invention. 

6 ‘‘(2) CONSTRUCTION.—Nothing in this sub7 section shall be construed to affect the rights of the 

8 Federal Government under any other procurement 

9 contract, grant, understanding, arrangement, agree10 ment, or transaction.’’. 

11 SEC. 224. COMMERCIAL CARGO AND CREW CAPABILITIES. 

12 (a) FINDINGS.—Congress finds that— 

13 (1) NASA’s Commercial Orbital Transportation 

14 Services, Cargo Resupply Services, and Commercial 

15 Crew Program demonstrate the potential for pro16 curing routine, commercially provided access to the 

17 ISS and to low-Earth orbit using innovative and 

18 cost-effective development and procurement strate19 gies; 

20 (2) Federal investments in the U.S. private 

21 space industry have the ability to provide for lower 

22 cost access to space for researchers and for commer23 cial ventures; 

24 (3) commercially provided space transportation 

25 is critical to maximizing utilization of the ISS; 


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1 (4) encouraging competition among launch serv2 ice providers and maintaining multiple space trans3 portation options helps to reduce long-term costs to 

4 the Federal Government and to induce continual im5 provement in available private-sector services; and 

6 (5) consistent with section 201(b) of the Na7 tional Aeronautics and Space Administration Au8 thorization Act of 2010 (42 U.S.C. 18311(b)), main9 taining multiple launch service providers helps en10 sure uninterrupted access to the space environment 

11 should a particular provider’s services become un12 available. 

13 (b) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Con14 gress that the Administration— 

15 (1) should continue to support the development 

16 of safe, reliable, and cost effective commercial 

17 launch capabilities for the primary purpose of secur18 ing domestic access to the ISS as quickly and safely 

19 as possible; and 

20 (2) should encourage a viable commercial mar21 ket for the capabilities under paragraph (1). 

22 (c) UNITED STATES POLICY.—It is the policy of the 

23 United States that, to foster the competitive development, 

24 operation, and improvement of private space transpor25 tation services, services for Federal Government access to 


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1 and return from the ISS, whenever feasible, shall be pro2 cured via fair and open competition for well-defined, mile3 stone-based, Federal Acquisition Regulation-based con4 tracts under section 201(a) of the National Aeronautics 

5 and Space Administration Authorization Act of 2010 (42 

6 U.S.C. 18311(a)). 

7 (d) SELECTION OF COMMERCIAL PROVIDERS.—In 

8 evaluating commercial space transportation service pro9 viders, the Administrator— 

10 (1) shall aim to minimize the life-cycle costs of 

11 obtaining transportation services; 

12 (2) shall assure compliance with all safety and 

13 mission assurance requirements; 

14 (3) shall consider contractor financial invest15 ment into the development of transportation capa16 bilities; and 

17 (4) for commercial crew transport services— 

18 (A) shall consider flexibility in design, in19 cluding sample return capabilities; and 

20 (B) shall provide a written notification and 

21 justification to the appropriate committees of 

22 Congress if the price per seat exceeds the cost 

23 negotiated by NASA for crew transport in April 

24 2013. 


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1 (5) STRATEGY FOR PROCURING COMMERCIAL

2 SERVICES.—In implementing the policy under sub3 section (c), the Administrator shall submit to the ap4 propriate committees of Congress, not later than 

5 120 days after the date of enactment of this Act, a 

6 strategy for transitioning from Space Act Agree7 ments to Federal Acquisition Regulation-based con8 tracts for the procurement of crew transportation 

9 services to and from the ISS. The strategy shall in10 clude— 

11 (A) a comparison of potential procurement 

12 strategies based on— 

13 (i) maximizing safety and mission as14 surance; 

15 (ii) the total projected costs to the 

16 Federal Government through 2020, given 

17 multiple projections of Government de18 mand for launch services; 

19 (iii) the feasibility of the procurement 

20 strategy and timeline, given projected 

21 funding availabilities; 

22 (iv) the potential for supporting the 

23 research and exploration test bed needs of 

24 the Federal Government and of the inde25 pendent entity responsible for ISS national 


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1 laboratory activities for the purposes de2 scribed under section 504(d) of the Na3 tional Aeronautics and Space Administra4 tion Authorization Act of 2010 (42 U.S.C. 

5 18354(d)); and 

6 (v) the projected impacts on devel7 oping a viable market for commercial 

8 launch services; 

9 (B) an evaluation of the costs and benefits 

10 of ensuring the availability of at least 2 U.S.- 

11 based launch service providers, considering— 

12 (i) the potential need for diversified 

13 cargo and sample return capabilities, in14 cluding a soft-landing capability as de15 scribed under section 404 of the National 

16 Aeronautics and Space Administration Au17 thorization Act of 2010 (124 Stat. 2822); 

18 and 

19 (ii) the ability of multiple cargo or 

20 crew launch service providers to meet pri21 vate or non-NASA Government mission re22 quirements and the subsequent benefit to 

23 the United States of such ability; 

24 (C) justification for the procurement strat25 egy selected from among those considered; and 


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1 (D) for the selected procurement strategy, 

2 identification of additional or modified authori3 ties, regulations, or guidelines that are nec4 essary for successful implementation. 

5 Subtitle C—Other Matters 

6 SEC. 231. SAFETY AND MISSION ASSURANCE IN HUMAN 

7 SPACE FLIGHT. 

8 (a) FINDINGS.—Congress makes the following find9 ings: 

10 (1) In the early part of the space race, the 

11 United States took over 3 years from the launch of 

12 the first American satellite, Explorer I, to the launch 

13 of the first American to space, Alan B. Shepard, Jr. 

14 (2) It was known then, as it is now, that the 

15 exploration of space by humans is an inherently dan16 gerous endeavor. 

17 (3) Access to space requires complex propulsion 

18 systems, such as the now retired Space Shuttle, 

19 which generated over 7,000,000 pounds of thrust. 

20 (4) Adding humans to the complex systems re21 quired to reach space requires additional safeguards, 

22 life support systems, and other measures to protect 

23 from the harsh environment of space in order to 

24 minimize risk to human life. 


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1 (b) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Con2 gress that— 

3 (1) meticulousness and attention to detail helps 

4 ensure that all humans are safe and protected to the 

5 best of the abilities of all those involved in helping 

6 achieve the reaches of space; 

7 (2) those who strive to send humans into space 

8 should make every effort to ensure the success of 

9 missions and programs through independent safety 

10 and mission assurance analyses; 

11 (3) diligent oversight efforts ensure adherence 

12 to safety, reliability, and quality assurance policies 

13 and procedures for missions and programs; and 

14 (4) lessons learned from mishaps and near 

15 misses should be implemented into designs, deci16 sions, policy, and procedures to reduce the risk of 

17 future incidents that could jeopardize crew safety or 

18 mission success. 

19 SEC. 232. LAUNCH LIABILITY PROVISIONS. 

20 (a) LIABILITY EXTENSION.—Section 50915(f) of title 

21 51, United States Code, is amended by striking ‘‘Decem22 ber 31, 2013’’ and inserting ‘‘December 31, 2016’’. 

23 (b) PROTECTION FOR LAUNCH ACTIVITIES.—Sub24 chapter III of chapter 201 of title 51, United States Code 

25 is amended by inserting after section 20147 the following: 


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1 ‘‘§ 20148. Indemnification; NASA launch services 

2 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—Under such regulations in con3 formity with this section as the Administrator shall pre4 scribe taking into account the availability, cost, and terms 

5 of liability insurance, any contract between the Adminis6 tration and a provider may provide that the United States 

7 will indemnify a provider against claims (including reason8 able expenses of litigation or settlement) by third parties 

9 for death, bodily injury, or loss of or damage to property 

10 resulting from activities that the contract defines as un11 usually hazardous or nuclear in nature, but— 

12 ‘‘(1) only to the extent that such claims are not 

13 compensated by liability insurance of the provider; 

14 and 

15 ‘‘(2) only to the extent that such claims arise 

16 out of the direct performance of the contract. 

17 ‘‘(b) LIMITATION.—Indemnification under subsection 

18 (a) may be limited to claims resulting from other than the 

19 actual negligence or willful misconduct of the provider. 

20 ‘‘(c) TERMS OF INDEMNIFICATION.—A contract 

21 made under subsection (a) that provides indemnification 

22 shall also provide for— 

23 ‘‘(1) notice to the United States of any claim or 

24 suit against the provider for death, bodily injury, or 

25 loss of or damage to property; and 


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1 ‘‘(2) control of or assistance in the defense by 

2 the United States, at its election, of that suit or 

3 claim. 

4 ‘‘(d) LIABILITY INSURANCE OF THE PROVIDER.— 

5 Each provider that is a party to a contract made under 

6 subsection (a) shall have and maintain liability insurance 

7 in such amounts as the Administrator shall require to 

8 cover liability to third parties and loss of or damage to 

9 property. 

10 ‘‘(e) NO INDEMNIFICATION WITHOUT CROSS-WAIV11 ER.—Notwithstanding subsection (a), the Administrator 

12 may not indemnify a provider under this section unless 

13 there is a cross-waiver between the Administration and the 

14 provider as described in subsection (f). 

15 ‘‘(f) CROSS-WAIVERS.—The Administrator, on behalf 

16 of the United States, and its departments, agencies, and 

17 instrumentalities, may reciprocally waive claims with a 

18 provider under which each party to the waiver agrees to 

19 be responsible, and agrees to ensure that its own related 

20 entities are responsible, for damage or loss to its property 

21 for which it is responsible, or for losses resulting from any 

22 injury or death sustained by its own employees or agents, 

23 as a result of activities connected to the contract. 

24 ‘‘(g) CERTIFICATION OF JUST AND REASONABLE

25 AMOUNT.—No payment may be made under subsection 


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1 (a) unless the Administrator or the Administrator’s des2 ignee certifies that the amount is just and reasonable. 

3 ‘‘(h) PAYMENTS.—Upon the approval by the Admin4 istrator, payments under subsection (a) may be made, at 

5 the Administrator’s election, either from— 

6 ‘‘(1) funds obligated for the performance of the 

7 agreement concerned; 

8 ‘‘(2) funds available for research and develop9 ment not otherwise obligated; or 

10 ‘‘(3) funds appropriated for such payments. 

11 ‘‘(i) RELATIONSHIP TO OTHER LAWS.—The Admin12 istrator may not provide indemnification under this sec13 tion for an activity that requires a license or permit under 

14 chapter 509. 

15 ‘‘(j) CONSTRUCTION.—The authority to indemnify 

16 under this section shall not create any rights in third per17 sons that would not otherwise exist by law. 

18 ‘‘(k) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

19 ‘‘(1) LAUNCH SERVICES.—The term ‘launch 

20 services’ has the meaning given the term in section 

21 50902. 

22 ‘‘(2) PROVIDER.—The term ‘provider’ means a 

23 person that provides domestic launch services in sup24 port of any space activity the Government carries 

25 out for the Government.’’. 


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1 (c) CONFORMING AMENDMENT.—The table of con2 tents for subchapter III of chapter 201 of title 51, United 

3 States Code, is amended by inserting after the item relat4 ing to section 20147 the following: 

‘‘20148. Indemnification; NASA launch services.’’. 

5 TITLE III—SCIENCE 

6 Subtitle A—Earth Science 

7 SEC. 301. EARTH SCIENCE. 

8 (a) FINDINGS.—Congress finds that— 

9 (1) continuous, long-term Earth observation 

10 data supports the preparation for and management 

11 of natural and human-induced disasters, benefits re12 source management and agricultural forecasting, im13 proves our understanding of climate, and encourages 

14 environmental and economic sustainability; 

15 (2) due to the scope of activities required, 

16 Earth science research and Earth observation are 

17 multi-agency endeavors requiring significant co18 operation and information sharing among govern19 ment, international, and scientific community part20 ners; 

21 (3) in developing Earth observation tech22 nologies, conducting Earth science satellite missions, 

23 and providing research products to the scientific 

24 community, NASA plays a crucial role in advancing 

25 Earth science; and 


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1 (4) the loss of observational capabilities in 

2 Earth science, as predicted by the National Research 

3 Council’s midterm update to its Earth Science 

4 Decadal Survey, risks reversing gains in weather 

5 forecast accuracy, reducing disaster response capa6 bilities, and creating an irreversible gap in Earth 

7 science data. 

8 (b) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Con9 gress that— 

10 (1) given the importance of Earth science and 

11 Earth observation data, NASA Earth science ef12 forts— 

13 (A) should be conducted in coordination 

14 with other Federal agencies; and 

15 (B) should be cognizant of international ef16 forts and the needs of the scientific and busi17 nesses communities; and 

18 (2) whenever feasible, NASA and other Federal 

19 agencies should consider the potential for reducing 

20 costs by purchasing commercially available Earth 

21 science data and services. 

22 (c) MISSION PRIORITIZATION.— 

23 (1) NATIONAL STRATEGY FOR EARTH OBSERVA24 TION.—The Office of Science and Technology Policy, 

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1 servation and in developing a National Plan for Civil 

2 Earth Observations, shall prioritize Federal Earth 

3 science and observation investments based on— 

4 (A) its assessment of Earth science and 

5 observation data requirements; 

6 (B) the capability requirements as identi7 fied by the National Academies decadal surveys; 

8 (C) the projected costs of Earth science 

9 missions and data gathering activities; and 

10 (D) the projected and available budgets. 

11 (2) NATIONAL PLAN FOR CIVIL EARTH OBSER12 VATIONS.—The Administration, in prioritizing future 

13 Earth science and Earth observation missions and 

14 technology development under the National Plan for 

15 Civil Earth Observations and chapter 201 of title 

16 51, United States Code, shall consider potential 

17 cost-reduction opportunities, including— 

18 (A) if feasible, co-locating Earth science 

19 sensors on other satellites; and 

20 (B) purchasing commercially available 

21 Earth science data and services, including 

22 launch access to orbital and sub-orbital space. 


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1 Subtitle B—Space Science 

2 SEC. 321. HUMAN EXPLORATION AND SCIENCE COLLABO3 RATION. 

4 The Administrator shall ensure that the Science Mis5 sion Directorate and the Human Exploration and Oper6 ations Mission Directorate coordinate in researching and 

7 reducing the risks that space exploration beyond low8 Earth orbit pose to astronaut health. Not later than 90 

9 days after the date of enactment of this Act, the Adminis10 trator shall provide to the appropriate committees of Con11 gress a report detailing the results of previous research 

12 in this area and identifying opportunities for future 

13 science missions to contribute to the understanding of 

14 these risks. 

15 SEC. 322. MAINTAINING A BALANCED SPACE SCIENCE 

16 PORTFOLIO. 

17 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 803 of the National Aero18 nautics and Space Administration Authorization Act of 

19 2010 (124 Stat. 2832) is amended to read as follows: 

20 ‘‘SEC. 803. OVERALL SCIENCE PORTFOLIO; SENSE OF CON21 GRESS. 

22 ‘‘Congress reaffirms its sense that a balanced and 

23 adequately funded set of activities, consisting of research 

24 and analysis grants programs, technology development, 

25 small, medium, and large space missions, and suborbital 


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1 research activities, contributes to a robust and productive 

2 science program and serves as a catalysis for innovation 

3 and discovery. The Administrator should set science prior4 ities by following the guidance provided by the scientific 

5 community through the National Academies’ decadal sur6 veys.’’. 

7 (b) CONFORMING AMENDMENT.—The item relating 

8 to section 803 in the table of contents in section 1(b) of 

9 the National Aeronautics and Space Administration Au10 thorization Act of 2010 (124 Stat. 2806) is amended by 

11 striking ‘‘Overall science portfolio-sense of the Congress’’ 

12 and inserting ‘‘Overall science portfolio; sense of Con13 gress’’. 

14 SEC. 323. SCIENCE MISSION EXTENSIONS. 

15 Section 30504 of title 51, United States Code is 

16 amended to read as follows: 

17 ‘‘§ 30504. Assessment of science mission extensions 

18 ‘‘(a) ASSESSMENT.—The Administrator shall carry 

19 out biennial reviews within each of the Science divisions 

20 to assess the cost and benefits of extending the date of 

21 the termination of data collection for those missions that 

22 have exceeded their planned mission lifetime. In con23 ducting these assessments, the Administrator shall con24 sider— 


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1 ‘‘(1) the potential continued benefit of instru2 ments on missions that are beyond their planned 

3 mission lifetime; and 

4 ‘‘(2) the cost and schedule impacts, if any, of 

5 mission extension on other NASA activities and 

6 science missions. 

7 ‘‘(b) CONSULTATION REQUIREMENT.—When decid8 ing whether to extend science missions with an operational 

9 component, the Administrator shall consult with the Na10 tional Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and any 

11 other affected Federal agency.’’. 

12 SEC. 324. PLANETARY SCIENCE. 

13 (a) FINDINGS.—Congress finds that— 

14 (1) Administration support for planetary 

15 science is critical to enabling greater understanding 

16 of the solar system and its origin; 

17 (2) the United States leads the world in plan18 etary science and can augment its success with ap19 propriate international partnerships; 

20 (3) a mix of small-, medium-, and large-plan21 etary science missions is required to sustain a steady 

22 cadence of planetary exploration; and 

23 (4) robotic planetary exploration is a key com24 ponent of preparing for future human exploration. 


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1 (b) MISSION PRIORITIES.—In accordance with the 

2 priorities established in the most recent decadal survey for 

3 planetary science, the Administrator shall ensure, to the 

4 greatest extent practicable, the completion of a balanced 

5 set of Discovery, New Frontiers, and flagship missions. 

6 The Administrator may seek, if necessary, adjustments to 

7 mission priorities, schedule, and scope in light of changing 

8 budget projections. 

9 (c) INSTRUMENTATION.—To support its science mis10 sion priorities, the Administration shall invest in a sus11 tained program to develop or mature scientific instrument 

12 capabilities, as delineated in the NASA Science Instru13 ments, Observatories, and Sensor Systems Roadmap. 

14 SEC. 325. SPACE WEATHER. 

15 (a) OSTP ROADMAP.—In coordination with NASA, 

16 the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, 

17 and other relevant Federal agencies, the Director of the 

18 Office of Science and Technology Policy, not later than 

19 24 months after the date of enactment of this Act, shall 

20 deliver to the appropriate committees of Congress a road21 map for developing and deploying space weather fore22 casting technologies. The roadmap shall, at a minimum— 

23 (1) aim to relieve capability gaps identified by 

24 the National Space Weather Program Council review 

25 of space weather observing systems, as requested by 


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1 the National Aeronautics and Space Administration 

2 Authorization Act of 2010 (42 U.S.C. 18301 et 

3 seq.); and 

4 (2) consider ongoing and future requirements 

5 for space weather modeling, monitoring, and pre6 diction. 

7 (b) NASA TECHNOLOGY ROADMAPS.—The Adminis8 tration shall update and further develop its technology 

9 roadmaps as required to address mitigating a wide range 

10 of space weather effects on both satellites and spacecraft. 

11 (c) ALERT PROTOCOL.—The Director of the Office 

12 of Science and Technology Policy shall coordinate relevant 

13 Federal agencies to propose protocols for communicating 

14 and responding to space weather forecasts. Protocol as15 sessment shall consider the needs of both government and 

16 private sector entities. The Director of the Office of 

17 Science and Technology Policy shall deliver a report on 

18 proposed protocols to Congress not later than 24 months 

19 after the date of enactment of this Act. 

20 SEC. 326. JAMES WEBB SPACE TELESCOPE. 

21 It is the sense of Congress that— 

22 (1) the James Webb Space Telescope will sig23 nificantly advance our understanding of star and 

24 planet formation, improve our knowledge of the early 


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1 universe, and support U.S. leadership in astro2 physics; 

3 (2) significant progress has been made with re4 gard to overcoming the James Webb Space Tele5 scope’s technical challenges and in improving NASA 

6 management oversight; 

7 (3) the on-time and on-budget completion of the 

8 James Webb Space Telescope should remain a top 

9 NASA priority; and 

10 (4) consistent with annual Government Ac11 countability Office reviews of the James Webb Space 

12 Telescope program, the Administrator should con13 tinue to improve the James Webb Space Telescope’s 

14 cost and schedule estimates and oversight proce15 dures in order to enhance NASA’s ability to success16 fully deliver the James Webb Space Telescope on 

17 time and on budget. 

18 SEC. 327. UNIVERSITY CLASS SCIENCE MISSIONS. 

19 (a) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Con20 gress that principal investigator-led small orbital science 

21 missions, including CubeSat, University Explorer 

22 (UNEX), Small Explorer (SMEX), and Venture class mis23 sions, offer valuable, lower-cost opportunities to advance 

24 science, train the next generation of scientists and engi25 neers, and provide opportunities for program participants 


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1 to acquire skills in systems engineering and systems inte2 gration that are critical to maintaining the Nation’s lead3 ership in space. 

4 (b) REVIEW OF PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR LED

5 SMALL ORBITAL SCIENCE MISSIONS.— 

6 (1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 120 days 

7 after the date of enactment of this Act, the Adminis8 trator shall enter into an arrangement with the Na9 tional Academy of Sciences to conduct a review of 

10 the small orbital science missions described under 

11 subsection (a). 

12 (2) REQUIREMENTS.—The review under para13 graph (1) shall include the following: 

14 (A) The status, capability, and availability 

15 of existing small orbital science mission pro16 grams in which the missions are led by prin17 cipal investigators and enable significant par18 ticipation by university scientists and students. 

19 (B) The opportunities that the small or20 bital science missions described under sub21 section (a) provide for scientific research, train22 ing, and education, including scientific and en23 gineering workforce development. 

24 (C) The use of commercial applications, 

25 such as hosted payloads, free flyers, and data 


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1 buys, as vehicles to further the goals of small 

2 orbital science missions, while preserving the 

3 principle of independent peer review as the 

4 basis for mission selection. 

5 (c) REPORT.— 

6 (1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 15 months 

7 after the date of enactment of this Act, the Adminis8 trator shall submit to the appropriate committees of 

9 Congress a report on the review required by this sec10 tion. 

11 (2) CONTENTS.—The report shall include— 

12 (A) a summary of the review under sub13 section (b); 

14 (B) the findings of the Administrator with 

15 respect to that review; and 

16 (C) recommendations regarding principal 

17 investigator led small orbital science missions 

18 conducted by the Administration. 

19 TITLE IV—AERONAUTICS 

20 SEC. 401. SENSE OF CONGRESS ON NASA AERONAUTICS. 

21 (a) FINDINGS.—Congress finds that— 

22 (1) aviation is vital to the United States econ23 omy, with the industry supporting nearly 1,000,000 

24 jobs, conducting nearly 10,000,000 commercial 

25 flights per year within the United States alone, and 


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1 contributing to the aerospace industry’s positive 

2 trade balance in 2012; 

3 (2) in helping test and mature new technologies 

4 for quiet and efficient air transportation, NASA’s 

5 Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate addresses 

6 major aviation trends, such as the rapid growth in 

7 passengers, increasing fuel costs, and the demand 

8 for faster vehicles; 

9 (3) the Directorate works closely with industry 

10 and academia to address long-term challenges to the 

11 air transportation system that require improving 

12 aviation safety, increasing the capacity of the in13 creasingly crowded national airspace system, and re14 ducing environmental impacts; 

15 (4) through its Aeronautics Test Program, the 

16 Directorate manages the flight operations and test 

17 infrastructure at 4 NASA centers, providing both 

18 NASA and its industry partners with access to crit19 ical facilities; 

20 (5) NASA’s contribution to aeronautics is evi21 denced in the use of its technologies in almost every 

22 modern aircraft; and 

23 (6) the Directorate has identified otherwise un24 known safety issues and helped optimize aircraft 


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1 routes, yielding millions of dollars in potential sav2 ings to airlines and benefitting passengers. 

3 (b) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Con4 gress that— 

5 (1) the Aeronautics Research Mission Direc6 torate builds on the successful legacy of NASA’s 

7 predecessor, the National Advisory Committee for 

8 Aeronautics, which worked closely with industry 

9 partners to advance both military and civil aviation 

10 until its dissolution in 1958; 

11 (2) NASA aeronautics research, development, 

12 and test activities, including investments into com13 posite structures, new fuels, and innovative aircraft 

14 concepts, must continue in order to support U.S. 

15 leadership in aviation; 

16 (3) the Directorate’s efforts to collaborate with 

17 the aviation industry to gather and analyze data and 

18 to prototype and test algorithms that optimize flight 

19 routes, manage air traffic, and account for weather 

20 impacts are critical to supporting the safe use of the 

21 national airspace; and 

22 (4) continued cooperation between NASA’s Aer23 onautics Research Mission Directorate and the Fed24 eral Aviation Administration is vital to providing the 

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1 tional airspace and to ensure that new technologies 

2 are effectively tested and acquire timely regulatory 

3 approval. 

4 TITLE V—SPACE TECHNOLOGY 

5 SEC. 501. SPACE TECHNOLOGY. 

6 (a) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of the Con7 gress that— 

8 (1) previous investments in space technologies 

9 have not only enabled space exploration and research 

10 missions, but also have improved the quality of life 

11 on Earth; 

12 (2) by improving affordability, reliability, and 

13 operational capability, continued space technology 

14 developments will enable NASA missions that other15 wise would be unachievable; 

16 (3) investments in space technology engage the 

17 talent of the Administration and of the Nation’s aca18 demic and business enterprises; and 

19 (4) space technology roadmaps serve as a useful 

20 framework for NASA, academic, and industry devel21 opment efforts. 

22 (b) SPACE TECHNOLOGY DIRECTIVE.—To advance 

23 NASA’s space exploration and space research goals, the 

24 Administrator shall continue a program with responsibility 

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1 ties. To the greatest extent possible, the Administrator 

2 shall synergize all NASA space technology investments, 

3 encourage collaboration in space technology development 

4 with academia and industry, and minimize duplication of 

5 space technology development efforts across the Adminis6 tration and the private sector unless duplication is re7 quired to maintain mission safety, security, or backup ca8 pability. 

9 (c) SPACE TECHNOLOGY ROADMAP REPORT.—In 

10 carrying out the policy under subsection (b), the Adminis11 trator shall submit to the appropriate committees of Con12 gress, not later than 24 months after the date of enact13 ment of this Act, a progress report on the development, 

14 testing, and demonstration of the 14 technological areas 

15 of the Space Technology Roadmaps. 

16 TITLE VI—EDUCATION 

17 SEC. 601. EDUCATION AND OUTREACH ACTIVITIES. 

18 (a) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Con19 gress that— 

20 (1) the Administration is uniquely recognized in 

21 the educational and global communities for its aero22 space knowledge, passionate workforce, and unique 

23 capabilities and facilities; 

24 (2) U.S. competitiveness in aerospace requires 

25 engaging the science, technology, engineering, and 


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1 mathematics (STEM) talent in all States and juris2 dictions; 

3 (3) the Administration’s education and outreach 

4 programs, including the Experimental Program to 

5 Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR) and the 

6 Space Grant College and Fellowship Program, re7 flect the Administration’s successful commitment to 

8 growing and diversifying the national science and 

9 engineering workforce; 

10 (4) the Administration’s outreach efforts to 

11 underrepresented and underserved communities, by 

12 helping minorities to pursue higher education in 

13 STEM fields and to attain STEM careers, benefit 

14 the overall national workforce; and 

15 (5) the Administration’s efforts to improve the 

16 management and execution of its education portfolio 

17 and to evaluate program success using evidence18 based approaches should continue. 

19 (b) IN GENERAL.—The Administration shall— 

20 (1) continue to execute its educational and out21 reach programs, including providing a wide range of 

22 academic research opportunities and engaging the 

23 public interest in science, technology, engineering 

24 and mathematics; 


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1 (2) continue to collaborate with minority insti2 tutions to increase student participation in science, 

3 technology, engineering, and mathematics; and 

4 (3) seek partnerships with industry, academia, 

5 and with other communities to best respond to the 

6 Nation’s aerospace-related educational and work7 force needs. 

8 (c) SPACE GRANT.—To enhance the United States 

9 STEM education and workforce, the Administrator shall 

10 continue to operate the National Space Grant College and 

11 Fellowship program through a national network of re12 gional consortia. The program shall provide hands-on re13 search, training, and education programs, use measurable 

14 outcomes to gauge success, and allow States flexibility in 

15 its execution. 

16 TITLE VII—OTHER MATTERS 

17 SEC. 701. SENSE OF CONGRESS ON NASA’S CROSS AGENCY 

18 SUPPORT. 

19 (a) FINDINGS.—Congress makes the following find20 ings: 

21 (1) Cross Agency Support operates and main22 tains the Administration’s centers and facilities, in23 cluding headquarters, enabling the accomplishment 

24 of the Administration’s missions while protecting 

25 human health and the environment. 


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1 (2) Cross Agency Support provides for the 

2 unique facilities, skilled personnel, and administra3 tive support that NASA programs, research, and de4 velopment activities require at the centers. 

5 (3) Cross Agency Support provides the Admin6 istration with the capability to improve mission suc7 cess by supplying safety and mission assurance, en8 gineering technical authority, and health and med9 ical oversight across all of NASA’s programs, re10 search, and operations. 

11 (4) The Orbital Debris Program Office is lo12 cated in Cross Agency Support and leads the Ad13 ministration’s effort in addressing the orbital debris 

14 issue, which is an issue resulting from over 50 years 

15 of spaceflight. 

16 (5) Cross Agency Support delivers the informa17 tion technology services used throughout the Admin18 istration that allow its workforce to work and com19 municate efficiently and effectively, not only internal 

20 to the Administration, but with the citizens of the 

21 world which provides them the opportunity to be in22 cluded and participate in the Administration’s ac23 complishments. 

24 (6) The Administration’s public affairs, located 

25 in Cross Agency Support, provided worldwide live 


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1 coverage of the Curiosity Rover’s landing on Mars, 

2 the largest rover ever sent to Mars, in August of 

3 2012. 

4 (7) The authority and execution of the Admin5 istration’s offices responsible for finance, budget, ac6 quisition, external relations, legislative affairs, train7 ing, security, and human capital management are 

8 performed under Cross Agency Support. 

9 (b) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Con10 gress that— 

11 (1) Cross Agency Support represents a variety 

12 of functions vital to the strength and success of the 

13 Administration and is essential to the Administra14 tion’s vision; 

15 (2) the centers and facilities in the Administra16 tion are a vital part of the many advances in science 

17 and technology the Administration has provided and 

18 continues to provide to this Nation and the world 

19 since the Administration was created in 1958; 

20 (3) at the Administration’s core is safety and 

21 mission success that, through Cross Agency Support, 

22 is carried out by the highly talented and dedicated 

23 workforce at the Administration’s centers and facili24 ties; 


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1 (4) as the Administration looks to continue 

2 international, interagency, and industry cooperation 

3 and partnerships, Cross Agency Support will con4 tinue to provide the overseeing and execution of 

5 these efforts; and 

6 (5) Cross Agency Support be given the nec7 essary resources to keep the Administration capable 

8 of meeting the goals set forth by Congress and con9 tinue to be a global leader in space and aeronautics. 

10 SEC. 702. SPACE COMMUNICATIONS NETWORK. 

11 (a) PLAN.—The Administrator shall prepare an up12 dated plan for NASA’s near-Earth, space, and deep space 

13 communications network and infrastructure. The plan 

14 shall— 

15 (1) identify steps to sustain the existing net16 work and infrastructure; 

17 (2) assess the capabilities, including any up18 grades, needed to support NASA’s programs; 

19 (3) identify priorities for how resources should 

20 be used to implement the plan; and 

21 (4) assess the impact on missions if resources 

22 are not secured at the level needed. 

23 (b) TRANSMITTAL.—Not later than 270 days after 

24 the date of enactment of this Act, the Administrator shall 


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1 transmit the plan to the appropriate committees of Con2 gress. 

3 SEC. 703. ASTRONAUT OCCUPATIONAL HEALTHCARE. 

4 (a) IN GENERAL.—Chapter 313 of title 51, United 

5 States Code, is amended by adding at the end the fol6 lowing: 

7 ‘‘§ 31303. Astronaut occupational healthcare 

8 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—Notwithstanding any other pro9 vision of law, the Administrator, as the Administrator con10 siders necessary, may provide for the medical monitoring, 

11 diagnosis, and treatment of a crewmember for conditions 

12 that the Administrator considers associated with human 

13 space flight, including scientific and medical tests for psy14 chological and medical conditions. 

15 ‘‘(b) RECORDS.—Consistent with applicable Federal 

16 privacy laws, the Administration shall retain access to all 

17 medical records and other health data from the provision 

18 of healthcare under subsection (a). 

19 ‘‘(c) DEFINITION OF CREWMEMBER.—In this section, 

20 the term ‘crewmember’ means— 

21 ‘‘(1) a former NASA astronaut/payload spe22 cialist who has flown on at least 1 space mission; 

23 ‘‘(2) a management NASA astronaut who has 

24 flown at least 1 space mission and is currently em25 ployed by the U.S. Government; or 


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1 ‘‘(3) an active NASA astronaut/payload spe2 cialist assigned, waiting assignment, or training for 

3 an assignment to a NASA human space flight.’’. 

4 (b) CONFORMING AMENDMENT.—The table of con5 tents for chapter 313 of title 51, United States Code, is 

6 amended by adding after the item relating to section 

7 31302 the following: 

‘‘31303. Astronaut occupational healthcare.’’. 

8 SEC. 704. HELIUM CAPTURE AND RECOVERY. 

9 (a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 180 days after the 

10 date of enactment of this Act, the Administrator shall sub11 mit to the appropriate committees of Congress an agency12 wide plan to recover and recycle helium, whenever possible, 

13 that the Administration uses or will use in current, 

14 planned, and future experimentation, tests, launches, and 

15 operations. 

16 (b) CONSIDERATIONS.—In developing the plan under 

17 subsection (a), the Administrator shall consider how modi18 fications, updates, or new lifecycle designs for engines, bal19 loons, airships, or other future programs can be designed 

20 or operated to recover and recycle helium. 

21 SEC. 705. INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY GOVERNANCE. 

22 (a) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Con23 gress that effective information technology governance is 

24 critical to ensuring information security, decreased costs, 

25 and overall mission assurance. The June 5, 2013, NASA 


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1 Office of Inspector General audit, ‘‘NASA’s Information 

2 Technology Governance,’’ found that the NASA Chief In3 formation Officer has limited oversight and control over 

4 a majority of the Administration’s information technology 

5 assets and cannot enforce security measures across the 

6 agency’s computer networks. For nearly 2 decades, the 

7 Administration has operated under a decentralized infor8 mation technology governance structure that has resulted 

9 in increased costs and inadequate security. At the same 

10 time, centralization of information technology governance 

11 has resulted in increased security and lower operating 

12 costs at other agencies. 

13 (b) INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY GOVERNANCE.— 

14 The Administrator shall, in consultation with Mission Di15 rectorate and NASA Center Chief Information Officers— 

16 (1) ensure the Agency Chief Information Offi17 cer has the appropriate resources and visibility to 

18 oversee agency-wide information technology oper19 ations and investments; 

20 (2) establish a direct line of report between the 

21 Agency Chief Information Officer and the Adminis22 trator; 

23 (3) establish a minimum monetary threshold for 

24 all agency information technology investments over 


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1 which the Agency Chief Information Officer shall 

2 have final approval; and 

3 (4) consider appropriate revisions to the char4 ters of information technology boards and councils 

5 that inform information technology investment and 

6 operation decisions. 

7 SEC. 706. IMPROVEMENTS TO BASELINES AND COST CON8 TROLS BREACH REPORTING PROCESS. 

9 Section 30104 of title 51, United States Code is 

10 amended— 

11 (1) in subsection (d)(3)— 

12 (A) by striking ‘‘the notification’’; and 

13 (B) by inserting ‘‘the notification and a 

14 timeline by which the Administrator intends to 

15 make the determination, report, and analysis 

16 under subsection (e)’’ before the period at the 

17 end; 

18 (2) in subsection (e)(1), by striking ‘‘Not later 

19 than 30 days after receiving a written notification 

20 under subsection (d)(2)’’ and inserting ‘‘In accord21 ance with the timeline under subsection (d)(3)’’; 

22 (3) in subsection (e)(1)(A), by striking ‘‘not 

23 later than 15 days after making the determination’’ 

24 and inserting ‘‘in accordance with the timeline under 

25 subsection (d)(3)’’; 


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1 (4) in subsection (e)(2), by striking ‘‘not later 

2 than 6 months after the Administrator makes a de3 termination under this subsection’’ and inserting ‘‘in 

4 accordance with the timeline under subsection 

5 (d)(3)’’; and 

6 (5) in subsection (f), by inserting ‘‘or an annual 

7 budget request that reflects this growth’’ after ‘‘a 

8 report under subsection (e)(1)(A)’’. 

9 SEC. 707. INFRASTRUCTURE. 

10 (a) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Con11 gress that— 

12 (1) the Administration has a role in providing 

13 access to unique or specialized laboratory capabilities 

14 that are not economically viable for purchase by 

15 commercial entities and therefore are not available 

16 outside of NASA; 

17 (2) the deteriorating condition of the Adminis18 tration’s facilities and other infrastructure is ham19 pering the research effectiveness and efficiency per20 formed at those facilities by both the Administration 

21 and industry participants; 

22 (3) the Administration must improve the condi23 tion of its facilities and infrastructure to maintain 

24 the competitiveness of the U.S. aerospace industry; 


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1 (4) to ensure continued researcher access to re2 liable and efficient world-class facilities, the Admin3 istration should seek to establish strategic partner4 ships with other Federal agencies, academic institu5 tions, and industry, as appropriate; and 

6 (5) decisions regarding whether to dispose of, 

7 maintain, or modernize existing facilities and other 

8 infrastructure must be made in the context of meet9 ing the future laboratory needs of the Administra10 tion and other Federal agencies. 

11 (b) PLAN.—Not later than 1 year after the date of 

12 enactment of this Act, the Administrator shall submit to 

13 the appropriate committees of Congress a plan for retain14 ing or acquiring the facilities, laboratories, equipment, test 

15 capabilities, and other infrastructure necessary to meet 

16 the Administration’s mandates and its current and future 

17 missions. The plan shall— 

18 (1) identify the Administration’s future infra19 structure needs, including facilities, laboratories, 

20 equipment, and test capabilities; 

21 (2) include a strategy for identifying and re22 moving unnecessary or duplicative infrastructure 

23 consistent with the national strategic direction under 

24 the National Space Policy, the National Aeronautics 

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1 structure Plan, the National Aeronautics and Space 

2 Administration Authorization Act of 2010, title 51 

3 of the United States Code, and other Administra4 tion-related law; 

5 (3) include a strategy for the maintenance, re6 pair, upgrading, and modernization of the Adminis7 tration’s facilities, laboratories, equipment, and 

8 other infrastructure; 

9 (4) recommend criteria for prioritizing deferred 

10 maintenance tasks and for upgrading or modernizing 

11 facilities, laboratories, equipment, and other infra12 structure; 

13 (5) include an assessment of modifications 

14 needed to maximize the use of facilities, laboratories, 

15 equipment, and other infrastructure that offer 

16 unique and highly specialized benefits to the aero17 space industry and the public; and 

18 (6) include recommendations for implementa19 tion, including a timeline, milestones, and an esti20 mate of the resources required for carrying out the 

21 plan. 

22 (c) ESTABLISHMENT OF CAPITAL FUNDS.—The Ad23 ministrator shall establish a capital fund at each of 

24 NASA’s field centers for the modernization of facilities, 

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1 cordance with the plan under subsection (b). The Adminis2 trator shall ensure, to the greatest extent practicable, that 

3 any financial savings achieved by closing an outdated or 

4 surplus facility at a NASA field center is made available 

5 to that field center’s capital fund for the purpose of mod6 ernizing that field center’s facilities, laboratories, equip7 ment, and other infrastructure in accordance with the plan 

8 under subsection (b). 

9 SEC. 708. KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT. 

10 (a) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of the Con11 gress that— 

12 (1) the Administration’s success relies heavily 

13 on the accumulated technical knowledge of its skilled 

14 civil servant and contractor workforce; 

15 (2) in light of an aging workforce, it is impera16 tive that the Administration preserve, to the max17 imum extent possible, both critical technical skills 

18 and all knowledge valuable to future mission plan19 ning and operation; and 

20 (3) exercising best practice knowledge manage21 ment systems within the Administration will benefit 

22 the future NASA workforce and help ensure future 

23 mission successes. 

24 (b) KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM.—The Ad25 ministrator shall establish an Administration-wide knowlVerDate Sep 11 2014 01:07 Dec 11, 2014 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00063 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6401 E:\BILLS\S1317.RS S1317

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1 edge management system and implement industry-stand2 ard best practices for capturing, archiving, and retrieving 

3 heritage and future information. The information under 

4 this subsection shall be accessible to all Administration 

5 employees unless otherwise prohibited because of the clas6 sified or sensitive nature of the information. 

7 (c) REPORT.—Not later than 12 months after the 

8 date of enactment of this Act, the Administrator shall sub9 mit to the appropriate committees of Congress a report 

10 that, at a minimum, includes— 

11 (1) a description of any actions necessary to 

12 create or modify an Administration-wide knowledge 

13 management system; 

14 (2) a plan for implementing the knowledge 

15 management system, including employee training 

16 and the provision of secure access to information, as 

17 required for all personnel working on Administration 

18 programs, projects, and research; 

19 (3) a summary of implementation costs for the 

20 knowledge management system; and 

21 (4) a timeline and progress report for imple22 mentation. 

23 (d) WORKFORCE STABILIZATION AND CRITICAL

24 SKILLS PRESERVATION.—Section 1105 of the National 

25 Aeronautics and Space Administration Authorization Act 


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1 of 2010 (42 U.S.C. 18431) is amended by striking ‘‘2013’’ 

2 and inserting ‘‘2016’’. 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; TABLE OF CONTENTS. 

4 (a) SHORT TITLE.—This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Na5 tional Aeronautics and Space Administration Authoriza6 tion Act of 2013’’. 

7 (b) TABLE OF CONTENTS.—The table of contents of this 

8 Act is as follows: 

TITLE I—AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS 

Sec. 101. Fiscal year 2014. 

Sec. 102. Fiscal year 2015. 

Sec. 103. Fiscal year 2016. 

TITLE II—HUMAN SPACE FLIGHT EXPLORATION AND OPERATIONS 

Subtitle A—Exploration 

Sec. 201. Missions and destinations. 

Sec. 202. NASA processing and launch infrastructure. 

Sec. 203. Naming of the space launch system. 

Sec. 204. Report; space suit system. 

Subtitle B—Maximizing ISS Utilization 

Sec. 221. Operation and utilization of the ISS. 

Sec. 222. Research roles and responsibilities. 

Sec. 223. ISS national laboratory; property rights in inventions. 

Sec. 224. Commercial cargo and crew capabilities. 

Subtitle C—Other Matters 

Sec. 231. Safety and mission assurance in human space flight. 

Sec. 232. Launch liability provisions. 

Sec. 233. Termination liability. 

TITLE III—SCIENCE 

Subtitle A—Earth Science 

Sec. 301. Earth science. 

Sec. 302. Land remote sensing. 

Subtitle B—Space Science 

Sec. 321. Human exploration and science collaboration. 

Sec. 322. Maintaining a balanced space science portfolio. 

Sec. 323. Science mission extensions. 

Sec. 324. Planetary science. 


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Sec. 325. Space weather. 

Sec. 326. James Webb space telescope. 

Sec. 327. University class science missions. 

TITLE IV—AERONAUTICS 

Sec. 401. NASA aeronautics. 

TITLE V—SPACE TECHNOLOGY 

Sec. 501. Space technology. 

TITLE VI—EDUCATION 

Sec. 601. Education and outreach activities. 

TITLE VII—OTHER MATTERS 

Sec. 701. Sense of Congress on NASA’s cross agency support. 

Sec. 702. Space communications network. 

Sec. 703. Astronaut occupational healthcare. 

Sec. 704. Helium capture and recovery. 

Sec. 705. Information technology governance. 

Sec. 706. Improvements to baselines and cost controls breach reporting process. 

Sec. 707. Infrastructure. 

Sec. 708. Commercial launch cooperation. 

Sec. 709. Knowledge management. 

Sec. 710. Authority to protect certain technical data from public disclosure. 

1 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

2 Congress makes the following findings: 

3 (1) A robust and balanced space program en4 hances the United States long-term national and eco5 nomic security by— 

6 (A) stimulating development of advanced 

7 technologies with widespread applications; 

8 (B) increasing the United States techno9 logical competitiveness; 

10 (C) enhancing global prosperity and secu11 rity through cooperation in shared interests, such 

12 as advancement of science, understanding of 


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1 Earth and the universe, and protection from 

2 space borne threats, such as asteroids; 

3 (D) opening the solar system to the full 

4 range of peaceful human activity; and 

5 (E) inspiring students to pursue disciplines 

6 in science, technology, engineering, and mathe7 matics. 

8 (2) The Nation’s space program should include— 

9 (A) national security and civil space activi10 ties; 

11 (B) robotic and human exploration; 

12 (C) advancement of scientific knowledge and 

13 engagement of the general public; 

14 (D) U.S. Government led launch capability 

15 development, including the Space Launch Sys16 tem and the Orion multi-purpose crew vehicle, 

17 and partnerships with commercial and inter18 national entities; 

19 (E) advancement of the space frontier and 

20 stimulation of commerce; and 

21 (F) searching outward to further our under22 standing of the universe and observing Earth to 

23 expand knowledge of our home planet. 

24 SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS. 

25 In this Act: 


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1 (1) ADMINISTRATION.—The term ‘‘Administra2 tion’’ means the National Aeronautics and Space Ad3 ministration. 

4 (2) ADMINISTRATOR.—The term ‘‘Adminis5 trator’’ means the Administrator of the National Aer6 onautics and Space Administration. 

7 (3) APPROPRIATE COMMITTEES OF CONGRESS.— 

8 The term ‘‘appropriate committees of Congress’’ 

9 means— 

10 (A) the Committee on Commerce, Science, 

11 and Transportation of the Senate; and 

12 (B) the Committee on Science, Space, and 

13 Technology of the House of Representatives. 

14 (4) ISS.—The term ‘‘ISS’’ means the Inter15 national Space Station. 

16 (5) NASA.—The term ‘‘NASA’’ means the Na17 tional Aeronautics and Space Administration. 

18 (6) ORION.—The term ‘‘Orion’’ means the multi19 purpose crew vehicle described under section 303 of 

20 the National Aeronautics and Space Administration 

21 Authorization Act of 2010 (42 U.S.C. 18323). 

22 (7) SPACE LAUNCH SYSTEM.—The term ‘‘Space 

23 Launch System’’ has the meaning given the term 

24 under section 3 of the National Aeronautics and 


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1 Space Administration Authorization Act of 2010 (42 

2 U.S.C. 18302). 

3 TITLE I—AUTHORIZATION OF 

4 APPROPRIATIONS 

5 SEC. 101. FISCAL YEAR 2014. 

6 There are authorized to be appropriated to NASA for 

7 fiscal year 2014, $18,100,000,000, as follows: 

8 (1) For Exploration, $4,275,000,000, of which— 

9 (A) $1,600,000,000 shall be for Space 

10 Launch System; 

11 (B) $1,200,000,000 shall be for the Orion 

12 multi-purpose crew vehicle; 

13 (C) $350,000,000 shall be for Exploration 

14 Ground Systems; 

15 (D) $325,000,000 shall be for Exploration 

16 Research and Development; and 

17 (E) $800,000,000 shall be for Commercial 

18 Space Flight. 

19 (2) For Space Operations, $3,832,000,000, of 

20 which— 

21 (A) $3,000,000,000 shall be for the ISS pro22 gram; and 

23 (B) $832,000,000 for Space and Flight 

24 Support. 

25 (3) For Science, $5,154,000,000, of which— 


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1 (A) $1,800,000,000 shall be for Earth 

2 Sciences; 

3 (B) $1,400,000,000 shall be for Planetary 

4 Science; 

5 (C) $642,000,000 shall be for Astrophysics; 

6 (D) $658,000,000 shall be for the James 

7 Webb Space Telescope; and 

8 (E) $654,000,000 shall be for Heliophysics. 

9 (4) For Aeronautics, $570,000,000. 

10 (5) For Space Technology, $635,000,000. 

11 (6) For Education, $136,000,000. 

12 (7) For Cross-Agency Support Programs, 

13 $2,850,000,000. 

14 (8) For Construction and Environmental Com15 pliance and Restoration, $610,000,000. 

16 (9) For Inspector General, $38,000,000. 

17 SEC. 102. FISCAL YEAR 2015. 

18 There are authorized to be appropriated to NASA for 

19 fiscal year 2015, $18,462,000,000, as follows 

20 (1) For Exploration, $4,522,000,000, of which— 

21 (A) $1,725,000,000 shall be for Space 

22 Launch System; 

23 (B) $1,225,000,000 shall be for the Orion 

24 multi-purpose crew vehicle; 


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1 (C) $425,000,000 shall be for Exploration 

2 Ground Systems; 

3 (D) $332,000,000 shall be for Exploration 

4 Research and Development; and 

5 (E) $815,000,000 shall be for Commercial 

6 Space Flight. 

7 (2) For Space Operations, $3,948,000,000, of 

8 which— 

9 (A) $3,103,000,000 shall be for the ISS pro10 gram; and 

11 (B) $845,000,000 for Space and Flight 

12 Support. 

13 (3) For Science, $5,234,400,000, of which— 

14 (A) $1,836,000,000 shall be for Earth 

15 Sciences; 

16 (B) $1,450,000,000 shall be for Planetary 

17 Science; 

18 (C) $670,000,000 shall be for Astrophysics; 

19 (D) $645,400,000 shall be for the James 

20 Webb Space Telescope; and 

21 (E) $633,000,000 shall be for Heliophysics. 

22 (4) For Aeronautics, $581,000,000. 

23 (5) For Space Technology, $650,000,000. 

24 (6) For Education, $139,800,000. 


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1 (7) For Cross-Agency Support Programs, 

2 $2,907,000,000. 

3 (8) For Construction and Environmental Com4 pliance and Restoration, $441,000,000. 

5 (9) For Inspector General, $38,800,000. 

6 SEC. 103. FISCAL YEAR 2016. 

7 There are authorized to be appropriated to NASA for 

8 fiscal year 2016, $18,831,000,000, as follows: 

9 (1) For Exploration, $4,660,000,000, of which— 

10 (A) $1,800,000,000 shall be for Space 

11 Launch System; 

12 (B) $1,250,000,000 shall be for the Orion 

13 multi-purpose crew vehicle; 

14 (C) $435,000,000 shall be for Exploration 

15 Ground Systems; 

16 (D) $350,000,000 shall be for Exploration 

17 Research and Development; and 

18 (E) $825,000,000 shall be for Commercial 

19 Space Flight. 

20 (2) For Space Operations, $4,010,000,000, of 

21 which— 

22 (A) $3,196,000,000 shall be for the ISS pro23 gram; and 

24 (B) $814,000,000 for Space and Flight 

25 Support. 


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1 (3) For Science, $5,315,800,000, of which— 

2 (A) $1,872,000,000 shall be for Earth 

3 Sciences; 

4 (B) $1,500,000,000 shall be for Planetary 

5 Science; 

6 (C) $686,800,000 shall be for Astrophysics; 

7 (D) $620,000,000 shall be for the James 

8 Webb Space Telescope; and 

9 (E) $637,000,000 shall be for Heliophysics. 

10 (4) For Aeronautics, $593,000,000. 

11 (5) For Space Technology, $665,000,000. 

12 (6) For Education, $142,000,000. 

13 (7) For Cross-Agency Support Programs, 

14 $2,965,000,000. 

15 (8) For Construction and Environmental Com16 pliance and Restoration, $441,000,000. 

17 (9) For Inspector General, $39,200,000. 

18 TITLE II—HUMAN SPACE FLIGHT 

19 EXPLORATION AND OPERATIONS 

20 Subtitle A—Exploration 

21 SEC. 201. MISSIONS AND DESTINATIONS. 

22 (a) IN GENERAL.—Congress reaffirms that the long23 term goal of the human space flight and exploration efforts 

24 of NASA shall be to expand permanent human presence be25 yond low-Earth orbit and to do so, where practical, in a 


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1 manner involving international partners, as stated in sec2 tion 202(a) of the National Aeronautics and Space Admin3 istration Authorization Act of 2010 (42 U.S.C. 18312(a)). 

4 (b) HUMAN EXPLORATION OF MARS.—Section 202(b) 

5 of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration Au6 thorization Act of 2010 (42 U.S.C. 18312(b)) is amended— 

7 (1) by striking ‘‘and’’ at the end of paragraph 

8 (3); 

9 (2) by striking the period at the end of para10 graph (4) and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 

11 (3) by adding at the end the following: 

12 ‘‘(5) to achieve human exploration of Mars, in13 cluding the establishment of a capability for human 

14 habitation on the surface of Mars.’’. 

15 (c) DEVELOPMENT OF EXPLORATION STRATEGY.— 

16 (1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 90 days after 

17 the date of enactment of this Act, and biennially 

18 thereafter, the Administrator shall submit to the ap19 propriate committees of Congress a strategy to achieve 

20 the objective under section 202(b)(5) of the National 

21 Aeronautics and Space Administration Authorization 

22 Act of 2010, as amended (42 U.S.C. 18312(b)(5)) 

23 through a series of successive, free-standing, but com24 plementary missions making robust utilization of cis25 lunar space and employing the Space Launch SysVerDate Sep 11 2014 01:07 Dec 11, 2014 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00074 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6203 E:\BILLS\S1317.RS S1317

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1 tem, Orion, and other capabilities provided under ti2 tles III, IV, V, and IX of that Act (42 U.S.C. 18301 

3 et seq.). 

4 (2) STRATEGY REQUIREMENTS.—In developing 

5 the strategy under paragraph (1), the Administrator 

6 shall include— 

7 (A) the utility of an expanded human pres8 ence in cis-lunar space toward enabling missions 

9 to various lunar orbits, the lunar surface, aster10 oids, the Mars system, and other destinations of 

11 interest for future human exploration and devel12 opment; 

13 (B) the utility of an expanded human pres14 ence in cis-lunar space for economic, scientific, 

15 and technological advances; 

16 (C) the opportunities for collaboration 

17 with— 

18 (i) international partners; 

19 (ii) private industry; and 

20 (iii) other Federal agencies, including 

21 missions relevant to national security or 

22 scientific needs; 

23 (D) the opportunities specifically afforded 

24 by the ISS to support high priority scientific 

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1 ing and sustaining a human presence in cis2 lunar space and beyond; 

3 (E) a range of exploration mission architec4 tures and approaches for the missions identified 

5 under paragraph (1); and 

6 (F) standards for ensuring crew health and 

7 safety, including limits regarding radiation ex8 posure and countermeasures necessary to meet 

9 those limits, means and methods for addressing 

10 urgent medical conditions or injuries, and other 

11 such safety, health, and medical issues that can 

12 be anticipated in the conduct of the missions 

13 identified under paragraph (1). 

14 (3) COMPARISON OF MISSION ARCHITECTURES

15 AND APPROACHES.— 

16 (A) IN GENERAL.—The strategy shall in17 clude a comparison of mission architectures and 

18 approaches identified under paragraph (2)(E) 

19 with a primary objective of identifying the ar20 chitectures and approaches that— 

21 (i) best support the long-term goal 

22 under section 202(a) of the National Aero23 nautics and Space Administration Author24 ization Act of 2010 (42 U.S.C. 18312(a)); 

25 and 


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1 (ii) are enabled by the Space Launch 

2 System, Orion, and other transportation ca3 pabilities and technologies provided under 

4 titles III, IV, V, and IX of the National 

5 Aeronautics and Space Administration Au6 thorization Act of 2010 (42 U.S.C. 18301 et 

7 seq.) and by other capabilities that may be 

8 available commercially or internationally. 

9 (B) FACTORS.—The comparison of mission 

10 architectures and approaches under subpara11 graph (A) shall include options that assess cost, 

12 schedule, safety, sustainability, opportunities for 

13 international collaboration, the enabling of new 

14 markets and opportunities for U.S. private in15 dustry, compelling scientific opportunities or na16 tional security considerations and requirements, 

17 the flexibility of the architecture to adjust to 

18 evolving technologies, leadership, and priorities, 

19 and contributions made to U.S. technological ex20 cellence, competitiveness, and leadership. 

21 (C) NATIONAL SECURITY COLLABORA22 TION.—In identifying opportunities for collabo23 ration under paragraph (2)(C)(iii), the Admin24 istrator, in collaboration with the Secretary of 

25 Defense and Director of National Intelligence, 


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1 shall include a discussion of the work, cost, and 

2 schedule required to enable and utilize a cargo 

3 variant of the Space Launch System, including 

4 the 70-, 105-, and 130-metric ton configurations, 

5 with both a 5-meter or 8-meter faring. 

6 (4) ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS.—The strategy 

7 shall include— 

8 (A) technical information as needed to iden9 tify interest from the scientific and national se10 curity communities; and 

11 (B) an assessment of the Space Launch Sys12 tem to enable and sustain near-Earth object sur13 veillance of potentially Earth-threatening objects 

14 for the purpose of planetary protection. 

15 SEC. 202. NASA PROCESSING AND LAUNCH INFRASTRUC16 TURE. 

17 (a) POLICY.—It is the policy of the United States that 

18 the Exploration Ground Systems to process and launch the 

19 Space Launch System, Orion, and related exploration ele20 ments, and the 21st Century Space Launch Complex to en21 able and facilitate civil, defense, and private launches are 

22 complementary efforts to modernize infrastructure, reduce 

23 costs, and maintain capabilities for current and future mis24 sions. 


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1 (b) DEVELOPMENT OF THE PROCESSING AND LAUNCH

2 SUPPORT INFRASTRUCTURE.—In executing the programs 

3 described under subsection (a), the Administrator, to the ex4 tent practicable— 

5 (1) may not exclude the ability of Exploration 

6 Ground Systems to support efforts under section 

7 305(b) of the National Aeronautics and Space Admin8 istration Authorization Act of 2010 (42 U.S.C. 

9 18325(b)); 

10 (2) shall allow for cost-sharing opportunities by 

11 providing multi-use systems and capabilities to cur12 rent and future users of the 21st Century Space 

13 Launch Complex through modernization, refurbish14 ment, or development of infrastructure; and 

15 (3) shall pursue, in collaboration with local, 

16 State, or Federal agencies, or private industry, capa17 bilities and investments that support multiple entities 

18 to advance NASA’s current and future missions and 

19 benefit NASA by creating new partnerships. 

20 (c) IMPROVEMENT OF LAUNCH INFRASTRUCTURE FOR

21 ACCESS TO ISS.— 

22 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Administrator shall con23 tinue to improve launch infrastructure at United 

24 States facilities launching vehicles to resupply the 


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1 ISS in order to ensure continuous, timely, redundant, 

2 and efficient access to the ISS. 

3 (2) FUNDING.—The budget materials for the Ad4 ministration in each budget of the President for a fis5 cal year (as submitted to Congress pursuant to section 

6 1105(a) of title 31, United States Code) shall specify 

7 the amount required for the Administration for such 

8 fiscal year for purposes of paragraph (1). 

9 SEC. 203. NAMING OF THE SPACE LAUNCH SYSTEM. 

10 (a) FINDINGS.—Congress finds that education and 

11 outreach to encourage the next generation of scientists and 

12 engineers to become involved in science and space explo13 ration is one of the Administration’s most important mis14 sions. 

15 (b) REPORT.—Not later than 30 days after the date 

16 of enactment of this Act, the Administration shall submit 

17 to the appropriate committees of Congress a plan to engage 

18 the public, including science students in elementary and 

19 secondary education programs, throughout the United 

20 States in naming— 

21 (1) NASA’s overall deep space human explo22 ration program; and 

23 (2) the Space Launch System. 


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1 SEC. 204. REPORT; SPACE SUIT SYSTEM. 

2 Not later than 90 days after the date of enactment of 

3 this Act, the Administration shall submit to the appropriate 

4 committees of Congress a report updating Congress on the 

5 Constellation Space Suit System. The report shall include 

6 justification as to whether another competition to award 

7 contracts for the design, development, certification, produc8 tion, and sustaining engineering of this space suit system 

9 is required to meet the needs of NASA’s human exploration 

10 program. 

11 Subtitle B—Maximizing ISS 

12 Utilization 

13 SEC. 221. OPERATION AND UTILIZATION OF THE ISS. 

14 (a) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Congress 

15 that— 

16 (1) maximum utilization of partnerships, sci17 entific research, commercial applications, and explo18 ration test bed capabilities of the ISS is essential to 

19 ensuring the greatest return on investments made by 

20 the United States and its international partners in 

21 the development, assembly, and operations of that 

22 unique facility; and 

23 (2) every effort should be made to ensure that de24 cisions regarding the service life of the ISS are made 

25 on the basis of its projected capability to continue 


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1 providing effective and productive research and explo2 ration test bed capabilities. 

3 (b) CONTINUATION OF THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE

4 STATION.—Congress reaffirms the policy stated in section 

5 501(a) of the National Aeronautics and Space Administra6 tion Authorization Act of 2010 (42 U.S.C. 18351(a)) that 

7 it shall be the policy of the United States, in consultation 

8 with its international partners in the ISS program, to sup9 port full and complete utilization of the ISS through at 

10 least 2020. 

11 (c) NASA ACTIONS.—In furtherance of the policy 

12 under subsection (b), the Administrator shall ensure, to the 

13 extent practicable, that the ISS, as a designated national 

14 laboratory— 

15 (1) remains viable as an element of overall explo16 ration and partnership strategies and approaches; 

17 (2) is considered for use by all NASA mission di18 rectorates, as appropriate, for technically appropriate 

19 scientific data gathering or technology risk reduction 

20 demonstrations; and 

21 (3) remains an effective, functional vehicle pro22 viding research and test bed capabilities for the 

23 United States through 2020, up to 2028, and possibly 

24 beyond. 


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1 (d) REPORT.—The Administrator, in consultation 

2 with the Office of Science and Technology Policy, shall de3 termine, through analyses and discussions with ISS part4 ners, the feasible and preferred service life of the ISS as 

5 a unique scientific, commercial, and exploration-related fa6 cility. Not later than 120 days after the date of enactment 

7 of this Act, and triennially thereafter, the Administrator 

8 shall submit to the appropriate committees of Congress a 

9 report that, at a minimum, includes— 

10 (1) an assessment of whether ISS operations can 

11 be extended to at least 2028, including— 

12 (A) a description of any activities that 

13 would be required of the international partner14 ship to ensure that safety requirements are met; 

15 (B) a general discussion of international 

16 partner capabilities and interest in extension, to 

17 include the potential for participation by addi18 tional countries; 

19 (C) a review of essential systems or equip20 ment upgrades that would be necessary for ISS 

21 extension and utilization to at least 2028; 

22 (D) an evaluation of the cost and schedule 

23 requirements associated with the development 

24 and delivery of essential systems or equipment 


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1 upgrades identified under subparagraph (C); 

2 and 

3 (E) an identification of possible partner 

4 contributions and program transitions to pro5 vide the upgrades identified under subparagraph 

6 (C); 

7 (2) an evaluation of the potential for expanding 

8 the use of ISS facilities to accommodate the needs of 

9 researchers and other users, including changes to poli10 cies, regulations, and laws that would stimulate 

11 greater private and public involvement on the ISS; 

12 and 

13 (3) such other information as may be necessary 

14 to fully describe the justification for and feasibility of 

15 extending the service life of the ISS, including the po16 tential scientific or technological benefits to the Fed17 eral Government or public, or to academic or com18 mercial entities that, within the United States-owned 

19 modules of the ISS or in partner-owned facilities of 

20 the ISS allocated for United States utilization by 

21 international agreement, are or may become engaged 

22 in research and testing activities sponsored, con23 ducted, and managed by the Administration or by the 

24 ISS management entity. 


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1 (e) DEFINITION OF ISS MANAGEMENT ENTITY.—In 

2 this section, the term ‘‘ISS management entity’’ means the 

3 organization with which the Administrator enters into a 

4 cooperative agreement under section 504(a) of the National 

5 Aeronautics and Space Administration Authorization Act 

6 of 2010 (42 U.S.C. 18354(a)). 

7 SEC. 222. RESEARCH ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES. 

8 (a) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Congress 

9 that— 

10 (1) expansion of the non-NASA utilization of the 

11 ISS is critical to maximizing the research potential 

12 of the ISS national laboratory and to facilitating ex13 panded commercial activity in low-Earth orbit; and 

14 (2) in order to expand the non-NASA scientific 

15 utilization of ISS research capabilities and facilities, 

16 it is essential to clarify the roles and responsibilities 

17 of the entities managing research within the U.S. 

18 Segment of the ISS. 

19 (b) MANAGEMENT OF THE ISS NATIONAL LABORA20 TORY.—Section 504 of the National Aeronautics and Space 

21 Administration Authorization Act of 2010 (42 U.S.C. 

22 18354) is amended— 

23 (1) in subsection (b), by adding at the end the 

24 following: 


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1 ‘‘(3) CONFLICTS OF INTEREST.—The Adminis2 trator shall ensure that the liaison function under 

3 this subsection is implemented in a manner that pre4 cludes any conflict of interest between the objectives 

5 and activities of the entities identified under sub6 section (e).’’; 

7 (2) in subsection (d)(2)— 

8 (A) by inserting ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—’’ be9 fore ‘‘If any NASA research plan’’ and adjusting 

10 the text accordingly; 

11 (B) by inserting ‘‘and subject to subpara12 graph (B)’’ after ‘‘Until September 30, 2020’’ in 

13 subparagraph (A), as redesignated; and 

14 (C) by adding at the end the following: 

15 ‘‘(B) MUTUAL AGREEMENT.—An exception 

16 under subparagraph (A) may only be granted if 

17 there is mutual agreement between the entities 

18 identified under subsection (e).’’; and 

19 (3) by adding at the end the following: 

20 ‘‘(e) CLARIFICATION OF ROLES.—The organization 

21 with which the Administrator enters into a cooperative 

22 agreement under subsection (a) for management of the ISS 

23 national laboratory shall be considered a separate and 

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1 sible for management of the NASA research plan onboard 

2 the ISS.’’. 

3 (c) REPORT.— 

4 (1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 180 days after 

5 the date of enactment of this Act, the Administrator 

6 shall submit to the appropriate committees of Con7 gress a report on the following: 

8 (A) Options for expanding the Administra9 tion’s collaboration with its ISS partners, in10 cluding— 

11 (i) providing U.S. personnel expanded 

12 access to international partner research fa13 cilities; and 

14 (ii) coordinating research efforts to 

15 minimize the duplication of effort, unless 

16 duplication is a justified element of the sci17 entific process or essential for backup or re18 dundant capability. 

19 (B) The potential for increasing ISS crew 

20 size to maximize utilization and applications. 

21 (C) Efforts undertaken by the Administra22 tion and the ISS management entity— 

23 (i) to enhance collaborative research be24 tween the Administration and other Federal 

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1 tutes of Health and the National Science 

2 Foundation; and 

3 (ii) to expand the use of the ISS na4 tional laboratory capabilities by Federal 

5 science agencies. 

6 (2) DEFINITION OF ISS MANAGEMENT ENTITY.— 

7 In this subsection, the term ‘‘ISS management entity’’ 

8 means the organization with which the Administrator 

9 enters into a cooperative agreement under section 

10 504(a) of the National Aeronautics and Space Ad11 ministration Authorization Act of 2010 (42 U.S.C. 

12 18354(a)). 

13 SEC. 223. ISS NATIONAL LABORATORY; PROPERTY RIGHTS 

14 IN INVENTIONS. 

15 Section 20135 of title 51, United States Code, is 

16 amended— 

17 (1) in subsection (g), by striking ‘‘Each such 

18 waiver’’ and inserting ‘‘Except as provided under 

19 subsection (l), each such waiver’’; and 

20 (2) by adding at the end the following: 

21 ‘‘(l) WAIVER OF RIGHTS TO INVENTIONS; COMMERCIAL

22 MICROGRAVITY RESEARCH.— 

23 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—With respect to any inven24 tion or class of inventions made or which may be 

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1 formance of any non-NASA scientific utilization of 

2 the ISS national laboratory, the Administrator may 

3 waive the license reserved by the Administrator under 

4 subsection (g), in whole or in part and according to 

5 negotiated terms and conditions, including the terms 

6 and conditions under paragraphs (1), (2), (3), and 

7 (5) of section 202(c) of title 35, if the Administrator 

8 finds that the reservation of the license by the Admin9 istrator would substantially inhibit the commer10 cialization of an invention. 

11 ‘‘(2) CONSTRUCTION.—Nothing in this subsection 

12 shall be construed to affect the rights of the Federal 

13 Government under any other procurement contract, 

14 grant, understanding, arrangement, agreement, or 

15 transaction.’’. 

16 SEC. 224. COMMERCIAL CARGO AND CREW CAPABILITIES. 

17 (a) FINDINGS.—Congress finds that— 

18 (1) NASA’s Commercial Orbital Transportation 

19 Services, Cargo Resupply Services, and Commercial 

20 Crew Program demonstrate the potential for pro21 curing routine, commercially provided access to the 

22 ISS and to low-Earth orbit using innovative and 

23 cost-effective development and procurement strategies; 

24 (2) Federal investments in the U.S. private space 

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1 cess to space for researchers and for commercial ven2 tures; 

3 (3) commercially provided space transportation 

4 is critical to maximizing utilization of the ISS; 

5 (4) encouraging competition among launch serv6 ice providers and maintaining multiple space trans7 portation options helps to reduce long-term costs to 

8 the Federal Government and to induce continual im9 provement in available private-sector services; and 

10 (5) consistent with section 201(b) of the National 

11 Aeronautics and Space Administration Authorization 

12 Act of 2010 (42 U.S.C. 18311(b)), maintaining mul13 tiple launch service providers helps ensure uninter14 rupted access to the space environment should a par15 ticular provider’s services become unavailable. 

16 (b) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Congress 

17 that the Administration— 

18 (1) should continue to support the development 

19 of safe, reliable, and cost effective commercial launch 

20 capabilities for the primary purpose of securing do21 mestic access to the ISS as quickly and safely as pos22 sible; and 

23 (2) should encourage a viable commercial market 

24 for the capabilities under paragraph (1). 


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1 (c) UNITED STATES POLICY.—It is the policy of the 

2 United States that, to foster the competitive development, 

3 operation, and improvement of private space transpor4 tation services, services for Federal Government access to 

5 and return from the ISS, whenever feasible, shall be pro6 cured via fair and open competition for well-defined, mile7 stone-based, Federal Acquisition Regulation-based contracts 

8 under section 201(a) of the National Aeronautics and Space 

9 Administration Authorization Act of 2010 (42 U.S.C. 

10 18311(a)). 

11 (d) SELECTION OF COMMERCIAL PROVIDERS.—In 

12 evaluating commercial space transportation service pro13 viders, the Administrator— 

14 (1) shall aim to minimize the life-cycle costs of 

15 obtaining transportation services; 

16 (2) shall assure compliance with all safety and 

17 mission assurance requirements; 

18 (3) shall consider contractor financial invest19 ment into the development of transportation capabili20 ties; and 

21 (4) for commercial crew transport services— 

22 (A) shall consider flexibility in design, in23 cluding sample return capabilities; and 

24 (B) shall provide a written notification and 

25 justification to the appropriate committees of 


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1 Congress if the price per seat exceeds the cost ne2 gotiated by NASA for crew transport in April 

3 2013. 

4 (5) STRATEGY FOR PROCURING COMMERCIAL

5 SERVICES.—In implementing the policy under sub6 section (c), the Administrator shall submit to the ap7 propriate committees of Congress, not later than 120 

8 days after the date of enactment of this Act, a strat9 egy for transitioning from Space Act Agreements to 

10 Federal Acquisition Regulation-based contracts for the 

11 procurement of crew transportation services to and 

12 from the ISS. The strategy shall include— 

13 (A) a comparison of potential procurement 

14 strategies based on— 

15 (i) maximizing safety and mission as16 surance; 

17 (ii) the total projected costs to the Fed18 eral Government through 2020, given mul19 tiple projections of Government demand for 

20 launch services; 

21 (iii) the feasibility of the procurement 

22 strategy and timeline, given projected fund23 ing availabilities; 

24 (iv) the potential for supporting the re25 search and exploration test bed needs of the 


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1 Federal Government and of the independent 

2 entity responsible for ISS national labora3 tory activities for the purposes described 

4 under section 504(d) of the National Aero5 nautics and Space Administration Author6 ization Act of 2010 (42 U.S.C. 18354(d)); 

7 and 

8 (v) the projected impacts on developing 

9 a viable market for commercial launch serv10 ices; 

11 (B) an evaluation of the costs and benefits 

12 of ensuring the availability of at least 2 U.S.- 

13 based launch service providers, considering— 

14 (i) the potential need for diversified 

15 cargo and sample return capabilities, in16 cluding a soft-landing capability as de17 scribed under section 404 of the National 

18 Aeronautics and Space Administration Au19 thorization Act of 2010 (124 Stat. 2822); 

20 and 

21 (ii) the ability of multiple cargo or 

22 crew launch service providers to meet pri23 vate or non-NASA Government mission re24 quirements and the subsequent benefit to the 

25 United States of such ability; 


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1 (C) justification for the procurement strat2 egy selected from among those considered; and 

3 (D) for the selected procurement strategy, 

4 identification of additional or modified authori5 ties, regulations, or guidelines that are necessary 

6 for successful implementation. 

7 Subtitle C—Other Matters 

8 SEC. 231. SAFETY AND MISSION ASSURANCE IN HUMAN 

9 SPACE FLIGHT. 

10 (a) FINDINGS.—Congress makes the following findings: 

11 (1) In the early part of the space race, the 

12 United States took over 3 years from the launch of the 

13 first American satellite, Explorer I, to the launch of 

14 the first American to space, Alan B. Shepard, Jr. 

15 (2) It was known then, as it is now, that the ex16 ploration of space by humans is an inherently dan17 gerous endeavor. 

18 (3) Access to space requires complex propulsion 

19 systems, such as the now retired Space Shuttle, which 

20 generated over 7,000,000 pounds of thrust. 

21 (4) Adding humans to the complex systems re22 quired to reach space requires additional safeguards, 

23 life support systems, and other measures to protect 

24 from the harsh environment of space in order to mini25 mize risk to human life. 


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1 (b) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Congress 

2 that— 

3 (1) meticulousness and attention to detail helps 

4 ensure that all humans are safe and protected to the 

5 best of the abilities of all those involved in helping 

6 achieve the reaches of space; 

7 (2) those who strive to send humans into space 

8 should make every effort to ensure the success of mis9 sions and programs through independent safety and 

10 mission assurance analyses; 

11 (3) diligent oversight efforts ensure adherence to 

12 safety, reliability, and quality assurance policies and 

13 procedures for missions and programs; and 

14 (4) lessons learned from mishaps and near 

15 misses should be implemented into designs, decisions, 

16 policy, and procedures to reduce the risk of future in17 cidents that could jeopardize crew safety or mission 

18 success. 

19 SEC. 232. LAUNCH LIABILITY PROVISIONS. 

20 (a) LIABILITY EXTENSION.—Section 50915(f) of title 

21 51, United States Code, is amended by striking ‘‘December 

22 31, 2013’’ and inserting ‘‘December 31, 2016’’. 

23 (b) PROTECTION FOR LAUNCH ACTIVITIES.—Sub24 chapter III of chapter 201 of title 51, United States Code 

25 is amended by inserting after section 20147 the following: 


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1 ‘‘§ 20148. Indemnification; NASA launch services 

2 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—Under such regulations in con3 formity with this section as the Administrator shall pre4 scribe taking into account the availability, cost, and terms 

5 of liability insurance, any contract between the Adminis6 tration and a provider may provide that the United States 

7 will indemnify a provider against claims (including rea8 sonable expenses of litigation or settlement) by third parties 

9 for death, bodily injury, or loss of or damage to property 

10 resulting from activities that the contract defines as unusu11 ally hazardous or nuclear in nature, but— 

12 ‘‘(1) only to the extent that such claims are not 

13 compensated by liability insurance of the provider; 

14 and 

15 ‘‘(2) only to the extent that such claims arise out 

16 of the direct performance of the contract. 

17 ‘‘(b) LIMITATION.—Indemnification under subsection 

18 (a) may be limited to claims resulting from other than the 

19 actual negligence or willful misconduct of the provider. 

20 ‘‘(c) TERMS OF INDEMNIFICATION.—A contract made 

21 under subsection (a) that provides indemnification shall 

22 also provide for— 

23 ‘‘(1) notice to the United States of any claim or 

24 suit against the provider for death, bodily injury, or 

25 loss of or damage to property; and 


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1 ‘‘(2) control of or assistance in the defense by the 

2 United States, at its election, of that suit or claim. 

3 ‘‘(d) LIABILITY INSURANCE OF THE PROVIDER.—Each 

4 provider that is a party to a contract made under sub5 section (a) shall have and maintain liability insurance in 

6 such amounts as the Administrator shall require to cover 

7 liability to third parties and loss of or damage to property. 

8 ‘‘(e) NO INDEMNIFICATION WITHOUT CROSS-WAIV9 ER.—Notwithstanding subsection (a), the Administrator 

10 may not indemnify a provider under this section unless 

11 there is a cross-waiver between the Administration and the 

12 provider as described in subsection (f). 

13 ‘‘(f) CROSS-WAIVERS.—The Administrator, on behalf 

14 of the United States, and its departments, agencies, and in15 strumentalities, may reciprocally waive claims with a pro16 vider under which each party to the waiver agrees to be 

17 responsible, and agrees to ensure that its own related enti18 ties are responsible, for damage or loss to its property for 

19 which it is responsible, or for losses resulting from any in20 jury or death sustained by its own employees or agents, as 

21 a result of activities arising out of the performance of the 

22 contract. 

23 ‘‘(g) CERTIFICATION OF JUST AND REASONABLE

24 AMOUNT.—No payment may be made under subsection (a) 


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1 unless the Administrator or the Administrator’s designee 

2 certifies that the amount is just and reasonable. 

3 ‘‘(h) PAYMENTS.—Upon the approval by the Adminis4 trator, payments under subsection (a) may be made, at the 

5 Administrator’s election, either from— 

6 ‘‘(1) funds obligated for the performance of the 

7 contract concerned; 

8 ‘‘(2) funds available for research and develop9 ment not otherwise obligated; or 

10 ‘‘(3) funds appropriated for such payments. 

11 ‘‘(i) APPLICATION OF CERTAIN PROVISIONS.—If the 

12 Administrator requests additional appropriations to make 

13 payments under this section, then the request for those ap14 propriations shall be made in accordance with the proce15 dures established under section 50915. The Administrator 

16 shall not authorize payments under subsection (h) of this 

17 section, except to the extent provided in an appropriation 

18 law or to the extent additional legislative authority is en19 acted providing for such payments. Notwithstanding any 

20 other provision of this section, all obligations under this sec21 tion are subject to the availability of funds, and nothing 

22 in this section shall be interpreted to require obligation or 

23 payment of funds in violation of the Anti-Deficiency Act 

24 (31 U.S.C. 1341). 


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1 ‘‘(j) RELATIONSHIP TO OTHER LAWS.—The Adminis2 trator may not provide indemnification under this section 

3 for an activity that requires a license or permit under chap4 ter 509. 

5 ‘‘(k) CONSTRUCTION.—The authority to indemnify 

6 under this section shall not create any rights in third per7 sons that would not otherwise exist by law. 

8 ‘‘(l) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

9 ‘‘(1) LAUNCH SERVICES.—The term ‘launch serv10 ices’ has the meaning given the term in section 50902. 

11 ‘‘(2) PROVIDER.—The term ‘provider’ means a 

12 person that provides domestic launch services in sup13 port of any space activity the Government carries out 

14 for the Government, including a subcontractor under 

15 a contract containing an indemnification provision 

16 under subsection (a). 

17 ‘‘(3) RELATED ENTITY.—The term ‘related enti18 ty’ includes a contractor or subcontractor.’’. 

19 (c) CONFORMING AMENDMENT.—The table of contents 

20 for subchapter III of chapter 201 of title 51, United States 

21 Code, is amended by inserting after the item relating to 

22 section 20147 the following: 

‘‘20148. Indemnification; NASA launch services.’’. 

23 SEC. 233. TERMINATION LIABILITY. 

24 (a) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Congress 

25 that— 


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1 (1) while NASA’s rate of contract termination is 

2 relatively low, the proper management of termination 

3 liability is essential to minimizing the government’s 

4 cost risk and to ensuring that taxpayer funding prop5 erly supports meeting NASA contract performance 

6 goals; 

7 (2) maintaining the Administration’s flexibility 

8 in executing termination liability provisions helps 

9 NASA to effectively manage its cost risks, given the 

10 circumstances relevant to individual contracts; 

11 (3) current statute provides the Administration 

12 with broad leeway in determining the amount of and 

13 managing its termination liability reserves; and 

14 (4) the concerns noted in 2011 by the Comp15 troller General, who found that NASA had not suc16 cessfully monitored potential termination liability 

17 costs or enforced related procedures, must be addressed 

18 in order to ensure the best use of taxpayer funds. 

19 (b) REPORT.—Not later than 90 days after the date 

20 of enactment of this Act, the Administrator shall deliver to 

21 the appropriate committees of Congress a review of its cur22 rent termination liability practices and the benefits of po23 tential alternatives. The report shall include – 

24 (1) an accounting of the total budget currently 

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1 tractor, to cover termination liability for the Space 

2 Launch System and Orion programs; 

3 (2) an accounting of the current cost risk of ter4 mination liability for the Space Launch System and 

5 Orion programs; 

6 (3) a description of the guidelines by which the 

7 Administration determines the appropriate level of 

8 termination liability and monitors potential termi9 nation liability costs over the lifetime of a contract; 

10 (4) a descriptive list of alternative frameworks 

11 for managing termination liability, including frame12 works wherein neither NASA nor the contractor holds 

13 funds in reserve to cover termination liability; 

14 (5) a comparison demonstrating the benefits and 

15 drawbacks of the current and alternative termination 

16 liability frameworks; and 

17 (6) a description of any statutory changes that 

18 may be required to implement alternative termi19 nation liability frameworks, which may include per20 mitting the Administration to pool reserves across 

21 programs or to apply current year appropriations to22 wards liability payments. 

23 (c) GAO REVIEW.—Concurrent with the delivery of the 

24 report to the appropriate committees of Congress, the Ad25 ministration shall submit the report for review by the 


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1 Comptroller General. Not later than 30 days after the date 

2 that NASA receives the report, the Comptroller General 

3 shall deliver to Congress an assessment of the potential for 

4 continued improvement relative to the previous GAO review 

5 of NASA termination liability, conducted in 2011. 

6 TITLE III—SCIENCE 

7 Subtitle A—Earth Science 

8 SEC. 301. EARTH SCIENCE. 

9 (a) FINDINGS.—Congress finds that— 

10 (1) continuous, long-term Earth observation data 

11 supports the preparation for and management of nat12 ural and human-induced disasters, benefits resource 

13 management and agricultural forecasting, improves 

14 our understanding of climate, and encourages envi15 ronmental and economic sustainability; 

16 (2) due to the scope of activities required, Earth 

17 science research and Earth observation are multi18 agency endeavors requiring significant cooperation 

19 and information sharing among government, inter20 national, and scientific community partners; 

21 (3) in developing Earth observation technologies, 

22 conducting Earth science satellite missions, and pro23 viding research products to the scientific community, 

24 NASA plays a crucial role in advancing Earth 

25 science; and 


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1 (4) the loss of observational capabilities in Earth 

2 science, as predicted by the National Research Coun3 cil’s midterm update to its Earth Science Decadal 

4 Survey, risks reversing gains in weather forecast ac5 curacy, reducing disaster response capabilities, and 

6 creating an irreversible gap in Earth science data. 

7 (b) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Congress 

8 that— 

9 (1) given the importance of Earth science and 

10 Earth observation data, NASA Earth science efforts— 

11 (A) should be conducted in coordination 

12 with other Federal agencies; and 

13 (B) should be cognizant of international ef14 forts and the needs of the scientific and busi15 nesses communities; and 

16 (2) whenever feasible, NASA and other Federal 

17 agencies should consider the potential for reducing 

18 costs by purchasing commercially available Earth 

19 science data and services while maintaining free and 

20 open data policies. 

21 (c) MISSION PRIORITIZATION.— 

22 (1) NATIONAL STRATEGY FOR EARTH OBSERVA23 TION.—The Office of Science and Technology Policy, 

24 in implementing its National Strategy for Earth Ob25 servation and in developing a National Plan for Civil 


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1 Earth Observations, shall prioritize Federal Earth 

2 science and observation investments based on— 

3 (A) its assessment of Earth science and ob4 servation data requirements; 

5 (B) the capability requirements as identi6 fied by the National Academies decadal surveys; 

7 (C) the projected costs of Earth science mis8 sions and data gathering activities; and 

9 (D) the projected and available budgets. 

10 (2) NATIONAL PLAN FOR CIVIL EARTH OBSERVA11 TIONS.—The Administration, in prioritizing future 

12 Earth science and Earth observation missions and 

13 technology development under the National Plan for 

14 Civil Earth Observations and chapter 201 of title 51, 

15 United States Code, shall consider potential cost-re16 duction opportunities, including— 

17 (A) if feasible, co-locating Earth science sen18 sors on other satellites; and 

19 (B) purchasing commercially available serv20 ices, such as launch access to orbital and sub-or21 bital space, and Earth science data with free and 

22 open data policies. 

23 (d) DEEP SPACE CLIMATE OBSERVATORY.—The Ad24 ministrator shall continue to develop and integrate the Na25 tional Institute of Standards and Technology Advanced RaVerDate Sep 11 2014 01:07 Dec 11, 2014 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00104 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6203 E:\BILLS\S1317.RS S1317

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1 diometer, the Earth Polychromatic Imaging Camera, and 

2 related hardware and software onto the Deep Space Climate 

3 Observatory. 

4 SEC. 302. LAND REMOTE SENSING. 

5 (a) REAFFIRMATION OF FINDING.—Congress reaffirms 

6 the finding in section 2(1) of the Land Remote Sensing Pol7 icy Act of 1992 (Public Law 102–555; 106 Stat. 4163; 15 

8 U.S.C. 5601), namely, that ‘‘[t]he continuous collection and 

9 utilization of land remote sensing data from space are of 

10 major benefit in studying and understanding human im11 pacts on the global environment, in managing the Earth’s 

12 natural resources, in carrying out national security func13 tions, and in planning and conducting many other activi14 ties of scientific, economic, and social importance’’. 

15 (b) FINDINGS.—Congress makes the following findings: 

16 (1) Since 1972, the Landsat program has pro17 vided standardized scientific data, the continuity of 

18 which is essential to ensuring the value of Landsat in 

19 monitoring the environment, modeling and detecting 

20 changes in the global supply of natural resources, and 

21 updating maps relevant to national security. 

22 (2) Landsat data engages and benefits a broad 

23 group of national stakeholders, from Landsat data 

24 processors in South Dakota to coastal restoration 

25 planners in Louisiana, forest managers in Colorado, 


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1 Texas, and West Virginia, fire risk assessors in Cali2 fornia, and beyond. 

3 (3) The May 2013 operationalization of Landsat 

4 8 is especially notable given the dramatic increase in 

5 the usage and economic value of Landsat data which 

6 has occurred since the 2008 adoption of free and open 

7 data policies. 

8 (4) Rapidly proceeding with the definition and 

9 construction of the next global land-imaging system, 

10 Landsat 9 offers the potential for cost savings by tak11 ing advantage of the standing infrastructure and 

12 flight hardware used to construct Landsat 8 to sus13 tain the highly successful Landsat partnership be14 tween the Administration and the United States Geo15 logical Survey. 

16 (5) According to the report of the National Acad17 emies of Sciences entitled ‘‘Future U.S. Workforce on 

18 Geospatial Intelligence’’, remote sensing is one of the 

19 5 core areas on which the current production and 

20 analysis of geospatial intelligence relies. 

21 (c) SYSTEM DEFINITION AND PROCUREMENT OF NEXT

22 GLOBAL LAND-IMAGING SYSTEM.—The Administrator shall 

23 use existing studies and data to initiate system definition 

24 and procurement of the next global land-imaging system in 


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1 a manner consistent with continuing Earth remote sensing 

2 data collection over multi-decade time periods. 

3 (d) SUPPORT FOR EDUCATION IN REMOTE SENSING

4 DISCIPLINES.—The Administrator shall, to the extent prac5 ticable within funds available to the Administration, seek 

6 partnerships with institutions of higher education, and 

7 other Federal agencies, to support education of the next gen8 eration of remote sensing engineers, scientists, and analysts. 

9 Subtitle B—Space Science 

10 SEC. 321. HUMAN EXPLORATION AND SCIENCE COLLABORA11 TION. 

12 The Administrator shall ensure that the Science Mis13 sion Directorate and the Human Exploration and Oper14 ations Mission Directorate coordinate in researching and 

15 reducing the risks that space exploration beyond low-Earth 

16 orbit pose to astronaut health. Not later than 90 days after 

17 the date of enactment of this Act, the Administrator shall 

18 provide to the appropriate committees of Congress a report 

19 detailing the results of previous research in this area and 

20 identifying opportunities for future science missions to con21 tribute to the understanding of these risks. 


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1 SEC. 322. MAINTAINING A BALANCED SPACE SCIENCE PORT2 FOLIO. 

3 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 803 of the National Aero4 nautics and Space Administration Authorization Act of 

5 2010 (124 Stat. 2832) is amended to read as follows: 

6 ‘‘SEC. 803. OVERALL SCIENCE PORTFOLIO; SENSE OF CON7 GRESS. 

8 ‘‘Congress reaffirms its sense that a balanced and ade9 quately funded set of activities, consisting of research and 

10 analysis grants programs, technology development, small, 

11 medium, and large space missions, and suborbital research 

12 activities, contributes to a robust and productive science 

13 program and serves as a catalysis for innovation and dis14 covery. The Administrator should set science priorities by 

15 following the guidance provided by the scientific community 

16 through the National Academies’ decadal surveys.’’. 

17 (b) CONFORMING AMENDMENT.—The item relating to 

18 section 803 in the table of contents in section 1(b) of the 

19 National Aeronautics and Space Administration Author20 ization Act of 2010 (124 Stat. 2806) is amended by striking 

21 ‘‘Overall science portfolio-sense of the Congress’’ and insert22 ing ‘‘Overall science portfolio; sense of Congress’’. 

23 SEC. 323. SCIENCE MISSION EXTENSIONS. 

24 Section 30504 of title 51, United States Code is 

25 amended to read as follows: 


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1 ‘‘§ 30504. Assessment of science mission extensions 

2 ‘‘(a) ASSESSMENT.—The Administrator shall carry 

3 out biennial reviews within each of the Science divisions 

4 to assess the cost and benefits of extending the date of the 

5 termination of data collection for those missions that have 

6 exceeded their planned mission lifetime. In conducting these 

7 assessments, the Administrator shall consider— 

8 ‘‘(1) the potential continued benefit of instru9 ments on missions that are beyond their planned mis10 sion lifetime; and 

11 ‘‘(2) the cost and schedule impacts, if any, of 

12 mission extension on other NASA activities and 

13 science missions. 

14 ‘‘(b) CONSULTATION REQUIREMENT.—When deciding 

15 whether to extend science missions with an operational com16 ponent, the Administrator shall consult with the National 

17 Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and any other af18 fected Federal agency.’’. 

19 SEC. 324. PLANETARY SCIENCE. 

20 (a) FINDINGS.—Congress finds that— 

21 (1) Administration support for planetary science 

22 is critical to enabling greater understanding of the 

23 solar system and its origin; 

24 (2) the United States leads the world in plan25 etary science and can augment its success with appro26 priate international partnerships; 


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1 (3) a mix of small-, medium-, and large-plan2 etary science missions is required to sustain a steady 

3 cadence of planetary exploration; and 

4 (4) robotic planetary exploration is a key compo5 nent of preparing for future human exploration. 

6 (b) MISSION PRIORITIES.—In accordance with the pri7 orities established in the most recent decadal survey for 

8 planetary science, the Administrator shall ensure, to the 

9 greatest extent practicable, the completion of a balanced set 

10 of Discovery, New Frontiers, and flagship missions. Con11 sistent with this balanced mix of missions and maintaining 

12 the continuity of scientific data and steady development of 

13 capabilities and technologies, the Administrator may seek, 

14 if necessary, adjustments to mission priorities, schedule, 

15 and scope in light of changing budget projections. 

16 (c) INSTRUMENTATION.—To support its science mis17 sion priorities, the Administration shall invest in a sus18 tained program to develop or mature scientific instrument 

19 capabilities, as delineated in the NASA Science Instru20 ments, Observatories, and Sensor Systems Roadmap. 

21 SEC. 325. SPACE WEATHER. 

22 (a) OSTP ROADMAP.—In coordination with NASA, 

23 the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, 

24 and other relevant Federal agencies, the Director of the Of25 fice of Science and Technology Policy, not later than 24 


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1 months after the date of enactment of this Act, shall deliver 

2 to the appropriate committees of Congress a roadmap for 

3 developing and deploying space weather forecasting tech4 nologies. The roadmap shall, at a minimum— 

5 (1) aim to relieve capability gaps identified by 

6 the National Space Weather Program Council review 

7 of space weather observing systems, as requested by 

8 the National Aeronautics and Space Administration 

9 Authorization Act of 2010 (42 U.S.C. 18301 et seq.); 

10 and 

11 (2) consider ongoing and future requirements for 

12 space weather modeling, monitoring, and prediction. 

13 (b) NASA TECHNOLOGY ROADMAPS.—The Adminis14 tration shall update and further develop its technology 

15 roadmaps as required to address mitigating a wide range 

16 of space weather effects on both satellites and spacecraft. 

17 (c) ALERT PROTOCOL.—The Director of the Office of 

18 Science and Technology Policy shall coordinate relevant 

19 Federal agencies to propose protocols for communicating 

20 and responding to space weather forecasts. Protocol assess21 ment shall consider the needs of both government and pri22 vate sector entities. The Director of the Office of Science 

23 and Technology Policy shall deliver a report on proposed 

24 protocols to Congress not later than 24 months after the 

25 date of enactment of this Act. 


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1 SEC. 326. JAMES WEBB SPACE TELESCOPE. 

2 It is the sense of Congress that— 

3 (1) the James Webb Space Telescope will signifi4 cantly advance our understanding of star and planet 

5 formation, improve our knowledge of the early uni6 verse, and support U.S. leadership in astrophysics; 

7 (2) significant progress has been made with re8 gard to overcoming the James Webb Space Telescope’s 

9 technical challenges and in improving NASA manage10 ment oversight; 

11 (3) the on-time and on-budget completion of the 

12 James Webb Space Telescope should remain a top 

13 NASA priority; and 

14 (4) consistent with annual Government Account15 ability Office reviews of the James Webb Space Tele16 scope program, the Administrator should continue to 

17 improve the James Webb Space Telescope’s cost and 

18 schedule estimates and oversight procedures in order 

19 to enhance NASA’s ability to successfully deliver the 

20 James Webb Space Telescope on time and on budget. 

21 SEC. 327. UNIVERSITY CLASS SCIENCE MISSIONS. 

22 (a) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Congress 

23 that principal investigator-led suborbital and small orbital 

24 science missions, including CubeSat, University Explorer 

25 (UNEX), Small Explorer (SMEX), and Venture class mis26 sions, offer valuable, lower-cost opportunities to advance 


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1 science, train the next generation of scientists and engi2 neers, and provide opportunities for program participants 

3 to acquire skills in systems engineering and systems inte4 gration that are critical to maintaining the Nation’s leader5 ship in space. The use of public-private partnerships and 

6 commercial contracting are important means for sustaining 

7 lower costs. 

8 (b) REVIEW OF PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR LED SUB9 ORBITAL AND SMALL ORBITAL SCIENCE MISSIONS.— 

10 (1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 120 days after 

11 the date of enactment of this Act, the Administrator, 

12 in collaboration with the Director of the National 

13 Science Foundation, shall enter into an arrangement 

14 with the National Academy of Sciences to conduct a 

15 review of suborbital and small orbital science mis16 sions, including those described under subsection (a). 

17 (2) REQUIREMENTS.—The review under para18 graph (1) shall include the following: 

19 (A) The status, capability, and availability 

20 of existing suborbital and small orbital science 

21 mission programs in which the missions are led 

22 by principal investigators and enable significant 

23 participation by university scientists and stu24 dents. 


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1 (B) The opportunities that suborbital and 

2 small orbital science missions provide for sci3 entific research, training, and education, includ4 ing scientific and engineering workforce develop5 ment. 

6 (C) The use of commercial applications, 

7 such as hosted payloads, free flyers, data buys, 

8 secondary payloads, and commercial launches 

9 further the goals of suborbital and small orbital 

10 science missions, while preserving the principle 

11 of independent peer review as the basis for mis12 sion selection. 

13 (c) REPORT.— 

14 (1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 15 months 

15 after the date of enactment of this Act, the Adminis16 trator and the Director of the National Science Foun17 dation shall submit to the appropriate committees of 

18 Congress a report on the review required by this sec19 tion. 

20 (2) CONTENTS.—The report shall include— 

21 (A) a summary of the review under sub22 section (b); 

23 (B) the findings of the Administrator and 

24 the Director of the National Science Foundation 

25 with respect to that review; and 


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1 (C) recommendations regarding principal 

2 investigator led suborbital and small orbital 

3 science missions conducted by the Administra4 tion and the National Science Foundation. 

5 TITLE IV—AERONAUTICS 

6 SEC. 401. NASA AERONAUTICS. 

7 (a) FINDINGS.—Congress finds that— 

8 (1) aviation is vital to the United States econ9 omy, with the industry supporting nearly 1,000,000 

10 jobs, conducting nearly 10,000,000 commercial flights 

11 per year within the United States alone, and contrib12 uting to the aerospace industry’s positive trade bal13 ance in 2012; 

14 (2) in helping test and mature new technologies 

15 for quiet and efficient air transportation, NASA’s 

16 Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate addresses 

17 major aviation trends, such as the rapid growth in 

18 passengers, increasing fuel costs, and the demand for 

19 faster vehicles; 

20 (3) the Directorate works closely with industry 

21 and academia to address long-term challenges to the 

22 air transportation system that require improving 

23 aviation safety, increasing the capacity of the increas24 ingly crowded national airspace system, and reducing 

25 environmental impacts; 


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1 (4) through its Aeronautics Test Program, the 

2 Directorate manages the flight operations and test in3 frastructure at 4 NASA centers, providing both NASA 

4 and its industry partners with access to critical fa5 cilities; 

6 (5) NASA’s contribution to aeronautics is evi7 denced in the use of its technologies in almost every 

8 modern aircraft; and 

9 (6) the Directorate has identified otherwise un10 known safety issues and helped optimize aircraft 

11 routes, yielding millions of dollars in potential sav12 ings to airlines and benefitting passengers. 

13 (b) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Congress 

14 that— 

15 (1) the Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate 

16 builds on the successful legacy of NASA’s predecessor, 

17 the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics, 

18 which worked closely with industry partners to ad19 vance both military and civil aviation until its dis20 solution in 1958; 

21 (2) NASA aeronautics research, development, 

22 and test activities, including investments into com23 posite structures, new fuels, and innovative aircraft 

24 concepts, must continue in order to support U.S. 

25 leadership in aviation; 


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1 (3) the Directorate’s efforts to collaborate with 

2 the aviation industry to gather and analyze data and 

3 to prototype and test algorithms that optimize flight 

4 routes, manage air traffic, and account for weather 

5 impacts are critical to supporting the safe use of the 

6 national airspace; 

7 (4) continued cooperation between NASA’s Aero8 nautics Research Mission Directorate and the Federal 

9 Aviation Administration is vital to providing the 

10 data and tools necessary to best regulate the national 

11 airspace and to ensure that new technologies are effec12 tively tested and acquire timely regulatory approval; 

13 and 

14 (5) continued cooperation between NASA’s Aero15 nautics Research Mission Directorate and the Depart16 ment of Defense is vital to providing technical exper17 tise, research, and experimental and test facilities for 

18 a broad range of aeronautics research and develop19 ment, including hypersonics and rotorcraft. 

20 (c) ADVANCED COMPOSITES PROJECT.— 

21 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Administrator shall carry 

22 out an Advanced Composites Project to accelerate the 

23 use of advanced composite materials in aircraft. To 

24 implement the project, the Administrator shall enter 

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1 istration and appropriate private sector entities. The 

2 partnership shall be called the ‘‘Advanced Composites 

3 Consortium’’. 

4 (2) PARTICIPATION AND COORDINATION WITH

5 OTHER FEDERAL AGENCIES.—The partnership to im6 plement the project— 

7 (A) may include other Federal agencies if 

8 the Administrator determines that the participa9 tion of such agencies in the partnership will fur10 ther the purpose of the partnership; and 

11 (B) shall coordinate with the Joint Ad12 vanced Materials and Structures Center of Excel13 lence of the Federal Aviation Administration. 

14 (3) PURPOSE.—The purpose of the Advanced 

15 Composites Project shall be to accelerate the develop16 ment and certification of advanced composite mate17 rials and structures for use in commercial and mili18 tary aircraft. The partnership shall foster collabora19 tion with the private sector, and with other Federal 

20 agencies, in order to accomplish the purpose of the 

21 project. 

22 TITLE V—SPACE TECHNOLOGY 

23 SEC. 501. SPACE TECHNOLOGY. 

24 (a) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of the Con25 gress that— 


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1 (1) previous investments in space technologies 

2 have not only enabled space exploration and research 

3 missions, but also have improved the quality of life on 

4 Earth; 

5 (2) by improving affordability, reliability, and 

6 operational capability, continued space technology de7 velopments will enable NASA missions that otherwise 

8 would be unachievable; 

9 (3) investments in space technology engage the 

10 talent of the Administration and of the Nation’s aca11 demic and business enterprises; and 

12 (4) space technology roadmaps serve as a useful 

13 framework for NASA, academic, and industry devel14 opment efforts. 

15 (b) SPACE TECHNOLOGY DIRECTIVE.—To advance 

16 NASA’s space exploration and space research goals, the Ad17 ministrator shall continue a program with responsibility 

18 for NASA investments in space technologies and capabili19 ties. To the greatest extent possible, the Administrator shall 

20 synergize all NASA space technology investments, encourage 

21 collaboration in space technology development with aca22 demia and industry, and minimize duplication of space 

23 technology development efforts across the Administration 

24 and the private sector unless duplication is required to 

25 maintain mission safety, security, or backup capability. 


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1 (c) SPACE TECHNOLOGY ROADMAP REPORT.—In car2 rying out the policy under subsection (b), the Administrator 

3 shall submit to the appropriate committees of Congress, not 

4 later than 24 months after the date of enactment of this 

5 Act, a progress report on the development, testing, and dem6 onstration of the 14 technological areas of the Space Tech7 nology Roadmaps. 

8 (d) FLIGHT OPPORTUNITIES.— 

9 (1) DEVELOPMENT OF PAYLOADS.—In order to 

10 do necessary research, the Administrator shall con11 tinue and, as appropriate, expand the development of 

12 technology payloads that investigate improved capa13 bilities and scientific research. 

14 (2) FLIGHT OPPORTUNITIES FOR PAYLOADS.— 

15 The Administrator shall provide flight opportunities 

16 for such payloads to microgravity environments and 

17 suborbital altitudes as authorized by section 907 of 

18 the National Aeronautics and Space Administration 

19 Authorization Act of 2010 (42 U.S.C. 18405). 

20 (e) REPORT REPEAL.—Notwithstanding any other 

21 provision of law, the Administration is not required to com22 pile or submit the annual report on the Innovative Partner23 ships Program under section 1107(c) of the National Aero24 nautics and Space Administration Authorization Act of 

25 2008 (122 Stat. 4779). 


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1 TITLE VI—EDUCATION 

2 SEC. 601. EDUCATION AND OUTREACH ACTIVITIES. 

3 (a) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Congress 

4 that— 

5 (1) the Administration is uniquely recognized in 

6 the educational and global communities for its aero7 space knowledge, passionate workforce, and unique ca8 pabilities and facilities; 

9 (2) U.S. competitiveness in aerospace requires 

10 engaging the science, technology, engineering, and 

11 mathematics (STEM) talent in all States and juris12 dictions; 

13 (3) the Administration’s education and outreach 

14 programs, including the Experimental Program to 

15 Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR) and the 

16 Space Grant College and Fellowship Program, reflect 

17 the Administration’s successful commitment to grow18 ing and diversifying the national science and engi19 neering workforce; 

20 (4) the Administration’s outreach efforts to 

21 underrepresented and underserved communities, by 

22 helping minorities to pursue higher education in 

23 STEM fields and to attain STEM careers, benefit the 

24 overall national workforce; and 


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1 (5) the Administration’s efforts to improve the 

2 management and execution of its education portfolio 

3 and to evaluate program success using evidence-based 

4 approaches should continue. 

5 (b) IN GENERAL.—The Administration shall— 

6 (1) continue to execute its educational and out7 reach programs, including providing a wide range of 

8 academic research opportunities and engaging the 

9 public interest in science, technology, engineering and 

10 mathematics; 

11 (2) continue to collaborate with minority institu12 tions (as defined in section 365 of title III of the 

13 Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1067k) to 

14 increase student participation in science, technology, 

15 engineering, and mathematics; and 

16 (3) seek partnerships with industry, academia, 

17 and with other communities to best respond to the 

18 Nation’s aerospace-related educational and workforce 

19 needs. 

20 (c) SPACE GRANT.—To enhance the United States 

21 STEM education and workforce, the Administrator shall 

22 continue to operate the National Space Grant College and 

23 Fellowship program through a national network consisting 

24 of a state-based consortium in each State (as defined under 

25 section 40302 of title 51, United States Code). The program 


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1 shall provide hands-on research, training, and education 

2 programs, use measurable outcomes to gauge success, and 

3 allow States flexibility in its execution. 

4 TITLE VII—OTHER MATTERS 

5 SEC. 701. SENSE OF CONGRESS ON NASA’S CROSS AGENCY 

6 SUPPORT. 

7 (a) FINDINGS.—Congress makes the following findings: 

8 (1) Cross Agency Support operates and main9 tains the Administration’s centers and facilities, in10 cluding headquarters, enabling the accomplishment of 

11 the Administration’s missions while protecting 

12 human health and the environment. 

13 (2) Cross Agency Support provides for the 

14 unique facilities, skilled personnel, and administra15 tive support that NASA programs, research, and de16 velopment activities require at the centers. 

17 (3) Cross Agency Support provides the Adminis18 tration with the capability to improve mission success 

19 by supplying safety and mission assurance, engineer20 ing technical authority, and health and medical over21 sight across all of NASA’s programs, research, and 

22 operations. 

23 (4) The Orbital Debris Program Office is located 

24 in Cross Agency Support and leads the Administra25 tion’s effort in addressing the orbital debris issue, 


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1 which is an issue resulting from over 50 years of 

2 spaceflight. 

3 (5) Cross Agency Support delivers the informa4 tion technology services used throughout the Adminis5 tration that allow its workforce to work and commu6 nicate efficiently and effectively, not only internal to 

7 the Administration, but with the citizens of the world 

8 which provides them the opportunity to be included 

9 and participate in the Administration’s accomplish10 ments. 

11 (6) The Administration’s public affairs, located 

12 in Cross Agency Support, provided worldwide live 

13 coverage of the Curiosity Rover’s landing on Mars, 

14 the largest rover ever sent to Mars, in August of 2012. 

15 (7) The authority and execution of the Adminis16 tration’s offices responsible for finance, budget, acqui17 sition, external relations, legislative affairs, training, 

18 security, and human capital management are per19 formed under Cross Agency Support. 

20 (b) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Congress 

21 that— 

22 (1) Cross Agency Support represents a variety of 

23 functions vital to the strength and success of the Ad24 ministration and is essential to the Administration’s 

25 vision; 


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1 (2) the centers and facilities in the Administra2 tion are a vital part of the many advances in science 

3 and technology the Administration has provided and 

4 continues to provide to this Nation and the world 

5 since the Administration was created in 1958; 

6 (3) at the Administration’s core is safety and 

7 mission success that, through Cross Agency Support, 

8 is carried out by the highly talented and dedicated 

9 workforce at the Administration’s centers and facili10 ties; 

11 (4) as the Administration looks to continue 

12 international, interagency, and industry cooperation 

13 and partnerships, Cross Agency Support will con14 tinue to provide the overseeing and execution of these 

15 efforts; and 

16 (5) Cross Agency Support be given the necessary 

17 resources to keep the Administration capable of meet18 ing the goals set forth by Congress and continue to be 

19 a global leader in space and aeronautics. 

20 SEC. 702. SPACE COMMUNICATIONS NETWORK. 

21 (a) PLAN.—The Administrator shall prepare an up22 dated plan for NASA’s near-Earth, space, and deep space 

23 communications network and infrastructure. The plan 

24 shall— 


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1 (1) identify steps to sustain the existing network 

2 and infrastructure; 

3 (2) assess the capabilities, including any up4 grades, needed to support NASA’s programs; 

5 (3) identify priorities for how resources should be 

6 used to implement the plan; and 

7 (4) assess the impact on missions if resources are 

8 not secured at the level needed. 

9 (b) TRANSMITTAL.—Not later than 270 days after the 

10 date of enactment of this Act, the Administrator shall trans11 mit the plan to the appropriate committees of Congress. 

12 SEC. 703. ASTRONAUT OCCUPATIONAL HEALTHCARE. 

13 (a) IN GENERAL.—Chapter 313 of title 51, United 

14 States Code, is amended by adding at the end the following: 

15 ‘‘§ 31303. Astronaut occupational healthcare 

16 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—Notwithstanding any other provi17 sion of law, the Administrator, as the Administrator con18 siders necessary, may provide for the medical monitoring, 

19 diagnosis, and treatment of a crewmember for conditions 

20 that the Administrator considers associated with human 

21 space flight, including scientific and medical tests for psy22 chological and medical conditions. 

23 ‘‘(b) RECORDS.—Consistent with applicable Federal 

24 privacy laws, the Administration shall retain access to all 


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1 medical records and other health data from the provision 

2 of healthcare under subsection (a). 

3 ‘‘(c) DEFINITION OF CREWMEMBER.—In this section, 

4 the term ‘crewmember’ means— 

5 ‘‘(1) a former NASA astronaut/payload specialist 

6 who has flown on at least 1 space mission; 

7 ‘‘(2) a management NASA astronaut who has 

8 flown at least 1 space mission and is currently em9 ployed by the U.S. Government; or 

10 ‘‘(3) an active NASA astronaut/payload spe11 cialist assigned, waiting assignment, or training for 

12 an assignment to a NASA human space flight.’’. 

13 (b) CONFORMING AMENDMENT.—The table of contents 

14 for chapter 313 of title 51, United States Code, is amended 

15 by adding after the item relating to section 31302 the fol16 lowing: 

‘‘31303. Astronaut occupational healthcare.’’. 

17 SEC. 704. HELIUM CAPTURE AND RECOVERY. 

18 (a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 180 days after the 

19 date of enactment of this Act, the Administrator shall sub20 mit to the appropriate committees of Congress an agency21 wide plan to recover and recycle helium, whenever possible, 

22 that the Administration uses or will use in current, 

23 planned, and future experimentation, tests, launches, and 

24 operations. 


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1 (b) CONSIDERATIONS.—In developing the plan under 

2 subsection (a), the Administrator shall consider how modi3 fications, updates, or new lifecycle designs for engines, bal4 loons, airships, or other future programs can be designed 

5 or operated to recover and recycle helium. 

6 SEC. 705. INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY GOVERNANCE. 

7 (a) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Congress 

8 that effective information technology governance is critical 

9 to ensuring information security, decreased costs, and over10 all mission assurance. The June 5, 2013, NASA Office of 

11 Inspector General audit, ‘‘NASA’s Information Technology 

12 Governance,’’ found that the NASA Chief Information Offi13 cer has limited oversight and control over a majority of the 

14 Administration’s information technology assets and cannot 

15 enforce security measures across the agency’s computer net16 works. For nearly 2 decades, the Administration has oper17 ated under a decentralized information technology govern18 ance structure that has resulted in increased costs and inad19 equate security. At the same time, centralization of infor20 mation technology governance has resulted in increased se21 curity and lower operating costs at other agencies. 

22 (b) INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY GOVERNANCE.—The 

23 Administrator shall, in consultation with Mission Direc24 torate and NASA Center Chief Information Officers— 


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1 (1) ensure the Agency Chief Information Officer 

2 has the appropriate resources and visibility to oversee 

3 agency-wide information technology operations and 

4 investments; 

5 (2) establish a direct line of report between the 

6 Agency Chief Information Officer and the Adminis7 trator; 

8 (3) establish a minimum monetary threshold for 

9 all agency information technology investments over 

10 which the Agency Chief Information Officer shall have 

11 final approval; and 

12 (4) consider appropriate revisions to the charters 

13 of information technology boards and councils that 

14 inform information technology investment and oper15 ation decisions. 

16 SEC. 706. IMPROVEMENTS TO BASELINES AND COST CON17 TROLS BREACH REPORTING PROCESS. 

18 Section 30104 of title 51, United States Code is 

19 amended— 

20 (1) in subsection (d)(3)— 

21 (A) by striking ‘‘the notification’’; and 

22 (B) by inserting ‘‘the notification and a 

23 timeline by which the Administrator intends to 

24 make the determination, report, and analysis 


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1 under subsection (e)’’ before the period at the 

2 end; 

3 (2) in subsection (e)(1), by striking ‘‘Not later 

4 than 30 days after receiving a written notification 

5 under subsection (d)(2)’’ and inserting ‘‘In accord6 ance with the timeline under subsection (d)(3)’’; 

7 (3) in subsection (e)(1)(A), by striking ‘‘not later 

8 than 15 days after making the determination’’ and 

9 inserting ‘‘in accordance with the timeline under sub10 section (d)(3)’’; 

11 (4) in subsection (e)(2), by striking ‘‘not later 

12 than 6 months after the Administrator makes a deter13 mination under this subsection’’ and inserting ‘‘in ac14 cordance with the timeline under subsection (d)(3)’’; 

15 and 

16 (5) in subsection (f), by inserting ‘‘or an annual 

17 budget request that reflects this growth’’ after ‘‘a re18 port under subsection (e)(1)(A)’’. 

19 SEC. 707. INFRASTRUCTURE. 

20 (a) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Congress 

21 that— 

22 (1) the Administration has a role in providing 

23 access to unique or specialized laboratory capabilities 

24 that are not yet economically viable for purchase by 


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1 commercial entities and therefore are not available 

2 outside of NASA; 

3 (2) the Administration must improve the condi4 tion of its relevant facilities and infrastructure to 

5 maintain the competitiveness of the U.S. aerospace 

6 industry; 

7 (3) to ensure continued researcher access to reli8 able and efficient world-class facilities, the Adminis9 tration should continue to seek to establish strategic 

10 partnerships with other Federal agencies, academic 

11 institutions, and industry, as appropriate; and 

12 (4) decisions regarding whether to dispose of, 

13 maintain, or modernize existing facilities and other 

14 infrastructure must be made in the context of meeting 

15 the future needs of the Administration. 

16 (b) PLAN.—Not later than 1 year after the date of en17 actment of this Act, the Administrator shall submit to the 

18 appropriate committees of Congress a plan for retaining, 

19 acquiring, or disposing of the facilities, laboratories, equip20 ment, test capabilities, and other infrastructure necessary 

21 to meet the Administration’s mandates and its current and 

22 future missions. The plan shall— 

23 (1) identify the Administration’s future infra24 structure needs, including facilities, laboratories, 

25 equipment, and test capabilities; 


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1 (2) include a strategy for identifying and remov2 ing unnecessary or duplicative infrastructure con3 sistent with the national strategic direction under the 

4 National Space Policy, the National Aeronautics Re5 search, Development, Test and Evaluation Infrastruc6 ture Plan, the National Aeronautics and Space Ad7 ministration Authorization Act of 2010, title 51 of the 

8 United States Code, and other Administration-related 

9 law; 

10 (3) include a strategy for the maintenance, re11 pair, upgrading, and modernization of the Adminis12 tration’s facilities, laboratories, equipment, and other 

13 infrastructure not being excessed or disposed of; 

14 (4) recommend criteria for prioritizing deferred 

15 maintenance tasks and for upgrading or modernizing 

16 facilities, laboratories, equipment, and other infra17 structure; 

18 (5) include an assessment , including cost-effec19 tiveness, of any modifications needed to maximize the 

20 use of facilities, laboratories, equipment, and other in21 frastructure that offer unique and highly specialized 

22 benefits to the aerospace industry and the public; and 

23 (6) include recommendations for implementa24 tion, including a timeline, milestones, and an estiVerDate Sep 11 2014 01:07 Dec 11, 2014 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00132 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6203 E:\BILLS\S1317.RS S1317

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1 mate of the resources required for carrying out the 

2 plan. 

3 (c) ESTABLISHMENT OF CAPITAL FUNDS.—The Ad4 ministrator shall establish a capital fund at each of NASA’s 

5 field centers for the modernization of facilities, laboratories, 

6 equipment, and other infrastructure in accordance with the 

7 plan under subsection (b). The Administrator shall ensure, 

8 to the greatest extent practicable, that any financial savings 

9 achieved by closing an outdated or surplus facility at a 

10 NASA field center is made available to that field center’s 

11 capital fund for the purpose of modernizing that field cen12 ter’s facilities, laboratories, equipment, and other infra13 structure in accordance with the plan under subsection (b). 

14 SEC. 708. COMMERCIAL LAUNCH COOPERATION. 

15 (a) IN GENERAL.—Chapter 505 of title 51, United 

16 States Code, is amended by adding at the end the following: 

17 ‘‘§ 50507. Commercial launch cooperation 

18 ‘‘(a) AUTHORITY FOR AGREEMENTS RELATING TO

19 SPACE TRANSPORTATION INFRASTRUCTURE.—Notwith20 standing section 50504, the Administrator— 

21 ‘‘(1) may enter into an agreement with a covered 

22 entity to provide the covered entity with support and 

23 services related to the space transportation infrastruc24 ture of the Administration; and 


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1 ‘‘(2) at the request of the covered entity, may in2 clude that support and services in the launch and re3 entry range support requirements of the Administra4 tion if— 

5 ‘‘(A) the Administrator determines that in6 cluding that support and services in the require7 ments— 

8 ‘‘(i) is in the best interest of the Fed9 eral Government; 

10 ‘‘(ii) does not interfere with the re11 quirements of the Administration; and 

12 ‘‘(iii) does not compete with the com13 mercial space activities of other covered en14 tities, unless that competition is in the na15 tional security interests of the United 

16 States; and 

17 ‘‘(B) any commercial requirement included 

18 in the agreement has full non-Federal funding 

19 before the execution of the agreement. 

20 ‘‘(b) CONTRIBUTIONS.— 

21 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Administrator may 

22 enter into an agreement with a covered entity on a 

23 cooperative and voluntary basis to accept contribu24 tions of funds, services, and equipment to carry out 

25 this section. 


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1 ‘‘(2) USE OF CONTRIBUTIONS.—Any funds, serv2 ices, or equipment accepted by the Administrator 

3 under this subsection— 

4 ‘‘(A) may be used only for the objectives 

5 specified in this section in accordance with terms 

6 of use set forth in the agreement entered into 

7 under this subsection; and 

8 ‘‘(B) shall be managed by the Administrator 

9 in accordance with regulations of the Adminis10 tration. 

11 ‘‘(3) REQUIREMENTS WITH RESPECT TO AGREE12 MENTS.—An agreement entered into with a covered 

13 entity under this subsection shall— 

14 ‘‘(A) address the terms of use, ownership, 

15 and disposition of the funds, services, or equip16 ment contributed pursuant to the agreement; and 

17 ‘‘(B) include a provision that the covered 

18 entity will not recover the costs of its contribu19 tion through any other agreement with the 

20 United States. 

21 ‘‘(c) ANNUAL REPORT.—Not later than January 31 of 

22 each year, the Administrator shall submit to its congres23 sional oversight committees a report on the funds, services, 

24 and equipment accepted and used by the Administrator 

25 under this section during the preceding fiscal year. 


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1 ‘‘(d) REGULATIONS.—The Administrator shall pre2 scribe regulations to carry out this section. 

3 ‘‘(e) DEFINITION OF COVERED ENTITY.—In this sec4 tion, the term ‘covered entity’ means a non-Federal entity 

5 that— 

6 ‘‘(1) is organized under the laws of the United 

7 States or of any jurisdiction within the United 

8 States; and 

9 ‘‘(2) is engaged in commercial space activities.’’. 

10 (b) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The table of contents for 

11 chapter 505 of title 51, United States Code, is amended by 

12 adding after the item relating to section 50506 the fol13 lowing: 

‘‘50507. Commercial launch cooperation.’’. 

14 SEC. 709. KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT. 

15 (a) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of the Con16 gress that— 

17 (1) the Administration’s success relies heavily on 

18 the accumulated technical knowledge of its skilled 

19 civil servant and contractor workforce; 

20 (2) in light of an aging workforce, it is impera21 tive that the Administration preserve, to the max22 imum extent possible, both critical technical skills 

23 and all knowledge valuable to future mission plan24 ning and operation; and 


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1 (3) exercising best practice knowledge manage2 ment systems within the Administration will benefit 

3 the future NASA workforce and help ensure future 

4 mission successes. 

5 (b) KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM.—The Admin6 istrator shall establish an Administration-wide knowledge 

7 management system and implement industry-standard best 

8 practices for capturing, archiving, and retrieving heritage 

9 and future information. The information under this sub10 section shall be accessible to all Administration employees 

11 unless otherwise prohibited because of the classified or sen12 sitive nature of the information. 

13 (c) REPORT.—Not later than 12 months after the date 

14 of enactment of this Act, the Administrator shall submit 

15 to the appropriate committees of Congress a report that, 

16 at a minimum, includes— 

17 (1) a description of any actions necessary to cre18 ate or modify an Administration-wide knowledge 

19 management system; 

20 (2) a plan for implementing the knowledge man21 agement system, including employee training and the 

22 provision of secure access to information, as required 

23 for all personnel working on Administration pro24 grams, projects, and research; 


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1 (3) a summary of implementation costs for the 

2 knowledge management system; and 

3 (4) a timeline and progress report for implemen4 tation. 

5 (d) WORKFORCE STABILIZATION AND CRITICAL

6 SKILLS PRESERVATION.—Section 1105 of the National Aer7 onautics and Space Administration Authorization Act of 

8 2010 (42 U.S.C. 18431) is amended by striking ‘‘2013’’ and 

9 inserting ‘‘2016’’. 

10 SEC. 710. AUTHORITY TO PROTECT CERTAIN TECHNICAL 

11 DATA FROM PUBLIC DISCLOSURE. 

12 Section 20131 of title 51, United States Code, is 

13 amended— 

14 (1) in subsection (a)(3), by striking ‘‘subsection 

15 (b)’’ and inserting ‘‘subsection (b) or (c)’’; 

16 (2) by redesignating subsection (c) as subsection 

17 (d); and 

18 (3) by inserting after subsection (b) the fol19 lowing: 

20 ‘‘(c) AUTHORITY TO WITHHOLD FROM PUBLIC DIS21 CLOSURE CERTAIN TECHNICAL DATA.— 

22 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Notwithstanding any other 

23 provision of law, the Administrator may withhold 

24 from public disclosure any technical data with aero25 nautical or space application in the possession of, or 


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1 under the control of, the Administration, if the data 

2 may not be exported lawfully outside the United 

3 States without an approval, authorization, or license 

4 under the Export Administration Act of 1979 (50 

5 U.S.C. App. 2401 et seq.) or the Arms Export Control 

6 Act (22 U.S.C. 2751 et seq.). 

7 ‘‘(2) DEFINITION OF TECHNICAL DATA.—In this 

8 subsection, the term ‘technical data’ means any blue9 prints, drawings, photographs, plans, instructions, 

10 computer software, or documentation, or other tech11 nical information that can be used, or be adapted for 

12 use, to design, develop, engineer, produce, manufac13 ture, assemble, operate, repair, test, maintain, over14 haul, modify, or reproduce any aeronautical or space 

15 items, including subsystems, components, or parts 

16 therefor, or technology concerning such items. 

17 ‘‘(3) FOIA EXEMPTION 3.—This subsection shall 

18 be considered a statute described in section 552(b)(3) 

19 of title 5. 

20 ‘‘(4) REPORT REPEAL.—Notwithstanding any 

21 other provision of law, the Administration is not re22 quired to compile or submit the annual audit on ex23 port controls compliance under section 126 of the Na24 tional Aeronautics and Space Administration Author25 ization Act of 2000 (114 Stat. 1585).’’. 


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Calendar No. 628 

113TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. 1317 

A BILL 

To authorize the programs of the National Aero2014 through 2016 and for other purposes. nautics and Space Administration for fiscal years 

DECEMBER 10, 2014 

Reported with an amendment 


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