I 

113TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 2687 

To authorize the programs of the National Aeronautics and Space 

Administration, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

JULY 15, 2013 

Mr. PALAZZO (for himself and Mr. SMITH of Texas) introduced the following 

bill; which was referred to the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology 

A BILL 

To authorize the programs of the National Aeronautics and 

Space Administration, 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’’. 

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

8 this Act is as follows: 

Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents. 

Sec. 2. Definitions. 

TITLE I—AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS 

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Sec. 101. Fiscal year 2014. 

Sec. 102. Fiscal year 2015. 

Sec. 103. Budget control. 

TITLE II—HUMAN SPACE FLIGHT 

Subtitle A—Exploration 

Sec. 201. Space exploration policy. 

Sec. 202. Stepping stone approach to exploration. 

Sec. 203. Space Launch System. 

Sec. 204. Orion crew capsule. 

Sec. 205. Advanced booster competition. 

Subtitle B—Space Operations 

Sec. 211. Findings. 

Sec. 212. International Space Station. 

Sec. 213. Commercial crew report. 

Sec. 214. Flight readiness demonstration. 

Sec. 215. Certification Products Contract phase two. 

Sec. 216. Space communications. 

TITLE III—SCIENCE 

Subtitle A—General 

Sec. 301. Science portfolio. 

Sec. 302. Assessment of science mission extensions. 

Sec. 303. Radioisotope thermoelectric generators. 

Sec. 304. Congressional declaration of policy and purpose. 

Subtitle B—Astrophysics 

Sec. 311. Decadal cadence. 

Sec. 312. Extrasolar planet exploration strategy. 

Sec. 313. James Webb Space Telescope. 

Sec. 314. Wide-Field Infrared Survey Telescope. 

Sec. 315. National Reconnaissance Office telescope donation. 

Subtitle C—Planetary Science 

Sec. 321. Decadal cadence. 

Sec. 322. Near-Earth objects. 

Sec. 323. Astrobiology strategy. 

Sec. 324. Public-private partnerships. 

Subtitle D—Heliophysics 

Sec. 331. Decadal cadence. 

Sec. 332. Review of space weather. 

Sec. 333. Deep Space Climate Observatory. 

Subtitle E—Earth Science 

Sec. 341. Goal. 

Sec. 342. Decadal cadence. 

Sec. 343. Research to operations. 

Sec. 344. Interagency coordination. 

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Sec. 345. Joint Polar Satellite System climate sensors. 

Sec. 346. Land imaging. 

Sec. 347. Sources of Earth science data. 

TITLE IV—AERONAUTICS 

Sec. 401. Sense of Congress. 

Sec. 402. Unmanned aerial systems research and development. 

Sec. 403. Research program on composite materials used in aeronautics. 

Sec. 404. Hypersonic research. 

Sec. 405. Supersonic research. 

Sec. 406. Research on NextGen airspace management concepts and tools. 

Sec. 407. Rotorcraft research. 

TITLE V—SPACE TECHNOLOGY 

Sec. 501. Space technology. 

TITLE VI—EDUCATION 

Sec. 601. Education. 

TITLE VII—POLICY PROVISIONS 

Sec. 701. Asteroid Retrieval Mission. 

Sec. 702. Termination liability. 

Sec. 703. Indemnification extension. 

Sec. 704. Baseline and cost controls. 

Sec. 705. Project and program reserves. 

Sec. 706. Independent reviews. 

Sec. 707. Space Act Agreements. 

Sec. 708. Human spaceflight accident investigations. 

Sec. 709. Commercial technology transfer program. 

Sec. 710. Orbital debris. 

Sec. 711. NASA leadership. 

Sec. 712. NASA Advisory Council. 

Sec. 713. Cost estimation. 

1 SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS. 

2 In this Act: 

3 (1) ADMINISTRATION.—The term ‘‘Administra4 tion’’ means the National Aeronautics and Space 

5 Administration. 

6 (2) ADMINISTRATOR.—The term ‘‘Adminis7 trator’’ means the Administrator of the Administra8 tion. 

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1 (3) ORION CREW CAPSULE.—The term ‘‘Orion 

2 crew capsule’’ refers to the multipurpose crew vehi3 cle described in section 303 of the National Aero4 nautics and Space Administration Authorization Act 

5 of 2010 (42 U.S.C. 18323). 

6 (4) SPACE ACT AGREEMENT.—The term ‘‘Space 

7 Act Agreement’’ means an agreement created under 

8 the authority to enter into ‘‘other transactions’’ 

9 under section 20113(e) of title 51, United States 

10 Code. 

11 (5) SPACE LAUNCH SYSTEM.—The term ‘‘Space 

12 Launch System’’ refers to the follow-on Government13 owned civil launch system developed, managed, and 

14 operated by the Administration to serve as a key 

15 component to expand human presence beyond low16 Earth orbit, as described in section 302 of the Na17 tional Aeronautics and Space Administration Au18 thorization Act of 2010 (42 U.S.C. 18322). 

19 TITLE I—AUTHORIZATION OF 

20 APPROPRIATIONS 

21 SEC. 101. FISCAL YEAR 2014. 

22 There are authorized to be appropriated to the Ad23 ministration for fiscal year 2014 $16,865,200,000 as fol24 lows: 

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1 (1) For Space Exploration, $4,007,400,000, of 

2 which— 

3 (A) $1,802,400,000 shall be for the Space 

4 Launch System; 

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

6 crew capsule; 

7 (C) $305,000,000 shall be for Exploration 

8 Research and Development; and 

9 (D) $700,000,000 shall be for Commercial 

10 Crew Development activities. 

11 (2) For Space Operations, $3,817,900,000, of 

12 which— 

13 (A) $2,984,100,000 shall be for the Inter14 national Space Station Program; and 

15 (B) $833,800,000 shall be for Space and 

16 Flight Support. 

17 (3) For Science, $4,626,900,000, of which— 

18 (A) $1,200,000,000 shall be for Earth 

19 Science; 

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

21 Science, of which $30,000,000 shall be for the 

22 Astrobiology Institute; 

23 (C) $642,300,000 shall be for Astro24 physics; 

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1 (D) $658,200,000 shall be for the James 

2 Webb Space Telescope; and 

3 (E) $626,400,000 shall be for 

4 Heliophysics. 

5 (4) For Aeronautics, $565,700,000. 

6 (5) For Space Technology, $500,000,000. 

7 (6) For Education, $125,000,000. 

8 (7) For Cross-Agency Support, $2,600,000,000, 

9 of which— 

10 (A) $2,000,000,000 shall be for Center 

11 Management and Operations; and 

12 (B) $600,000,000 shall be for Agency 

13 Management and Operations. 

14 (8) For Construction and Environmental Com15 pliance and Restoration, $587,000,000, of which— 

16 (A) $542,000,000 shall be for Construction 

17 and Facilities; and 

18 (B) $45,000,000 shall be for Environ19 mental Compliance and Restoration. 

20 (9) For Inspector General, $35,300,000. 

21 SEC. 102. FISCAL YEAR 2015. 

22 There are authorized to be appropriated to the Ad23 ministration for fiscal year 2015 $16,865,200,000 as fol24 lows: 

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1 (1) For Space Exploration, $4,007,400,000, of 

2 which— 

3 (A) $1,802,400,000 shall be for the Space 

4 Launch System; 

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

6 crew capsule; 

7 (C) $305,000,000 shall be for Exploration 

8 Research and Development; and 

9 (D) $700,000,000 shall be for Commercial 

10 Crew Development activities. 

11 (2) For Space Operations, $3,817,900,000, of 

12 which— 

13 (A) $2,984,100,000 shall be for the Inter14 national Space Station Program; and 

15 (B) $833,800,000 shall be for Space and 

16 Flight Support. 

17 (3) For Science, $4,626,900,000, of which— 

18 (A) $1,200,000,000 shall be for Earth 

19 Science; 

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

21 Science, of which $30,000,000 shall be for the 

22 Astrobiology Institute; 

23 (C) $642,300,000 shall be for Astro24 physics; 

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1 (D) $658,200,000 shall be for the James 

2 Webb Space Telescope; and 

3 (E) $626,400,000 shall be for 

4 Heliophysics. 

5 (4) For Aeronautics, $565,700,000. 

6 (5) For Space Technology, $500,000,000. 

7 (6) For Education, $125,000,000. 

8 (7) For Cross-Agency Support, $2,600,000,000, 

9 of which— 

10 (A) $2,000,000,000 shall be for Center 

11 Management and Operations; and 

12 (B) $600,000,000 shall be for Agency 

13 Management and Operations. 

14 (8) For Construction and Environmental Com15 pliance and Restoration, $587,000,000, of which— 

16 (A) $542,000,000 shall be for Construction 

17 and Facilities; and 

18 (B) $45,000,000 shall be for Environ19 mental Compliance and Restoration. 

20 (9) For Inspector General, $35,300,000. 

21 SEC. 103. BUDGET CONTROL. 

22 The amounts authorized to be appropriated to the 

23 Administration for fiscal years 2014 and 2015 are con24 sistent with the Budget Control Act of 2011 (Public Law 

25 112–25). If such Act is repealed or replaced with an Act 

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1 that increases allocations, there are authorized to be ap2 propriated to the Administration such sums as that in3 crease allows, with increases allocated as follows: 

4 (1) One-third of such increase shall be for the 

5 International Space Station Program. 

6 (2) One-third of such increase shall be for the 

7 Space Launch System. 

8 (3) One-third of such increase shall be divided 

9 evenly between— 

10 (A) Commercial Crew Development activi11 ties; and 

12 (B) the Orion crew capsule. 

13 TITLE II—HUMAN SPACE FLIGHT 

14 Subtitle A—Exploration 

15 SEC. 201. SPACE EXPLORATION POLICY. 

16 (a) FINDINGS.—Congress finds the following: 

17 (1) Congress supports a human exploration pro18 gram that is not critically dependent on the achieve19 ment of milestones by fixed dates and an exploration 

20 technology development program to enable lunar 

21 human and robotic operations, as described in para22 graphs (1) and (2) of section 70502 of title 51, 

23 United States Code. 

24 (2) Congress supports the expansion of perma25 nent human presence beyond low-Earth orbit, in a 

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1 manner involving international partners where prac2 tical. 

3 (3) Congress remains committed to ensuring 

4 that authorized budgets for the human space flight 

5 program should allow the Administration to main6 tain high safety standards. 

7 (4) Exploration deeper into the solar system 

8 should be the core mission of the Administration. 

9 (5) Congress strongly supports the development 

10 of the Space Launch System and the Orion crew 

11 capsule as the enabling elements for human explo12 ration, advanced scientific missions, and national se13 curity priorities beyond low-Earth orbit. 

14 (b) POLICY.—It is the policy of the United States 

15 that the development of capabilities and technologies nec16 essary for human missions to lunar orbit, the surface of 

17 the Moon, the surface of Mars, and beyond shall be the 

18 goal of the Administration’s human space flight program. 

19 (c) VISION FOR SPACE EXPLORATION.—Section 

20 20302 of title 51, United States Code, is amended— 

21 (1) by striking subsection (a) and inserting the 

22 following: 

23 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The Administrator shall estab24 lish a program to develop a sustained human presence on 

25 the Moon and the surface of Mars, including a robust premstockstill on DSK4VPTVN1PROD with BILLS

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1 cursor program that follows the stepping stone plan re2 quired in section 70504 to promote exploration, science, 

3 commerce, and United States preeminence in space. The 

4 Administrator is further authorized to develop and con5 duct appropriate international collaborations in pursuit of 

6 such program, but the absence of an international partner 

7 may not be justification for failure to pursue such pro8 gram in a timely manner.’’; 

9 (2) in subsection (b)— 

10 (A) by striking paragraph (1) and insert11 ing the following: 

12 ‘‘(1) Returning Americans to the Moon.’’; 

13 (B) by striking paragraph (2) and insert14 ing the following: 

15 ‘‘(2) Launching the first crewed mission of the 

16 fully integrated Orion crew capsule with the Space 

17 Launch System as close to 2020 as possible.’’; and 

18 (C) in paragraph (4), by striking ‘‘from 

19 Mars and’’ and inserting ‘‘from the Moon, 

20 Mars, and’’; and 

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

22 ‘‘(c) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

23 ‘‘(1) ORION CREW CAPSULE.—The term ‘Orion 

24 crew capsule’ refers to the multipurpose crew vehicle 

25 described in section 303 of the National Aeronautics 

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1 and Space Administration Authorization Act of 2010 

2 (42 U.S.C. 18323). 

3 ‘‘(2) SPACE LAUNCH SYSTEM.—The term 

4 ‘Space Launch System’ refers to the follow-on Gov5 ernment-owned civil launch system developed, man6 aged, and operated by the Administration to serve as 

7 a key component to expand human presence beyond 

8 low-Earth orbit, as described in section 302 of the 

9 National Aeronautics and Space Administration Au10 thorization Act of 2010 (42 U.S.C. 18322).’’. 

11 (d) KEY OBJECTIVES.—Section 202(b) of the Na12 tional Aeronautics and Space Administration Authoriza13 tion Act of 2010 (42 U.S.C. 18312(b)) is amended— 

14 (1) in paragraph (3), by striking ‘‘and’’ after 

15 the semicolon; 

16 (2) in paragraph (4), by striking the period at 

17 the end and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 

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

19 ‘‘(5) to accelerate the development of capabili20 ties to enable a human exploration mission to the 

21 surface of Mars and beyond through the 

22 prioritization of those technologies and capabilities 

23 best suited for such a mission in accordance with the 

24 Mars Human Exploration Roadmap under section 

25 70504 of title 51, United States Code.’’. 

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1 (e) USE OF NON-UNITED STATES HUMAN SPACE

2 FLIGHT TRANSPORTATION CAPABILITIES.—Section 

3 201(a) of the National Aeronautics and Space Administra4 tion Authorization Act of 2010 (42 U.S.C. 18311(a)) is 

5 amended to read as follows: 

6 ‘‘(a) USE OF NON-UNITED STATES HUMAN SPACE

7 FLIGHT TRANSPORTATION CAPABILITIES.— 

8 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—NASA may not obtain non9 United States human space flight capabilities unless 

10 no domestic commercial provider is available to pro11 vide such capabilities. 

12 ‘‘(2) DEFINITION.—For purposes of this sub13 section, the term ‘domestic commercial provider’ 

14 means a person providing space transportation serv15 ices or other space-related activities, the majority 

16 control of which is held by persons other than a 

17 Federal, State, local, or foreign government, foreign 

18 company, or foreign national.’’. 

19 (f) REPEAL OF SPACE SHUTTLE CAPABILITY ASSUR20 ANCE.—Section 203 of the National Aeronautics and 

21 Space Administration Authorization Act of 2010 (42 

22 U.S.C. 18313) is amended— 

23 (1) by striking subsection (b); 

24 (2) in subsection (d), by striking ‘‘subsection 

25 (c)’’ and inserting ‘‘subsection (b)’’; and 

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1 (3) by redesignating subsections (c) and (d) as 

2 subsections (b) and (c), respectively. 

3 SEC. 202. STEPPING STONE APPROACH TO EXPLORATION. 

4 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 70504 of title 51, United 

5 States Code, is amended to read as follows: 

6 ‘‘§ 70504. Stepping stone approach to exploration 

7 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—In order to maximize the cost 

8 effectiveness of the long-term space exploration and utili9 zation activities of the United States, the Administrator 

10 shall direct the Human Exploration and Operations Mis11 sion Directorate to develop a Mars Human Exploration 

12 Roadmap to define the specific capabilities and tech13 nologies necessary to extend human presence to the sur14 face of Mars and the mission sets required to demonstrate 

15 such capabilities and technologies. 

16 ‘‘(b) ROADMAP REQUIREMENTS.—In developing the 

17 Mars Human Exploration Roadmap, the Administrator 

18 shall— 

19 ‘‘(1) include the specific set of capabilities and 

20 technologies required to extend human presence to 

21 the surface of Mars and the mission sets necessary 

22 to demonstrate the proficiency of these capabilities 

23 and technologies with an emphasis on using the 

24 International Space Station, lunar landings, cis25 lunar space, trans-lunar space, Lagrangian points, 

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1 and the natural satellites of Mars, Phobos and 

2 Deimos, as testbeds, as necessary, and shall include 

3 the most appropriate process for developing such ca4 pabilities and technologies; 

5 ‘‘(2) provide a specific process for the evolution 

6 of the capabilities of the fully integrated Orion crew 

7 capsule with the Space Launch System and how 

8 these systems demonstrate the capabilities and tech9 nologies described in paragraph (1); 

10 ‘‘(3) provide a description of the capabilities 

11 and technologies that could be demonstrated or re12 search data that could be gained through the utiliza13 tion of the International Space Station and the sta14 tus of the development of such capabilities and tech15 nologies; 

16 ‘‘(4) describe a framework for international co17 operation in the development of all technologies and 

18 capabilities required in this section, as well as an as19 sessment of the risks posed by relying on inter20 national partners for capabilities and technologies on 

21 the critical path of development; 

22 ‘‘(5) describe a process for utilizing nongovern23 mental entities for future human exploration beyond 

24 trans-lunar space and specify what, if any, synergy 

25 could be gained from— 

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1 ‘‘(A) partnerships using Space Act Agree2 ments (as defined in section 2 of the National 

3 Aeronautics and Space Administration Author4 ization Act of 2013); or 

5 ‘‘(B) other acquisition instruments; and 

6 ‘‘(6) include in the Roadmap an addendum 

7 from the NASA Advisory Council, and an addendum 

8 from the Aerospace Safety Advisory Panel, each 

9 with a statement of review of the Roadmap that 

10 shall include— 

11 ‘‘(A) subjects of agreement; 

12 ‘‘(B) areas of concern; and 

13 ‘‘(C) recommendations. 

14 ‘‘(c) UPDATES.—The Administrator shall update 

15 such Roadmap at least every 4 years and include it in the 

16 budget for that fiscal year transmitted to Congress under 

17 section 1105(a) of title 31, and describe— 

18 ‘‘(1) the achievements and goals reached in the 

19 process of developing such capabilities and tech20 nologies during the 4-year period prior to the sub21 mission of the Roadmap to Congress; and 

22 ‘‘(2) the expected goals and achievements in the 

23 following 4-year period. 

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1 ‘‘(d) DEFINITIONS.—The terms ‘Orion crew capsule’ 

2 and ‘Space Launch System’ have the meanings given such 

3 terms in section 20302.’’. 

4 (b) REPORT.— 

5 (1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 1 year after 

6 the date of enactment of this Act, the Administrator 

7 shall transmit a copy of the Mars Human Explo8 ration Roadmap developed under section 70504 of 

9 title 51, United States Code, to the Committee on 

10 Science, Space, and Technology of the House of 

11 Representatives and the Committee on Commerce, 

12 Science, and Transportation of the Senate. 

13 (2) UPDATES.—The Administrator shall trans14 mit a copy of each updated Mars Human Explo15 ration Roadmap to the Committee on Science, 

16 Space, and Technology of the House of Representa17 tives and the Committee on Commerce, Science, and 

18 Transportation of the Senate not later than 7 days 

19 after such Roadmap is updated under section 

20 70504(b)(6) of such title. 

21 SEC. 203. SPACE LAUNCH SYSTEM. 

22 (a) FINDINGS.—Congress finds that— 

23 (1) the Space Launch System is the most prac24 tical approach to reaching the Moon, Mars, and be25 yond, and Congress reaffirms the policy and minmstockstill on DSK4VPTVN1PROD with BILLS

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1 imum capability requirements for the Space Launch 

2 System contained in section 302 of the National 

3 Aeronautics and Space Administration Authorization 

4 Act of 2010 (42 U.S.C. 18322); 

5 (2) the primary goal for the design of the fully 

6 integrated Space Launch System is to safely carry 

7 a total payload of 130 tons or more to low-Earth 

8 orbit to enable human space exploration of the 

9 Moon, Mars, and beyond over the course of the next 

10 century as required in section 302(c) of the National 

11 Aeronautics and Space Administration Authorization 

12 Act of 2010 (42 U.S.C. 18322(c)); 

13 (3) the uncrewed flight test of the 70-ton core 

14 element of the Space Launch System fully inte15 grated with the Orion crew capsule as described in 

16 section 302(c)(1) of the National Aeronautics and 

17 Space Administration Authorization Act of 2010 (42 

18 U.S.C. 18322(c)(1)) is a necessary flight demonstra19 tion in an overall program plan, subject to appro20 priations; and 

21 (4) the schedule of the 70-ton core element 

22 crewed flight demonstration in 2021 with the Space 

23 Launch System fully integrated with the Orion crew 

24 capsule as described in section 302(c)(1) of the Na25 tional Aeronautics and Space Administration Aumstockstill on DSK4VPTVN1PROD with BILLS

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1 thorization Act of 2010 (42 U.S.C. 18322(c)(1)) is 

2 subject to appropriations. 

3 (b) IN GENERAL.—As required in section 302(c)(2) 

4 of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration Au5 thorization Act of 2010 (42 U.S.C. 18322(c)(2)), the Ad6 ministration shall design the Space Launch System as a 

7 fully integrated vehicle capable of carrying a total payload 

8 of 130 tons or more into low-Earth orbit in preparation 

9 for transit for missions beyond low-Earth orbit. 

10 (c) PROGRESS REPORT.— 

11 (1) IN GENERAL.—Using the President’s budg12 et request for fiscal year 2014 and notional numbers 

13 requested therein as a baseline, not later than 90 

14 days after the date of enactment of this Act the Ad15 ministrator shall transmit to the Committee on 

16 Science, Space, and Technology of the House of 

17 Representatives and the Committee on Commerce, 

18 Science, and Transportation of the Senate an esti19 mate of— 

20 (A) when the 70-ton core element of the 

21 Space Launch System fully integrated with the 

22 Orion crew capsule may be demonstrated as an 

23 operational capability; 

24 (B) when the 130-ton Space Launch Sys25 tem fully integrated with the Orion crew capmstockstill on DSK4VPTVN1PROD with BILLS

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1 sule may be demonstrated as an operational ca2 pability; 

3 (C) the projected annual operational costs 

4 through 2030 for the 130-ton Space Launch 

5 System fully integrated with the Orion crew 

6 capsule after its operational capability has been 

7 demonstrated; and 

8 (D) the projected flight rate for the 130- 

9 ton Space Launch System fully integrated with 

10 the Orion crew capsule through 2030. 

11 (2) CONTINGENCY FUNDING ESTIMATES.—If 

12 the Administrator determines that the uncrewed test 

13 flight of the 70-ton core element of the Space 

14 Launch System fully integrated with the Orion crew 

15 capsule will not occur on or before December 31, 

16 2017, or that the crewed test flight of the 70-ton 

17 core element of the Space Launch System fully inte18 grated with the Orion crew capsule will not occur on 

19 or before December 31, 2021, the report transmitted 

20 under paragraph (1) shall include an estimate of ad21 ditional funds required through annual appropria22 tions for fiscal years 2015 through 2021 which may 

23 be necessary to meet such goals in those years. 

24 (d) UTILIZATION REPORT.—The Administrator, in 

25 consultation with the Secretary of Defense and the Direcmstockstill on DSK4VPTVN1PROD with BILLS

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1 tor of National Intelligence, shall prepare a report that 

2 addresses the effort and budget required to enable and 

3 utilize a cargo variant of the 130-ton Space Launch Sys4 tem configuration described in section 302(c) of the Na5 tional Aeronautics and Space Administration Authoriza6 tion Act of 2010 (42 U.S.C. 18322(c)). This report shall 

7 also include consideration of the technical requirements of 

8 the scientific and national security communities related to 

9 such Space Launch System and shall directly assess the 

10 utility and estimated cost savings obtained by using such 

11 Space Launch System for national security and space 

12 science missions. The Administrator shall transmit such 

13 report to the Committee on Science, Space, and Tech14 nology of the House of Representatives and the Committee 

15 on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate 

16 not later than 180 days after the date of enactment of 

17 this Act. 

18 SEC. 204. ORION CREW CAPSULE. 

19 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Orion crew capsule shall meet 

20 the practical needs and the minimum capability require21 ments described in section 303 of the National Aero22 nautics and Space Administration Authorization Act of 

23 2010 (42 U.S.C. 18323). 

24 (b) REPORT.—Not later than 60 days after the date 

25 of enactment of this Act, the Administrator shall transmit 

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1 a report to the Committee on Science, Space, and Tech2 nology of the House of Representatives and the Committee 

3 on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Sen4 ate— 

5 (1) detailing those components and systems of 

6 the Orion crew capsule that ensure it is in compli7 ance with section 303(b) of such Act (42 U.S.C. 

8 18323(b)); 

9 (2) detailing the expected date that the Orion 

10 crew capsule will be available to transport crew and 

11 cargo to the International Space Station; and 

12 (3) certifying that the requirements of section 

13 303(b)(3) of such Act (42 U.S.C. 18323(b)(3)) will 

14 be met by the Administration in time for the first 

15 crewed test flight in 2021. 

16 SEC. 205. ADVANCED BOOSTER COMPETITION. 

17 (a) REPORT.—Not later than 90 days after the date 

18 of enactment of this Act, the Associate Administrator of 

19 the National Aeronautics and Space Administration shall 

20 transmit to the Committee on Science, Space, and Tech21 nology of the House of Representatives and the Committee 

22 on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate 

23 a report that— 

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1 (1) describes the estimated total development 

2 cost of an advanced booster for the Space Launch 

3 System; and 

4 (2) details any reductions or increases to the 

5 development cost of the Space Launch System which 

6 may result from conducting a competition for an ad7 vanced booster. 

8 (b) COMPETITION.—If the Associate Administrator 

9 reports reductions pursuant to paragraph (2) of sub10 section (a), then the Administration shall conduct a full 

11 and open competition for an advanced booster for the 

12 Space Launch System to meet the requirements described 

13 in section 302(c) of the National Aeronautics and Space 

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

15 18322(c)), to begin not later than 1 year after the Asso16 ciate Administrator transmits the report required under 

17 subsection (a). 

18 Subtitle B—Space Operations 

19 SEC. 211. FINDINGS. 

20 Congress finds the following: 

21 (1) The International Space Station is the ideal 

22 short-term testbed for future exploration systems de23 velopment, including long-duration space travel. 

24 (2) The use of the private market to provide 

25 cargo and crew transportation services is currently 

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1 the most expeditious process to restore domestic ac2 cess to the International Space Station and low3 Earth orbit. 

4 (3) Government-assured access to low-Earth 

5 orbit is paramount to the continued success of the 

6 International Space Station and National Labora7 tory. 

8 (4) Acquiring and maintaining an operational 

9 domestic commercial crew transportation service by 

10 the year 2017 is of the utmost importance for the 

11 future viability of the International Space Station 

12 and National Laboratory. 

13 SEC. 212. INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION. 

14 (a) IN GENERAL.—The following is the policy of the 

15 United States: 

16 (1) The International Space Station shall be 

17 utilized to the maximum extent practicable for the 

18 development of capabilities and technologies needed 

19 for the future of human exploration beyond low20 Earth orbit. 

21 (2) The Administrator shall, in consultation 

22 with the International Space Station partners— 

23 (A) take all necessary measures to support 

24 the operation and full utilization of the Inter25 national Space Station; and 

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1 (B) seek to minimize, to the extent prac2 ticable, the operating costs of the International 

3 Space Station. 

4 (3) Reliance on foreign carriers for crew trans5 fer is unacceptable, and the Nation’s human space 

6 flight program must acquire the capability to launch 

7 United States astronauts on United States rockets 

8 from United States soil as soon as is safe and prac9 tically possible, whether on Government-owned and 

10 operated space transportation systems or privately 

11 owned systems that have been certified for flight by 

12 the appropriate Federal agencies. 

13 (b) REAFFIRMATION OF POLICY.—Congress reaf14 firms— 

15 (1) its commitment to the development of a 

16 commercially developed launch and delivery system 

17 to the International Space Station for crew missions 

18 as expressed in the National Aeronautics and Space 

19 Administration Authorization Act of 2005 (Public 

20 Law 109–155), the National Aeronautics and Space 

21 Administration Authorization Act of 2008 (Public 

22 Law 110–422), and the National Aeronautics and 

23 Space Administration Authorization Act of 2010 

24 (Public Law 111–267); 

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1 (2) that the Administration shall make use of 

2 United States commercially provided International 

3 Space Station crew transfer and crew rescue services 

4 to the maximum extent practicable; and 

5 (3) the policy stated in section 501(b) of the 

6 National Aeronautics and Space Administration Au7 thorization Act of 2010 (42 U.S.C. 18351(b)) that 

8 the Administration shall pursue international, com9 mercial, and intragovernmental means to maximize 

10 International Space Station logistics supply, mainte11 nance, and operational capabilities, reduce risks to 

12 International Space Station systems sustainability, 

13 and offset and minimize United States operations 

14 costs relating to the International Space Station. 

15 (c) ASSURED ACCESS TO LOW-EARTH ORBIT.—Sec16 tion 70501(a) of title 51, United States Code, is amended 

17 to read as follows: 

18 ‘‘(a) POLICY STATEMENT.—It is the policy of the 

19 United States to maintain an uninterrupted capability for 

20 human space flight and operations in low-Earth orbit, and 

21 beyond, as an essential instrument of national security 

22 and the capability to ensure continued United States par23 ticipation and leadership in the exploration and utilization 

24 of space.’’. 

25 (d) REPEALS.— 

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1 (1) USE OF SPACE SHUTTLE OR ALTER2 NATIVES.—Chapter 701 of title 51, United States 

3 Code, and the item relating to such chapter in the 

4 table of chapters for such title, is repealed. 

5 (2) SHUTTLE PRICING POLICY FOR COMMER6 CIAL AND FOREIGN USERS.—Chapter 703 of title 

7 51, United States Code, and the item relating to 

8 such chapter in the table of chapters for such title, 

9 is repealed. 

10 (3) SHUTTLE PRIVATIZATION.—Section 50133 

11 of title 51, United States Code, and the item relat12 ing to such section in the table of sections for chap13 ter 501 of such title, is repealed. 

14 (e) EXTENSION CRITERIA REPORT.—Not later than 

15 1 year after the date of enactment of this Act, the Admin16 istrator shall submit to the Committee on Science, Space, 

17 and Technology of the House of Representatives and the 

18 Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of 

19 the Senate a report on the feasibility of extending the op20 eration of the International Space Station that includes— 

21 (1) criteria for defining the International Space 

22 Station as a research success; 

23 (2) cost estimates for operating the Inter24 national Space Station to achieve the criteria in 

25 paragraph (1); 

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1 (3) cost estimates for extending operations to 

2 2020, 2025, and 2030; and 

3 (4) an assessment of how the defined criteria 

4 under paragraph (1) respond to the National Acad5 emies Decadal Survey on Biological and Physical 

6 Sciences in Space. 

7 (f) STRATEGIC PLAN FOR INTERNATIONAL SPACE

8 STATION RESEARCH.— 

9 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Director of the Office of 

10 Science and Technology Policy, in consultation with 

11 the Administrator, academia, other Federal agencies, 

12 the International Space Station National Laboratory 

13 Advisory Committee, and other potential stake14 holders, shall develop and transmit to the Committee 

15 on Science, Space, and Technology of the House of 

16 Representatives and the Committee on Commerce, 

17 Science, and Transportation of the Senate a stra18 tegic plan for conducting competitive, peer-reviewed 

19 research in physical and life sciences and related 

20 technologies on the International Space Station 

21 through at least 2020. 

22 (2) PLAN REQUIREMENTS.—The strategic plan 

23 shall— 

24 (A) be consistent with the priorities and 

25 recommendations established by the National 

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1 Academies in its Decadal Survey on Biological 

2 and Physical Sciences in Space; 

3 (B) provide a research timeline and iden4 tify resource requirements for its implementa5 tion, including the facilities and instrumenta6 tion necessary for the conduct of such research; 

7 and 

8 (C) identify— 

9 (i) criteria for the proposed research, 

10 including— 

11 (I) a justification for the research 

12 to be carried out in the space micro13 gravity environment; 

14 (II) the use of model systems; 

15 (III) the testing of flight hard16 ware to understand and ensure its 

17 functioning in the microgravity envi18 ronment; 

19 (IV) the use of controls to help 

20 distinguish among the direct and indi21 rect effects of microgravity, among 

22 other effects of the flight or space en23 vironment; 

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1 (V) approaches for facilitating 

2 data collection, analysis, and interpre3 tation; 

4 (VI) procedures to ensure repeti5 tion of experiments, as needed; 

6 (VII) support for timely presen7 tation of the peer-reviewed results of 

8 the research; and 

9 (VIII) defined metrics for the 

10 success of each study; 

11 (ii) instrumentation required to sup12 port the measurements and analysis of the 

13 research to be carried out under the stra14 tegic plan; 

15 (iii) the capabilities needed to support 

16 direct, real-time communications between 

17 astronauts working on research experi18 ments onboard the International Space 

19 Station and the principal investigator on 

20 the ground; 

21 (iv) a process for involving the exter22 nal user community in research planning, 

23 including planning for relevant flight hard24 ware and instrumentation, and for utiliza25 tion of the International Space Station, 

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1 free flyers, or other research platforms; 

2 and 

3 (v) defined metrics for success of the 

4 research plan. 

5 (3) REPORT.— 

6 (A) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 1 year 

7 after the date of enactment of this Act, the 

8 Comptroller General of the United States shall 

9 transmit to the Committee on Science, Space, 

10 and Technology of the House of Representa11 tives and the Committee on Commerce, Science, 

12 and Transportation of the Senate a report on 

13 the progress of the organization chosen for the 

14 management of the International Space Station 

15 National Laboratory as directed in section 504 

16 of the National Aeronautics and Space Admin17 istration Authorization Act of 2010 (42 U.S.C. 

18 18354). 

19 (B) SPECIFIC REQUIREMENTS.—The re20 port shall assess the management, organization, 

21 and performance of such organization and shall 

22 include a review of the status of each of the 7 

23 required activities listed in section 504(c) of 

24 such Act (42 U.S.C. 18354(c)). 

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1 SEC. 213. COMMERCIAL CREW REPORT. 

2 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Administration shall consider 

3 the ramifications of and create contingencies as the se4 questration adopted in the Budget Control Act of 2011 

5 (Public Law 112–25) continues to reduce the Administra6 tion’s overall budget. 

7 (b) REPORT.— 

8 (1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 60 days after 

9 the date of enactment of this Act, the Administrator 

10 shall transmit to the Committee on Science, Space, 

11 and Technology of the House of Representatives and 

12 the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Trans13 portation of the Senate a report containing 5 dis14 tinct options for the final stages of the commercial 

15 crew program. 

16 (2) REQUIREMENTS.—These options shall in17 clude— 

18 (A) a strategy that assumes an appropria19 tion of $500,000,000 over the next 3 fiscal 

20 years; 

21 (B) a strategy that assumes an appropria22 tion of $600,000,000 over the next 3 fiscal 

23 years; 

24 (C) a strategy that assumes an appropria25 tion of $700,000,000 over the next 3 fiscal 

26 years; 

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1 (D) a strategy that assumes an appropria2 tion of $800,000,000 over the next 3 fiscal 

3 years; and 

4 (E) a strategy that has yet to be consid5 ered previously in any budget submission but 

6 that the Administration believes could ensure 

7 the flight readiness date of 2017 for at least 

8 one provider or significantly decreases the over9 all program lifecycle cost. 

10 (3) INCLUSIONS.—Each strategy shall include 

11 the contracting instruments the Administration will 

12 employ to acquire the services in each phase of de13 velopment or acquisition, the number of commercial 

14 providers the Administration will include in the pro15 gram, and the estimated flight readiness date in 

16 each scenario. 

17 SEC. 214. FLIGHT READINESS DEMONSTRATION. 

18 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Administration shall carry 

19 out its flight readiness demonstration, in which one or 

20 more commercial crew partner companies safely trans21 ports United States astronauts to the International Space 

22 Station, by December 31, 2017. 

23 (b) REPORT.—Not later than 180 days after the date 

24 of enactment of this Act and every 90 days thereafter until 

25 the Administration carries out its flight readiness demmstockstill on DSK4VPTVN1PROD with BILLS

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1 onstration, the Administrator shall transmit to the Com2 mittee on Science, Space, and Technology of the House 

3 of Representatives and the Committee on Commerce, 

4 Science, and Transportation of the Senate a report— 

5 (1) describing the current status of the Com6 mercial Crew program, including all funding paid to 

7 any partner company throughout the life of the pro8 gram detailed by specific dollar amounts provided 

9 for each milestone completed for each partner com10 pany; 

11 (2) specifying the accomplishments and mile12 stones completed in the 90 days prior to the date of 

13 transmission of the report under any phase of the 

14 program and all dollar amounts provided for each of 

15 those milestones; 

16 (3) identifying those accomplishments and mile17 stones that were expected to be completed in the 90 

18 days prior to the date of transmission of such report 

19 under any phase of the program but that were not 

20 completed in that timeframe; 

21 (4) setting forth the accomplishments and mile22 stones that are expected to be completed in the 90- 

23 day period following the transmission of such report 

24 under any phase of the program; and 

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1 (5) containing a statement of flight readiness 

2 under subsection (c). 

3 (c) STATEMENT OF FLIGHT READINESS.—The state4 ment of flight readiness required by subsection (b)(5) shall 

5 include— 

6 (1) either— 

7 (A) a certification by the Administrator 

8 that the Administration is on schedule to com9 ply with subsection (a); or 

10 (B) an explanation as to why the Adminis11 tration is not on schedule to comply with sub12 section (a) and why the Administration did not 

13 develop an acquisition strategy based on exist14 ing budget authority; and 

15 (2) a certification by the Administrator that all 

16 deviations from the Aerospace Safety Advisory Panel 

17 recommendations have been reported in accordance 

18 with section 215. 

19 (d) AUTHORIZATION OF FUNDS.—Not later than 60 

20 days after the issuance of the explanation described in 

21 subsection (c)(2), the Administrator shall provide, and 

22 begin implementation of, a new acquisition strategy that 

23 ensures that at least 1 company will be prepared to pro24 vide crew transport services by December 31, 2017. 

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1 SEC. 215. CERTIFICATION PRODUCTS CONTRACT PHASE 

2 TWO. 

3 (a) IN GENERAL.—Phase two and any subsequent 

4 phase of the Certification Products Contract, and any fur5 ther acquisition or development actions taken by the Ad6 ministration under the Commercial Crew Program, shall 

7 be executed— 

8 (1) under a cost-type contract specified by Fed9 eral Acquisition Regulations; and 

10 (2) except as provided in subsection (b), in ac11 cordance with the 2012 Annual Report of the Aero12 space Safety Advisory Panel. 

13 (b) DEVIATIONS.— 

14 (1) AUTHORITY.—The Administrator may devi15 ate from any findings and recommendations of the 

16 2012 Annual Report of the Aerospace Safety Advi17 sory Panel if the Administrator has determined 

18 doing so is in the best interest of the program. 

19 (2) NOTICE AND JUSTIFICATION.—If the Ad20 ministrator deviates from any findings and rec21 ommendations of the 2012 Annual Report of the 

22 Aerospace Safety Advisory Panel under paragraph 

23 (1), the Administrator shall transmit in writing to 

24 the Chair of the Aerospace Safety Advisory Panel, 

25 the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology of 

26 the House of Representatives, and the Committee on 

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1 Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Sen2 ate notice of any planned deviations, along with a 

3 justification therefor, as part of the statement re4 quired under section 214(c)(1). 

5 (c) REPORT.—The Aerospace Safety Advisory Panel 

6 shall review and report to the Committee on Science, 

7 Space, and Technology of the House of Representatives 

8 and the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transpor9 tation of the Senate on any deviation within 45 days of 

10 notification. 

11 SEC. 216. SPACE COMMUNICATIONS. 

12 (a) PLAN.—The Administrator shall develop a plan, 

13 in consultation with relevant Federal agencies, for updat14 ing the Administration’s space communications architec15 ture for both low-Earth orbital operations and deep space 

16 exploration so that it is capable of meeting the Adminis17 tration’s needs over the next 20 years. The plan shall in18 clude lifecycle cost estimates, milestones, estimated per19 formance capabilities, and 5-year funding profiles. The 

20 plan shall also include an estimate of the amounts of any 

21 reimbursements the Administration is likely to receive 

22 from other Federal agencies during the expected life of 

23 the upgrades described in the plan. At a minimum, the 

24 plan shall include a description of the following: 

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1 (1) Projected Deep Space Network require2 ments for the next 20 years, including those in sup3 port of human space exploration missions. 

4 (2) Upgrades needed to support Deep Space 

5 Network requirements, including cost estimates and 

6 schedules. 

7 (3) Cost estimates for the maintenance of exist8 ing Deep Space Network capabilities. 

9 (4) Projected Tracking and Data Relay Sat10 ellite System requirements for the next 20 years, in11 cluding those in support of other relevant Federal 

12 agencies. 

13 (5) Cost and schedule estimates to maintain 

14 and upgrade the Tracking and Data Relay Satellite 

15 System to meet projected requirements. 

16 (6) Steps the Administration is taking to miti17 gate threats to electromagnetic spectrum use. 

18 (b) SCHEDULE.—The Administrator shall transmit 

19 the plan developed under this section to the Committee 

20 on Science, Space, and Technology of the House of Rep21 resentatives and the Committee on Commerce, Science, 

22 and Transportation of the Senate not later than 1 year 

23 after the date of enactment of this Act. 

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1 TITLE III—SCIENCE 

2 Subtitle A—General 

3 SEC. 301. SCIENCE PORTFOLIO. 

4 (a) BALANCED AND ADEQUATELY FUNDED ACTIVI5 TIES.—Section 803 of the National Aeronautics and Space 

6 Administration Authorization Act of 2010 (124 Stat. 

7 2832) is amended to read as follows: 

8 ‘‘SEC. 803. OVERALL SCIENCE PORTFOLIO; SENSE OF CON9 GRESS. 

10 ‘‘Congress reaffirms its sense, expressed in the Na11 tional Aeronautics and Space Administration Authoriza12 tion Act of 2010, that a balanced and adequately funded 

13 set of activities, consisting of research and analysis grants 

14 programs, technology development, small, medium, and 

15 large space missions, and suborbital research activities, 

16 contributes to a robust and productive science program 

17 and serves as a catalyst for innovation and discovery.’’. 

18 (b) DECADAL SURVEYS.—In proposing the funding 

19 of programs and activities for the National Aeronautics 

20 and Space Administration for each fiscal year, the Admin21 istrator shall, to the greatest extent practicable, follow 

22 guidance provided in the current decadal surveys from the 

23 National Academies’ Space Studies Board. 

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1 SEC. 302. ASSESSMENT OF SCIENCE MISSION EXTENSIONS. 

2 Section 30504 of title 51, United States Code, is 

3 amended to read as follows: 

4 ‘‘§ 30504. Assessment of science mission extensions 

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

6 out biennial reviews within each of the Science divisions 

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

8 the termination of data collection for those missions that 

9 exceed their planned mission lifetime. The assessment 

10 shall take into consideration how extending existing mis11 sions impacts the start of future missions. 

12 ‘‘(b) CONSULTATION AND CONSIDERATION OF PO13 TENTIAL BENEFITS OF INSTRUMENTS ON MISSIONS.— 

14 When deciding whether to extend a mission that has an 

15 operational component, the Administrator shall consult 

16 with any affected Federal agency and shall take into ac17 count the potential benefits of instruments on missions 

18 that are beyond their planned mission lifetime. 

19 ‘‘(c) COSTS.—If a mission is extended based on con20 sultation required under subsection (b), the full costs of 

21 the extension shall be paid for by the operational agency 

22 or agencies. 

23 ‘‘(d) REPORT.—The Administrator shall transmit to 

24 the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology of the 

25 House of Representatives and the Committee on Com26 merce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate, at the 

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1 same time as the submission to Congress of the Presi2 dent’s annual budget request, a report detailing any as3 sessment required by subsection (a) that was carried out 

4 during the previous year.’’. 

5 SEC. 303. RADIOISOTOPE THERMOELECTRIC GENERATORS. 

6 (a) ANALYSIS OF REQUIREMENTS AND RISKS.—The 

7 Administrator, in consultation with other Federal agen8 cies, shall conduct an analysis of— 

9 (1) the requirements of the Administration for 

10 radioisotope power system material that is needed to 

11 carry out planned, high priority robotic missions in 

12 the solar system and other surface exploration activi13 ties beyond low-Earth orbit; and 

14 (2) the risks to missions of the Administration 

15 in meeting those requirements, or any additional re16 quirements, due to a lack of adequate radioisotope 

17 power system material. 

18 (b) CONTENTS OF ANALYSIS.—The analysis con19 ducted under subsection (a) shall— 

20 (1) detail the Administration’s current pro21 jected mission requirements and associated time22 frames for radioisotope power system material; 

23 (2) explain the assumptions used to determine 

24 the Administration’s requirements for the material, 

25 including— 

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1 (A) the planned use of Advanced Stirling 

2 Radioisotope Generator technology; 

3 (B) the status of and timeline for com4 pleting development and demonstration of the 

5 Advanced Stirling Radioisotope Generator tech6 nology, including the development of flight 

7 readiness requirements; and 

8 (C) the risks and implications of, and con9 tingencies for, any delays or unanticipated tech10 nical challenges affecting or related to the Ad11 ministration’s mission plans for the anticipated 

12 use of Advanced Stirling Radioisotope Gener13 ator technology; 

14 (3) assess the risk to the Administration’s pro15 grams of any potential delays in achieving the sched16 ule and milestones for planned domestic production 

17 of radioisotope power system material; 

18 (4) outline a process for meeting any additional 

19 Administration requirements for the material; 

20 (5) estimate the incremental costs required to 

21 increase the amount of material produced each year, 

22 if such an increase is needed to support additional 

23 Administration requirements for the material; 

24 (6) detail how the Administration and other 

25 Federal agencies will manage, operate, and fund 

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1 production facilities and the design and development 

2 of all radioisotope power systems used by the Ad3 ministration and other Federal agencies as nec4 essary; 

5 (7) specify the steps the Administration will 

6 take, in consultation with the Department of En7 ergy, to preserve the infrastructure and workforce 

8 necessary for production of radioisotope power sys9 tems; and 

10 (8) detail how the Administration has imple11 mented or rejected the recommendations from the 

12 National Research Council’s 2009 report titled ‘‘Ra13 dioisotope Power Systems: An Imperative for Main14 taining U.S. Leadership in Space Exploration’’. 

15 (c) TRANSMITTAL.—Not later than 180 days after 

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

17 transmit the results of the analysis to the Committee on 

18 Science, Space, and Technology of the House of Rep19 resentatives and the Committee on Commerce, Science, 

20 and Transportation of the Senate. 

21 SEC. 304. CONGRESSIONAL DECLARATION OF POLICY AND 

22 PURPOSE. 

23 Section 20102(d) of title 51, United States Code, is 

24 amended by adding at the end the following new para25 graph: 

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1 ‘‘(10) The direction of the unique competence 

2 of the Administration to the search for life’s origin, 

3 evolution, distribution, and future in the Universe. 

4 In carrying out this objective, the Administration 

5 may use any practicable ground-based, airborne, or 

6 space-based technical means and spectra of electro7 magnetic radiation.’’. 

8 Subtitle B—Astrophysics 

9 SEC. 311. DECADAL CADENCE. 

10 In carrying out section 301(b), the Administrator 

11 shall ensure a steady cadence of large, medium, and small 

12 astrophysics missions. 

13 SEC. 312. EXTRASOLAR PLANET EXPLORATION STRATEGY. 

14 (a) STRATEGY.—The Administrator shall enter into 

15 an arrangement with the National Academies to develop 

16 a science strategy for the study and exploration of 

17 extrasolar planets, including the use of TESS, the James 

18 Webb Space Telescope, WFIRST, or any other telescope, 

19 spacecraft, or instrument as appropriate. Such strategy 

20 shall— 

21 (1) outline key scientific questions; 

22 (2) identify the most promising research in the 

23 field; 

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1 (3) indicate the extent to which the mission pri2 orities in existing decadal surveys address key 

3 extrasolar planet research goals; and 

4 (4) make recommendations with respect to opti5 mal coordination with international partners. 

6 (b) USE OF STRATEGY.—The Administrator shall use 

7 the strategy to— 

8 (1) inform roadmaps, strategic plans, and other 

9 activities of the Administration as they relate to 

10 extrasolar planet research and exploration; and 

11 (2) provide a foundation for future activities 

12 and initiatives. 

13 (c) REPORT TO CONGRESS.—Not later than 18 

14 months after the date of enactment of this Act, the Na15 tional Academies shall transmit a report to the Adminis16 trator, and to the Committee on Science, Space, and Tech17 nology of the House of Representatives and the Committee 

18 on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate, 

19 containing the strategy developed under subsection (a). 

20 SEC. 313. JAMES WEBB SPACE TELESCOPE. 

21 It is the sense of Congress that the James Webb 

22 Space Telescope program is significant to our under23 standing of the history of the universe, including galaxies, 

24 stars, and planetary systems, and should continue to re25 ceive priority of funding in accord with the recommendamstockstill on DSK4VPTVN1PROD with BILLS

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1 tion of the most recent decadal survey for Astronomy and 

2 Astrophysics of the National Academies’ Space Studies 

3 Board. 

4 SEC. 314. WIDE-FIELD INFRARED SURVEY TELESCOPE. 

5 The Administrator shall ensure that the development 

6 of the Wide-Field Infrared Survey Telescope continues 

7 while the James Webb Space Telescope is completed. 

8 SEC. 315. NATIONAL RECONNAISSANCE OFFICE TELESCOPE 

9 DONATION. 

10 Not later than 90 days after the date of enactment 

11 of this Act, the Administrator shall transmit a report to 

12 the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology of the 

13 House of Representatives and the Committee on Com14 merce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate out15 lining the cost of the Administration’s potential plan for 

16 developing the Wide-Field Infrared Survey Telescope as 

17 described in the most recent astronomy and astrophysics 

18 decadal survey, including an alternative plan for the Wide19 Field Infrared Survey Telescope 2.4, which includes the 

20 donated 2.4-meter aperture National Reconnaissance Of21 fice telescope. Due to the budget constraints on the Ad22 ministration’s science programs, this report shall in23 clude— 

24 (1) an assessment of affordable approaches to 

25 develop the Wide-Field Infrared Survey Telescope; 

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1 (2) a comparison to the development of mission 

2 concepts that exclude the utilization of the donated 

3 asset; 

4 (3) an assessment of how the Administration’s 

5 existing science missions will be affected by the utili6 zation of the donated asset described in this section; 

7 and 

8 (4) a description of the cost associated with 

9 storing and maintaining the donated asset. 

10 Subtitle C—Planetary Science 

11 SEC. 321. DECADAL CADENCE. 

12 In carrying out section 301(b), the Administrator 

13 shall ensure, to the greatest extent practicable, that the 

14 Administration carries out a balanced set of planetary 

15 science programs in accordance with the priorities estab16 lished in the most recent decadal survey for planetary 

17 science. Such programs shall include, at a minimum— 

18 (1) a Discovery-class mission at least once every 

19 24 months; 

20 (2) a New Frontiers-class mission at least once 

21 every 60 months; and 

22 (3) at least one Flagship-class mission per 

23 decadal survey period, starting with a Europa mis24 sion with a goal of launching by 2021. 

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1 SEC. 322. NEAR-EARTH OBJECTS. 

2 (a) FINDINGS.—Congress makes the following find3 ings: 

4 (1) Near-Earth objects pose a serious and cred5 ible threat to humankind, as many scientists believe 

6 that a major asteroid or comet was responsible for 

7 the mass extinction of the majority of the Earth’s 

8 species, including the dinosaurs, nearly 65,000,000 

9 years ago. 

10 (2) Similar objects have struck the Earth or 

11 passed through the Earth’s atmosphere several times 

12 in the Earth’s history and pose a similar threat in 

13 the future. 

14 (3) Several such near-Earth objects have only 

15 been discovered within days of the objects’ closest 

16 approach to Earth, and recent discoveries of such 

17 large objects indicate that many large near-Earth 

18 objects remain to be discovered. 

19 (4) The efforts taken to date by the Adminis20 tration for detecting and characterizing the hazards 

21 of near-Earth objects must continue to fully deter22 mine the threat posed by such objects to cause wide23 spread destruction and loss of life. 

24 (b) DEFINITION.—For purposes of this section, the 

25 term ‘‘near-Earth object’’ means an asteroid or comet with 

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1 a perihelion distance of less than 1.3 Astronomical Units 

2 from the Sun. 

3 (c) NEAR-EARTH OBJECT SURVEY.—The Adminis4 trator shall continue to discover, track, catalogue, and 

5 characterize the physical characteristics of near-Earth ob6 jects equal to or greater than 140 meters in diameter in 

7 order to assess the threat of such near-Earth objects to 

8 the Earth, pursuant to the George E. Brown, Jr. Near9 Earth Object Survey Act (42 U.S.C. 16691). It shall be 

10 the goal of the Survey program to achieve 90 percent com11 pletion of its near-Earth object catalogue (based on statis12 tically predicted populations of near-Earth objects) by 

13 2020. 

14 (d) WARNING AND MITIGATION OF POTENTIAL HAZ15 ARDS OF NEAR-EARTH OBJECTS.—Congress reaffirms 

16 the policy set forth in section 20102(g) of title 51, United 

17 States Code (relating to detecting, tracking, cataloguing, 

18 and characterizing asteroids and comets). 

19 (e) PROGRAM REPORT.—The Administrator shall 

20 transmit to the Committee on Science, Space, and Tech21 nology of the House of Representatives and the Committee 

22 on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate, 

23 not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of this 

24 Act, an initial report that provides— 

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1 (1) recommendations for carrying out the Sur2 vey program and an associated proposed budget; 

3 (2) analysis of possible options that the Admin4 istration could employ to divert an object on a likely 

5 collision course with Earth; and 

6 (3) a description of the status of efforts to co7 ordinate and cooperate with other countries to dis8 cover hazardous asteroids and comets, plan a mitiga9 tion strategy, and implement that strategy in the 

10 event of the discovery of an object on a likely colli11 sion course with Earth. 

12 (f) ANNUAL REPORTS.—The Administrator shall an13 nually transmit to the Committee on Science, Space, and 

14 Technology of the House of Representatives and the Com15 mittee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the 

16 Senate a report that provides— 

17 (1) a summary of all activities carried out pur18 suant to subsection (c) since the date of enactment 

19 of this Act; and 

20 (2) a summary of expenditures for all activities 

21 carried out pursuant to subsection (c) since the date 

22 of enactment of this Act. 

23 SEC. 323. ASTROBIOLOGY STRATEGY. 

24 (a) STRATEGY.—The Administrator shall enter into 

25 an arrangement with the National Academies to develop 

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1 a science strategy for astrobiology that would outline key 

2 scientific questions, identify the most promising research 

3 in the field, and indicate the extent to which the mission 

4 priorities in existing decadal surveys address the search 

5 for life’s origin, evolution, distribution, and future in the 

6 Universe. 

7 (b) USE OF STRATEGY.—The Administrator shall use 

8 the strategy developed under subsection (a) in planning 

9 and funding research and other activities and initiatives 

10 in the field of astrobiology. The strategy shall include rec11 ommendations for coordination with international part12 ners. 

13 (c) REPORT TO CONGRESS.—Not later than 18 

14 months after the date of enactment of this Act, the Na15 tional Academies shall transmit a report to the Adminis16 trator, and to the Committee on Science, Space, and Tech17 nology of the House of Representatives and the Committee 

18 on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate, 

19 containing the strategy developed under subsection (a). 

20 SEC. 324. PUBLIC-PRIVATE PARTNERSHIPS. 

21 Not later than 180 days after the date of enactment 

22 of this Act, the Administrator shall transmit to the Com23 mittee on Science, Space, and Technology of the House 

24 of Representatives and the Committee on Commerce, 

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1 scribing how the Administration can expand collaborative 

2 public-private partnerships to study life’s origin, evolution, 

3 distribution, and future in the Universe. 

4 Subtitle D—Heliophysics 

5 SEC. 331. DECADAL CADENCE. 

6 In carrying out section 301(b), the Administrator 

7 shall ensure a steady cadence of large, medium, and small 

8 heliophysics missions. 

9 SEC. 332. REVIEW OF SPACE WEATHER. 

10 (a) REVIEW.—The Director of the Office of Science 

11 and Technology Policy, in consultation with the Adminis12 trator, the Administrator of the National Oceanic and At13 mospheric Administration, the Director of the National 

14 Science Foundation, the Secretary of Defense, the Sec15 retary of Energy, and the Secretary of Homeland Secu16 rity, shall enter into an arrangement with the National 

17 Academies to provide a comprehensive study that reviews 

18 current and planned space weather monitoring require19 ments and capabilities. The study shall inform the process 

20 of identifying national needs for future space weather 

21 monitoring and mitigation. The National Academies shall 

22 give consideration to international and private sector ef23 forts and collaboration. The study shall also review the 

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1 eling, and prediction and provide recommendations to en2 sure future advancement of predictive capability. 

3 (b) REPORT TO CONGRESS.—Not later than 1 year 

4 after the date of enactment of this Act, the National Acad5 emies shall transmit a report to the Administrator, and 

6 to the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology of 

7 the House of Representatives and the Committee on Com8 merce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate, con9 taining the results of the study provided under subsection 

10 (a). 

11 SEC. 333. DEEP SPACE CLIMATE OBSERVATORY. 

12 (a) INTEGRATING SENSORS.—The Administrator 

13 may not integrate or fund the development of any sensor 

14 on the Deep Space Climate Observatory (DSCOVR) that 

15 is not aligned with the spacecraft’s original space weather 

16 mission requirements. 

17 (b) ALGORITHMS.—The Administration may not de18 velop or implement algorithms, or any other applications 

19 or products, that— 

20 (1) are not aligned with the Deep Space Cli21 mate Observatory mission’s intended space weather 

22 requirements; or 

23 (2) enable ‘‘Earth at noon’’ images from the 

24 spacecraft. 

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1 Subtitle E—Earth Science 

2 SEC. 341. GOAL. 

3 (a) IN GENERAL.—Recognizing the contributions 

4 that Earth science and remote sensing have made to soci5 ety over the last 50 years, the Administration shall con6 tinue to develop first-of-a-kind instruments that, once 

7 proved, can be transitioned to other agencies for oper8 ations. 

9 (b) AMENDMENT.—Section 60501 of title 51, United 

10 States Code, is amended by inserting ‘‘In order to accom11 plish this goal, the Administrator shall conduct research 

12 and development on new sensors and instruments that will 

13 mitigate the risks associated with the development of oper14 ational systems and long-term data continuity require15 ments by other agencies. The Administration shall not be 

16 responsible for the development of operational Earth 

17 science systems, including satellite, sensor, or instrument 

18 development, acquisition, and operations, as well as prod19 uct development and data analysis, unless such work is 

20 conducted on a reimbursable basis that accounts for the 

21 full cost of the work. The Administrator shall use the 

22 Joint Agency Satellite Division structure, or a direct suc23 cessor thereto, to manage this process on a fully reimburs24 able basis.’’ after ‘‘Earth observations-based research pro25 gram.’’. 

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1 SEC. 342. DECADAL CADENCE. 

2 In carrying out section 301(b), the Administrator 

3 shall ensure a steady cadence of large, medium, and small 

4 Earth science missions. 

5 SEC. 343. RESEARCH TO OPERATIONS. 

6 Section 60502(a) of title 51, United States Code, is 

7 amended by inserting ‘‘Operational responsibility for 

8 Earth science or space weather missions or sensors may 

9 not be transferred from any other Federal agency to the 

10 Administration, except as specifically authorized by law.’’ 

11 after ‘‘execute the transitions.’’. 

12 SEC. 344. INTERAGENCY COORDINATION. 

13 Section 60505 of title 51, United States Code, is 

14 amended— 

15 (1) in the section heading, by inserting ‘‘and 

16 other Federal agencies’’ after ‘‘Atmos17 pheric Administration’’; 

18 (2) in subsection (a)— 

19 (A) by striking ‘‘and the Administrator of 

20 the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Admin21 istration’’ and inserting ‘‘, the Administrator of 

22 the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Admin23 istration, and the heads of other relevant Fed24 eral agencies’’; and 

25 (B) by striking ‘‘the two agencies’’ and in26 serting ‘‘each of those agencies’’; 

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1 (3) in subsection (b)— 

2 (A) by striking ‘‘and the Administrator of 

3 the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Admin4 istration’’ and inserting ‘‘, the Administrator of 

5 the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Admin6 istration, and the heads of other relevant Fed7 eral agencies’’; 

8 (B) by striking ‘‘Committee on Science and 

9 Technology’’ and inserting ‘‘Committee on 

10 Science, Space, and Technology’’; and 

11 (C) by striking ‘‘and the National Oceanic 

12 and Atmospheric Administration’’ and inserting 

13 ‘‘, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Ad14 ministration, and other relevant Federal agen15 cies’’; and 

16 (4) in subsection (d), by striking ‘‘Administra17 tion Earth science mission’’ and all that follows 

18 through the period and inserting ‘‘Earth science 

19 mission or Earth observing system to or from the 

20 National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, 

21 any other Federal agency, or the Administration, or 

22 to or from other stakeholders, until the plans re23 quired under subsection (c) have been approved by 

24 the Administrator, the Administrator of the National 

25 Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and the 

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1 heads of other relevant Federal agencies, and until 

2 financial resources have been identified to support 

3 the transition or transfer in the President’s annual 

4 budget request for the National Oceanic and Atmos5 pheric Administration, the Administration, or other 

6 relevant agencies. Operational responsibility for 

7 Earth science programs may not be transferred from 

8 any other Federal agency to the Administration, ex9 cept as specifically authorized by law.’’. 

10 SEC. 345. JOINT POLAR SATELLITE SYSTEM CLIMATE SEN11 SORS. 

12 The Administration shall not be responsible for the 

13 development of Joint Polar Satellite System climate sen14 sors, including the Total Solar Irradiance Sensor (TSIS– 

15 2), the Ozone Mapping and Profiler Suite–Limb (OMPS– 

16 L), or the Clouds and Earth Radiant Energy System 

17 (CERES–C). Any effort by the Administration related to 

18 this work shall be conducted on a fully reimbursable basis 

19 and executed by the Administration’s Joint Agency Sat20 ellite Division or a direct successor thereto. 

21 SEC. 346. LAND IMAGING. 

22 (a) REAFFIRMATION OF POLICY.—Congress reaf23 firms the finding in section 2(1) of the Land Remote Sens24 ing Policy Act of 1992 (15 U.S.C. 5601(1)), which states 

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1 mote sensing data from space are of major benefit in 

2 studying and understanding human impacts on the global 

3 environment, in managing the Earth’s natural resources, 

4 in carrying out national security functions, and in plan5 ning and conducting many other activities of scientific, 

6 economic, and social importance.’’. 

7 (b) CONTINUOUS LAND REMOTE SENSING DATA

8 COLLECTION.—The Director of the Office of Science and 

9 Technology Policy shall take steps in consultation with 

10 other relevant Federal agencies to ensure, to the maximum 

11 extent practicable, the continuous collection of space12 based, medium-resolution observations of the Earth’s land 

13 cover, and to ensure that the data are made available in 

14 such ways as to facilitate the widest possible use. 

15 (c) DEFINITION OF LAND IMAGING CAPABILITIES.— 

16 The Administrator may not initiate the definition of re17 quirements for land imaging capabilities unless such work 

18 is conducted on a fully reimbursable basis and executed 

19 by the Administration’s Joint Agency Satellite Division or 

20 a direct successor thereto. 

21 SEC. 347. SOURCES OF EARTH SCIENCE DATA. 

22 (a) ACQUISITION.—The Administrator shall, to the 

23 extent possible and while satisfying the scientific or edu24 cational requirements of the Administration and, where 

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1 searchers, acquire, where cost effective, space-based and 

2 airborne Earth remote sensing data, services, distribution, 

3 and applications from non-Federal providers. 

4 (b) TREATMENT AS COMMERCIAL ITEM UNDER AC5 QUISITION LAWS.—Acquisitions by the Administrator of 

6 the data, services, distribution, and applications referred 

7 to in subsection (a) shall be carried out in accordance with 

8 applicable acquisition laws and regulations (including 

9 chapters 137 and 140 of title 10, United States Code). 

10 For purposes of such laws and regulations, such data, 

11 services, distribution, and applications shall be considered 

12 to be commercial items. Nothing in this subsection shall 

13 be construed to preclude the United States from acquiring, 

14 through contracts with commercial providers, sufficient 

15 rights in data to meet the needs of the scientific and edu16 cational community or the needs of other government ac17 tivities. 

18 (c) SAFETY STANDARDS.—Nothing in this section 

19 shall be construed to prohibit the Federal Government 

20 from requiring compliance with applicable safety stand21 ards. 

22 (d) REPORT.—Not later than 180 days after the date 

23 of enactment of the Act, the Administrator shall submit 

24 a report to the Committee on Science, Space, and Tech25 nology of the House of Representatives and the Committee 

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1 on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate 

2 on the Administration’s efforts to carry out this section. 

3 TITLE IV—AERONAUTICS 

4 SEC. 401. SENSE OF CONGRESS. 

5 It is the sense of Congress that— 

6 (1) a robust aeronautics research portfolio will 

7 help maintain the United States status as a leader 

8 in aviation; 

9 (2) aeronautics research is essential to the Ad10 ministration’s mission; and 

11 (3) the Administrator should coordinate and 

12 consult with relevant Federal agencies and the pri13 vate sector to minimize duplication and leverage re14 sources. 

15 SEC. 402. UNMANNED AERIAL SYSTEMS RESEARCH AND DE16 VELOPMENT. 

17 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Administrator, in consulta18 tion with the Administrator of the Federal Aviation Ad19 ministration and other Federal agencies, shall direct re20 search and technological development to facilitate the safe 

21 integration of unmanned aerial systems into the National 

22 Airspace System, including— 

23 (1) positioning and navigation systems; 

24 (2) sense and avoid capabilities; 

25 (3) secure data and communication links; 

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1 (4) flight recovery systems; and 

2 (5) human systems integration. 

3 (b) ROADMAP.—The Administrator shall update a 

4 roadmap for unmanned aerial systems research and devel5 opment and transmit this roadmap to the Committee on 

6 Science, Space, and Technology of the House of Rep7 resentatives and the Committee on Commerce, Science, 

8 and Transportation of the Senate not later than 90 days 

9 after the date of enactment of this Act. 

10 (c) COOPERATIVE UNMANNED AERIAL VEHICLE AC11 TIVITIES.—Section 31504 of title 51, United States Code, 

12 is amended by inserting ‘‘Operational flight data derived 

13 from these cooperative agreements shall be made available, 

14 in appropriate and usable formats, to the Administration 

15 and the Federal Aviation Administration for the develop16 ment of regulatory standards.’’ after ‘‘in remote areas.’’. 

17 SEC. 403. RESEARCH PROGRAM ON COMPOSITE MATERIALS 

18 USED IN AERONAUTICS. 

19 (a) CONSULTATION.—The Administrator, in over20 seeing the Administration’s Integrated Systems Research 

21 Program’s work on composite materials, shall consult with 

22 relevant Federal agencies and partners in industry to ac23 celerate safe development and certification processes for 

24 new composite materials and design methods while main25 taining rigorous inspection of new composite materials. 

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1 (b) REPORT.—Not later than 1 year after the date 

2 of enactment of this Act, the Administrator shall transmit 

3 a report to the Committee on Science, Space, and Tech4 nology of the House of Representatives and the Committee 

5 on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate 

6 detailing the Administration’s work on new composite ma7 terials and the coordination efforts among Federal agen8 cies. 

9 SEC. 404. HYPERSONIC RESEARCH. 

10 Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment 

11 of this Act, the Administrator, in consultation with other 

12 Federal agencies, shall develop and transmit to the Com13 mittee on Science, Space, and Technology of the House 

14 of Representatives and the Committee on Commerce, 

15 Science, and Transportation of the Senate a research and 

16 development roadmap for hypersonic aircraft research 

17 with the objective of exploring hypersonic science and 

18 technology using air-breathing propulsion concepts, 

19 through a mix of theoretical work, basic and applied re20 search, and development of flight research demonstration 

21 vehicles. The roadmap shall prescribe appropriate agency 

22 contributions, coordination efforts, and technology mile23 stones. 

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1 SEC. 405. SUPERSONIC RESEARCH. 

2 Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment 

3 of this Act, the Administrator shall develop and transmit 

4 to the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology of 

5 the House of Representatives and the Committee on Com6 merce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate a road7 map that allows for flexible funding profiles, for super8 sonic aeronautics research and development with the ob9 jective of developing and demonstrating, in a relevant envi10 ronment, airframe and propulsion technologies to mini11 mize the environmental impact, including noise, of super12 sonic overland flight in an efficient and economical man13 ner. The roadmap shall include— 

14 (1) a status report on the Administration’s ex15 isting research on supersonic flight; 

16 (2) a list of specific technological, environ17 mental, and other challenges that must be overcome 

18 to minimize the environmental impact, including 

19 noise, of supersonic overland flight; 

20 (3) a research plan to address such challenges, 

21 as well as a project timeline for accomplishing rel22 evant research goals; and 

23 (4) a plan for coordination with stakeholders, 

24 including relevant government agencies and indus25 try. 

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1 SEC. 406. RESEARCH ON NEXTGEN AIRSPACE MANAGE2 MENT CONCEPTS AND TOOLS. 

3 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Administrator shall, in con4 sultation with the Director of the Joint Planning and De5 velopment Office of the Federal Aviation Administration, 

6 review at least annually the alignment and timing of the 

7 Administration’s research and development activities in 

8 support of the NextGen airspace management moderniza9 tion initiative, and shall make any necessary adjustments 

10 by reprioritizing or retargeting the Administration’s re11 search and development activities in support of the 

12 NextGen initiative. 

13 (b) ANNUAL REPORTS.—The Administrator shall re14 port to the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology 

15 of the House of Representatives and the Committee on 

16 Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate an17 nually regarding the progress of the Administration’s re18 search and development activities in support of the 

19 NextGen airspace management modernization initiative, 

20 including details of consultation with the Federal Aviation 

21 Administration and any adjustments made to research ac22 tivities. 

23 SEC. 407. ROTORCRAFT RESEARCH. 

24 Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment 

25 of this Act, the Administrator, in consultation with other 

26 Federal agencies, shall prepare and transmit to the Commstockstill on DSK4VPTVN1PROD with BILLS

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1 mittee on Science, Space, and Technology of the House 

2 of Representatives and the Committee on Commerce, 

3 Science, and Transportation of the Senate a plan for re4 search relating to rotorcraft and other runway-inde5 pendent air vehicles, with the objective of developing and 

6 demonstrating improved safety, noise, and environmental 

7 impact in a relevant environment. The plan shall include 

8 specific goals for the research, a timeline for implementa9 tion, metrics for success, and guidelines for collaboration 

10 and coordination with industry and other Federal agen11 cies. 

12 TITLE V—SPACE TECHNOLOGY 

13 SEC. 501. SPACE TECHNOLOGY. 

14 (a) FINDINGS.—Congress finds the following: 

15 (1) The Space Technology Mission Directorate 

16 created by the Administration is lacking an organic 

17 statutory authorization and in need of congressional 

18 direction. 

19 (2) In order to appropriately prioritize the Ad20 ministration’s resources to accomplish its goals and 

21 purposes, the Space Technology Mission Directorate 

22 needs to be reorganized as provided in the amend23 ments made by this section. 

24 (3) Projects, programs, and activities currently 

25 within the Exploration Research and Development 

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1 program should continue as planned as part of the 

2 Human Exploration and Operations Mission Direc3 torate. 

4 (b) SPACE TECHNOLOGY PROGRAM.— 

5 (1) AMENDMENT.—Section 70507 of title 51, 

6 United States Code, is amended to read as follows: 

7 ‘‘§ 70507. Space Technology Program authorized 

8 ‘‘(a) PROGRAM AUTHORIZED.—The Administrator 

9 shall establish, within the office of the Administrator, a 

10 Space Technology Program to pursue the development of 

11 technologies that enable exploration of the solar system 

12 or advanced space science throughout the various elements 

13 of the Administration. 

14 ‘‘(b) SMALL BUSINESS PROGRAMS.—The Adminis15 trator shall organize and manage the Administration’s 

16 Small Business Innovation Research program and Small 

17 Business Technology Transfer program within the Space 

18 Technology Program. 

19 ‘‘(c) NONDUPLICATION CERTIFICATION.—The Ad20 ministrator shall include in the budget for each fiscal year, 

21 as transmitted to Congress under section 1105(a) of title 

22 31, a certification that no project, program, or mission 

23 undertaken by the Space Technology Program is inde24 pendently under development by any other office or direc25 torate of the Administration.’’. 

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1 (2) TABLE OF SECTIONS AMENDMENT.—The 

2 item relating to section 70507 in the table of sec3 tions for chapter 705 of title 51, United States 

4 Code, is amended to read as follows: 

‘‘70507. Space Technology Program authorized.’’. 

5 TITLE VI—EDUCATION 

6 SEC. 601. EDUCATION. 

7 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Administration shall continue 

8 its education and outreach efforts to— 

9 (1) increase student interest and participation 

10 in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathe11 matics (‘‘STEM’’) education; 

12 (2) improve public literacy in STEM; 

13 (3) employ proven strategies for improving stu14 dent learning and teaching; 

15 (4) provide curriculum support materials; and 

16 (5) create and support opportunities for profes17 sional development for STEM teachers. 

18 (b) ORGANIZATION.—In order to ensure the inspira19 tion and engagement of children and the general public, 

20 the Administration shall continue its STEM education and 

21 outreach activities within the Science, Aeronautics Re22 search, Space Operations, and Exploration Mission Direc23 torates. Funds devoted to education and public outreach 

24 shall be maintained in the Directorates, and the consolidamstockstill on DSK4VPTVN1PROD with BILLS

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1 tion of these activities into the Education Directorate is 

2 prohibited. 

3 (c) PROHIBITION.—The Administration may not im4 plement any proposed STEM education and outreach-re5 lated changes proposed in the budget for fiscal year 2014 

6 transmitted to Congress under section 1105(a) of title 31, 

7 United States Code. 

8 TITLE VII—POLICY PROVISIONS 

9 SEC. 701. ASTEROID RETRIEVAL MISSION. 

10 (a) IN GENERAL.—Consistent with the policy stated 

11 in section 201(b), the Administrator may not fund the de12 velopment of an asteroid retrieval mission to send a 

13 robotic spacecraft to a near-Earth asteroid for rendezvous, 

14 retrieval, and redirection of that asteroid to lunar orbit 

15 for exploration by astronauts. 

16 (b) ASTEROID SURVEY.—The Administration may 

17 not pursue a program to search for asteroids of 20 meters 

18 or less in diameter unless the survey program described 

19 in section 322(c) is at least 90 percent complete. 

20 (c) REPORT.—Not later than 180 days after the date 

21 of enactment of this Act, the Administrator shall provide 

22 to the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology of 

23 the House of Representatives and the Committee on Com24 merce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate a report 

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1 on the proposed Asteroid Retrieval Mission. Such report 

2 shall include— 

3 (1) a detailed budget profile, including cost esti4 mates for the development of all necessary tech5 nologies and spacecraft required for the mission; 

6 (2) a detailed technical plan that includes mile7 stones and a specific schedule; 

8 (3) a description of the technologies and capa9 bilities anticipated to be gained from the proposed 

10 mission that will enable future human missions to 

11 Mars which could not be gained by lunar missions; 

12 and 

13 (4) a complete review by the Small Bodies As14 sessment Group and the NASA Advisory Council 

15 that includes a recommendation to Congress on the 

16 feasibility of the mission as proposed by the Admin17 istration. 

18 SEC. 702. TERMINATION LIABILITY. 

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

21 (1) The International Space Station, the Space 

22 Launch System, and the Orion crew capsule will en23 able the Nation to continue operations in low-Earth 

24 orbit and to send its astronauts to deep space. As 

25 a result of their unique capabilities and their critical 

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1 contribution to the future of space exploration, these 

2 systems have been designated by Congress and the 

3 Administration as priority investments. 

4 (2) While the Space Launch System and the 

5 Orion programs, currently under development, have 

6 made significant progress, they have not been fund7 ed at levels authorized, and as a result congression8 ally authorized milestones will be delayed by several 

9 years. 

10 (3) In addition, contractors are currently hold11 ing program funding, estimated to be in the hun12 dreds of millions of dollars, to cover the potential 

13 termination liability should the Government choose 

14 to terminate a program for convenience. As a result, 

15 hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars are unavail16 able for meaningful work on these programs. 

17 (4) According to the Government Accountability 

18 Office, the Administration procures most of its 

19 goods and services through contracts, and it termi20 nates very few of them. In fiscal year 2010, the Ad21 ministration terminated 28 of 16,343 active con22 tracts and orders—a termination rate of about 0.17 

23 percent. 

24 (5) Providing processes requiring congressional 

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1 grams would enable contractors to apply taxpayer 

2 dollars to making maximum progress in meeting the 

3 established technical goals and schedule milestones 

4 of these programs. 

5 (b) NASA TERMINATION LIABILITY.— 

6 (1) GENERAL RULE.—Termination liability 

7 costs for a covered program shall be provided only 

8 pursuant to this subsection. 

9 (2) PROHIBITION ON RESERVING FUNDS.—The 

10 Administrator may not reserve funds from amounts 

11 appropriated for a covered program, and shall direct 

12 prime contractors not to reserve funds, for potential 

13 termination liability costs with respect to a covered 

14 program. 

15 (3) INTENT OF CONGRESS.—It is the intent of 

16 Congress that funds authorized to be appropriated 

17 for covered programs be applied in meeting estab18 lished technical goals and schedule milestones. 

19 (4) VOID CONTRACTUAL PROVISIONS.—Any 

20 provision in a prime contract entered into before the 

21 date of enactment of this Act that provides for the 

22 payment of termination liability costs through any 

23 means other than as provided in this subsection is 

24 hereby declared to be void and unenforceable. 

25 (5) CONGRESSIONAL ACTION; NOTICE.— 

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1 (A) TERMINATION FOR CONVENIENCE.— 

2 The Administrator may not initiate termination 

3 for the convenience of the Government of a 

4 prime contract on a covered program unless 

5 such program termination is authorized or re6 quired by a law enacted after the date of enact7 ment of this Act. 

8 (B) TERMINATION FOR CAUSE.—The Ad9 ministrator shall notify the Committee on 

10 Science, Space, and Technology of the House of 

11 Representatives and the Committee on Com12 merce, Science, and Transportation of the Sen13 ate before initiating termination for cause of a 

14 prime contract on a covered program. 

15 (6) SUPPLEMENTAL APPROPRIATION RE16 QUEST.— 

17 (A) REQUEST.—If the Administrator de18 cides to terminate a prime contract on a cov19 ered program, and sufficient unobligated appro20 priations are not available to cover termination 

21 liability costs in the appropriations account that 

22 is funding the prime contract being terminated, 

23 the Administrator shall provide to Congress a 

24 notification that an authorization of appropria25 tions is necessary not later than 120 days in 

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1 advance of the proposed contract settlement for 

2 the covered program. 

3 (B) INTENT OF CONGRESS.—It is the in4 tent of Congress to provide additional author5 ization for appropriations as may be necessary 

6 to pay termination liability costs on prime con7 tracts for covered programs if Congress deems 

8 it appropriate that the Administration termi9 nate such prime contracts. 

10 (7) DEFINITIONS.—For purposes of this sec11 tion: 

12 (A) COVERED PROGRAM.—The term ‘‘cov13 ered program’’ means the International Space 

14 Station, the Space Launch System, and the 

15 Orion crew capsule. 

16 (B) PRIME CONTRACTOR.—The term 

17 ‘‘prime contractor’’ means a person or entity 

18 contracting directly with the Federal Govern19 ment on a covered program. 

20 (C) TERMINATION LIABILITY COSTS.—The 

21 term ‘‘termination liability costs’’ means any 

22 costs incurred by a prime contractor, or by any 

23 subcontractor of a prime contractor, for which 

24 the Federal Government is liable as a result of 

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1 termination of a prime contract by the Adminis2 trator. 

3 (c) REPORTING.—Not later than 6 months after the 

4 date of enactment of this Act, and every 6 months there5 after for the duration of the prime contracts on covered 

6 programs, the Administrator shall transmit to the Com7 mittee on Science, Space, and Technology of the House 

8 of Representatives and the Committee on Commerce, 

9 Science, and Transportation of the Senate a report that 

10 provides— 

11 (1) the estimated termination liability costs for 

12 each of the prime contracts; and 

13 (2) the basis for how such estimate was deter14 mined. 

15 SEC. 703. INDEMNIFICATION EXTENSION. 

16 Section 50915(f) of title 51, United States Code, is 

17 amended by striking ‘‘December 31, 2013’’ and inserting 

18 ‘‘December 31, 2018’’. 

19 SEC. 704. BASELINE AND COST CONTROLS. 

20 Section 30104 of title 51, United States Code, is 

21 amended— 

22 (1) in subsection (a), by striking ‘‘Procedural 

23 Requirements 7120.5c, dated March 22, 2005’’ and 

24 inserting ‘‘Procedural Requirements 7120.5E, dated 

25 August 14, 2012’’; and 

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1 (2) in subsection (f), by striking ‘‘beginning 18 

2 months after the date the Administrator transmits a 

3 report under subsection (e)(1)(A)’’ and inserting 

4 ‘‘beginning 18 months after the Administrator 

5 makes such determination’’. 

6 SEC. 705. PROJECT AND PROGRAM RESERVES. 

7 To ensure that the establishment, maintenance, and 

8 allotment of project and program reserves contribute to 

9 prudent management, not later than 180 days after the 

10 date of enactment of this Act, the Administrator shall 

11 transmit to the Committee on Science, Space, and Tech12 nology of the House of Representatives and the Committee 

13 on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate 

14 a report describing the Administration’s criteria for estab15 lishing the amount of reserves at the project and program 

16 levels and how such criteria complement the Administra17 tion’s policy of budgeting at a 70-percent confidence level. 

18 SEC. 706. INDEPENDENT REVIEWS. 

19 Not later than 270 days after the date of enactment 

20 of this Act, the Administrator shall transmit to the Com21 mittee on Science, Space, and Technology of the House 

22 of Representatives and the Committee on Commerce, 

23 Science, and Transportation of the Senate a report de24 scribing the Administration’s procedures for conducting 

25 independent reviews of projects and programs at lifecycle 

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1 milestones and how the Administration ensures the inde2 pendence of the individuals who conduct those reviews 

3 prior to their assignment. 

4 SEC. 707. SPACE ACT AGREEMENTS. 

5 (a) COST SHARING.—To the extent that the Adminis6 trator determines practicable, the funds provided by the 

7 Government under a funded Space Act Agreement shall 

8 not exceed the total amount provided by other parties to 

9 the Space Act Agreement. 

10 (b) NEED.—A Space Act Agreement may be used 

11 only when the use of a standard contract, grant, or cooper12 ative agreement is not feasible or appropriate, as deter13 mined by the Associate Administrator for Procurement. 

14 (c) PUBLIC NOTICE AND COMMENT.—The Adminis15 trator shall make available for public notice and comment 

16 each proposed Space Act Agreement at least 30 days be17 fore entering into such agreement, with appropriate 

18 redactions for proprietary, sensitive, or classified informa19 tion. 

20 (d) TRANSPARENCY.—The Administrator shall pub21 licly disclose on the Administration’s website and make 

22 available in a searchable format all Space Act Agreements, 

23 with appropriate redactions for proprietary, sensitive, or 

24 classified information, not later than 60 days after such 

25 agreement is signed. 

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1 (e) AUTHORIZATION.—The Administrator may not 

2 enter into a funded Space Act Agreement for an amount 

3 in excess of $50,000,000 unless such agreement has been 

4 specifically authorized by law. 

5 (f) ANNUAL REPORT.— 

6 (1) REQUIREMENT.—Not later than 90 days 

7 after the end of each fiscal year, the Administrator 

8 shall submit to the Committee on Science, Space, 

9 and Technology of the House of Representatives and 

10 the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Trans11 portation of the Senate a report on the use of Space 

12 Act Agreement authority by the Administration dur13 ing the previous fiscal year. 

14 (2) CONTENTS.—The report shall include for 

15 each Space Act Agreement in effect at the time of 

16 the report— 

17 (A) an indication of whether the agreement 

18 is a reimbursable, nonreimbursable, or funded 

19 Space Act Agreement; 

20 (B) a description of— 

21 (i) the subject and terms; 

22 (ii) the parties; 

23 (iii) the responsible— 

24 (I) mission directorate; 

25 (II) center; or 

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1 (III) headquarters element; 

2 (iv) the value; 

3 (v) the extent of the cost sharing 

4 among Federal Government and non-Fed5 eral sources; 

6 (vi) the time period or schedule; and 

7 (vii) all milestones; and 

8 (C) an indication of whether the agreement 

9 was renewed during the previous fiscal year. 

10 (3) ANTICIPATED AGREEMENTS.—The report 

11 shall also include a list of all anticipated reimburs12 able, nonreimbursable, and funded Space Act Agree13 ments for the upcoming fiscal year. 

14 (4) CUMULATIVE PROGRAM BENEFITS.—The 

15 report shall also include, with respect to the Space 

16 Act Agreements covered by the report, a summary 

17 of— 

18 (A) the technology areas in which research 

19 projects were conducted under such agreements; 

20 (B) the extent to which the use of the 

21 Space Act Agreements— 

22 (i) has contributed to a broadening of 

23 the technology and industrial base avail24 able for meeting Administration needs; and 

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1 (ii) has fostered within the technology 

2 and industrial base new relationships and 

3 practices that support the United States; 

4 and 

5 (C) the total amount of value received by 

6 the Federal Government during the fiscal year 

7 pursuant to such Space Act Agreements. 

8 SEC. 708. HUMAN SPACEFLIGHT ACCIDENT INVESTIGA9 TIONS. 

10 Section 70702(a) of title 51, United States Code, is 

11 amended by striking paragraph (3) and inserting the fol12 lowing: 

13 ‘‘(3) any other space vehicle carrying humans 

14 that is owned by the Federal Government or that is 

15 being used pursuant to a contract or Space Act 

16 Agreement, as defined in section 2 of the with the 

17 Federal Government; or’’. 

18 SEC. 709. COMMERCIAL TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER PRO19 GRAM. 

20 Section 50116(a) of title 51, United States Code, is 

21 amended by inserting ‘‘, while protecting national secu22 rity’’ after ‘‘research community’’. 

23 SEC. 710. ORBITAL DEBRIS. 

24 (a) FINDING.—Congress finds that orbital debris 

25 poses serious risks to the operational space capabilities of 

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1 the United States and that an international consensus and 

2 strategic plan is needed to mitigate the growth of orbital 

3 debris wherever possible. 

4 (b) REPORTS.— 

5 (1) COORDINATION.—Not later than 90 days 

6 after the date of enactment of this Act, the Adminis7 trator shall provide the Committee on Science, 

8 Space, and Technology of the House of Representa9 tives and the Committee on Commerce, Science, and 

10 Transportation of the Senate with a report on the 

11 status of efforts to coordinate with countries within 

12 the Inter-Agency Space Debris Coordination Com13 mittee to mitigate the effects and growth of orbital 

14 debris as required by section 1202(b)(1) of the Na15 tional Aeronautics and Space Administration Au16 thorization Act of 2010 (42 U.S.C. 18441(b)(1)). 

17 (2) MITIGATION STRATEGY.—Not later than 90 

18 days after the date of enactment of this Act, the Di19 rector of the Office of Science and Technology Policy 

20 shall provide the Committee on Science, Space, and 

21 Technology of the House of Representatives and the 

22 Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transpor23 tation of the Senate with a report on the status of 

24 the orbital debris mitigation strategy required under 

25 section 1202(b)(2) of the National Aeronautics and 

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1 Space Administration Authorization Act of 2010 (42 

2 U.S.C. 18441(b)(2)). 

3 SEC. 711. NASA LEADERSHIP. 

4 Section 20111 of title 51, United States Code, is 

5 amended— 

6 (1) in subsection (a), by inserting ‘‘The Admin7 istrator shall serve for a term of 6 years, and may 

8 be reappointed for additional terms.’’ after ‘‘and ac9 tivities thereof.’’; and 

10 (2) in subsection (b)— 

11 (A) by inserting ‘‘The Deputy Adminis12 trator may not act for, and exercise the powers 

13 of, the Administrator for a period in excess of 

14 45 days. After 45 days, the Associate Adminis15 trator shall exercise the powers of the Adminis16 trator until a new Administrator is appointed 

17 and confirmed by the Senate.’’ after ‘‘absence 

18 or disability.’’; and 

19 (B) by striking ‘‘from civilian life’’. 

20 SEC. 712. NASA ADVISORY COUNCIL. 

21 (a) ESTABLISHMENT.—Subchapter II of chapter 201 

22 of title 51, United States Code, is amended by adding at 

23 the end the following new section: 

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1 ‘‘§ 20118. NASA Advisory Council 

2 ‘‘(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—There shall be established a 

3 NASA Advisory Council (in this section referred to as ‘the 

4 Council’) for the Administration in accordance with this 

5 section, not later than 9 months after the date of enact6 ment of this section. 

7 ‘‘(b) MEMBERSHIP AND APPOINTMENT.—The Coun8 cil shall consist of 11 members to be appointed as follows: 

9 ‘‘(1) 5 members shall be appointed by the 

10 President. 

11 ‘‘(2) 2 members shall be appointed by the 

12 President pro tempore of the Senate. 

13 ‘‘(3) 1 member shall be appointed by the minor14 ity leader of the Senate. 

15 ‘‘(4) 2 members shall be appointed by the 

16 Speaker of the House of Representatives. 

17 ‘‘(5) 1 member shall be appointed by the minor18 ity leader of the House of Representatives. 

19 In addition to the members appointed under paragraphs 

20 (1) through (5), the Administrator shall be an ex officio, 

21 nonvoting member of the Council. Members of the Council 

22 shall comply with the Federal Advisory Committee Act (5 

23 U.S.C. App.) and the Ethics in Government Act of 1978 

24 (5 U.S.C. App.). 

25 ‘‘(c) QUALIFICATIONS.—The persons appointed as 

26 members of the Council shall be— 

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1 ‘‘(1) former astronauts or scientists or engi2 neers eminent in the fields of human spaceflight, 

3 planetary science, space science, Earth science, aero4 nautics, or disciplines related to space exploration 

5 and aeronautics, including other scientific, engineer6 ing, or business disciplines; 

7 ‘‘(2) selected on the basis of established records 

8 of distinguished service; and 

9 ‘‘(3) so selected as to provide representation of 

10 the views of engineering, science, and aerospace 

11 leaders in all areas of the Nation. 

12 ‘‘(d) TERMS.—The term of office of each member of 

13 the Council shall be 6 years. 

14 ‘‘(e) MEETINGS.—The Council shall meet two times 

15 annually at minimum and at such other times as the 

16 Chairman may determine, but the Chairman shall also call 

17 a meeting whenever one-third of the members so request 

18 in writing. The Council shall adopt procedures governing 

19 the conduct of its meetings, including delivery of notice 

20 and a definition of a quorum, which in no case shall be 

21 less than one-half plus one of the members of the Council. 

22 ‘‘(f) CHAIRMAN AND VICE CHAIRMAN.—The Chair23 man and Vice Chairman of the Council shall be elected 

24 by a majority vote of the Council for a two-year term. A 

25 member may serve as Chairman and Vice Chairman for 

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1 up to three terms. The Vice Chairman shall perform the 

2 duties of the Chairman in his absence. If a vacancy occurs 

3 in the chairmanship or vice chairmanship, the Council 

4 shall elect a member to fill such vacancy. 

5 ‘‘(g) STAFF.—The Administrator shall support the 

6 Council with professional staff to provide for the perform7 ance of such duties as may be prescribed by the Council. 

8 ‘‘(h) COMMITTEES.—The Council is authorized to ap9 point from among its members such committees as it 

10 deems necessary and to assign to committees so appointed 

11 such survey and advisory functions as the Council deems 

12 appropriate to assist it in exercising its powers and func13 tions. 

14 ‘‘(i) FUNCTIONS.— 

15 ‘‘(1) BUDGET PROPOSAL.— 

16 ‘‘(A) REVIEW OF PROPOSAL.—Not later 

17 than October 15 of each year, the Council shall 

18 have reviewed the Administration’s proposed 

19 budget for the next fiscal year and shall provide 

20 to the President their advice based on the best 

21 professional judgment of a majority of mem22 bers. Portions of Council meetings in which the 

23 Council considers the budget proposal for the 

24 next fiscal year may be closed to the public 

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1 until the Council submits the proposal to the 

2 President and Congress. 

3 ‘‘(B) ADVICE TO CONGRESSIONAL COMMIT4 TEES.—Not later than 14 days following the 

5 President’s budget submittal to Congress for 

6 the next fiscal year, the Council shall provide to 

7 the Committee on Science, Space, and Tech8 nology of the House of Representatives and the 

9 Committee on Commerce, Science, and Trans10 portation of the Senate their advice based on 

11 the best professional judgment of a majority of 

12 members. 

13 ‘‘(2) ADVICE TO THE PRESIDENT AND CON14 GRESS.—The Council shall report their findings, ad15 vice, and recommendations to the President and 

16 Congress on matters of particular policy interest on 

17 space exploration and aeronautics based on the best 

18 professional judgment of a majority of members.’’. 

19 (b) TABLE OF SECTIONS.—The table of sections for 

20 chapter 201 of title 51, United States Code, is amended 

21 by adding at the end of the items for subchapter II the 

22 following new item: 

‘‘20118. NASA Advisory Council.’’. 

23 (c) CONSULTATION AND ADVICE.—Section 20113(g) 

24 of title 51, United States Code, is amended by inserting 

25 ‘‘and Congress’’ after ‘‘advice to the Administration’’. 

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1 SEC. 713. COST ESTIMATION. 

2 (a) REPORT.—Not later than 90 days after the date 

3 of enactment of this Act, the Administrator shall transmit 

4 to the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology of 

5 the House of Representatives and the Committee on Com6 merce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate a report 

7 on current and continuing efforts to implement more effec8 tive cost-estimation practices. 

9 (b) ELEMENTS.—The report required under sub10 section (a) shall include— 

11 (1) a list of steps the Administration is under12 taking to advance consistent implementation of the 

13 joint cost and schedule level (JCL) process; and 

14 (2) a description of mechanisms the Adminis15 tration is using and will continue to use to ensure 

16 that adequate resources are dedicated to cost esti17 mation. 

Æ 

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