I 

114TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 2039 

To authorize the programs of the National Aeronautics and Space 

Administration, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

APRIL 28, 2015 

Mr. PALAZZO (for himself, Mr. SMITH of Texas, Mr. CULBERSON, Mr. LUCAS, 

Mr. BRIDENSTINE, Mr. WEBER of Texas, Mr. LOUDERMILK, Mr. ROHRABACHER, Mr. MCCAUL, Mr. HULTGREN, Mr. MOOLENAAR, Mr. KNIGHT, 

Mr. BABIN, Mrs. COMSTOCK, Mr. BROOKS of Alabama, Mr. JOHNSON of 

Ohio, and Mr. POSEY) 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 for 2016 and 2017’’. 

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

8 this Act is as follows: 


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Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents. 

Sec. 2. Definitions. 

TITLE I—AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS 

Sec. 101. Fiscal year 2016. 

Sec. 102. Fiscal year 2017. 

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 vehicle. 

Sec. 205. Space radiation. 

Sec. 206. Planetary protection for human exploration missions. 

Subtitle B—Space Operations 

Sec. 211. International Space Station. 

Sec. 212. Barriers impeding enhanced utilization of the ISS’s National Laboratory by commercial companies. 

Sec. 213. Utilization of International Space Station for science missions. 

Sec. 214. International Space Station cargo resupply services lessons learned. 

Sec. 215. Commercial crew program. 

Sec. 216. Space communications. 

TITLE III—SCIENCE 

Subtitle A—General 

Sec. 301. Science portfolio. 

Sec. 302. Radioisotope power systems. 

Sec. 303. Congressional declaration of policy and purpose. 

Sec. 304. University class science missions. 

Sec. 305. Assessment of science mission extensions. 

Subtitle B—Astrophysics 

Sec. 311. Decadal cadence. 

Sec. 312. Extrasolar planet exploration strategy. 

Sec. 313. James Webb Space Telescope. 

Sec. 314. National Reconnaissance Office telescope donation. 

Sec. 315. Wide-Field Infrared Survey Telescope. 

Sec. 316. Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy. 

Subtitle C—Planetary Science 

Sec. 321. Decadal cadence. 

Sec. 322. Near-Earth objects. 

Sec. 323. Near-Earth objects public-private partnerships. 

Sec. 324. Research on near-Earth object tsunami effects. 

Sec. 325. Astrobiology strategy. 

Sec. 326. Astrobiology public-private partnerships. 

Sec. 327. Assessment of Mars architecture. 


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Subtitle D—Heliophysics 

Sec. 331. Decadal cadence. 

Sec. 332. Review of space weather. 

Subtitle E—Earth Science 

Sec. 341. Goal. 

Sec. 342. Decadal cadence. 

Sec. 343. Venture class missions. 

Sec. 344. Assessment. 

TITLE IV—AERONAUTICS 

Sec. 401. Sense of Congress. 

Sec. 402. Aeronautics research goals. 

Sec. 403. Unmanned aerial systems research and development. 

Sec. 404. Research program on composite materials used in aeronautics. 

Sec. 405. Hypersonic research. 

Sec. 406. Supersonic research. 

Sec. 407. Research on NextGen airspace management concepts and tools. 

Sec. 408. Rotorcraft research. 

Sec. 409. Transformative aeronautics research. 

Sec. 410. Study of United States leadership in aeronautics research. 

TITLE V—SPACE TECHNOLOGY 

Sec. 501. Sense of Congress. 

Sec. 502. Space Technology Program. 

Sec. 503. Utilization of the International Space Station for technology demonstrations. 

TITLE VI—EDUCATION 

Sec. 601. Education. 

Sec. 602. Independent review of the National Space Grant College and Fellowship Program. 

Sec. 603. Sense of Congress. 

TITLE VII—POLICY PROVISIONS 

Sec. 701. Asteroid Retrieval Mission. 

Sec. 702. Termination liability sense of Congress. 

Sec. 703. Baseline and cost controls. 

Sec. 704. Project and program reserves. 

Sec. 705. Independent reviews. 

Sec. 706. Commercial technology transfer program. 

Sec. 707. National Aeronautics and Space Administration Advisory Council. 

Sec. 708. Cost estimation. 

Sec. 709. Avoiding organizational conflicts of interest in major Administration 

acquisition programs. 

Sec. 710. Facilities and infrastructure. 

Sec. 711. Detection and avoidance of counterfeit electronic parts. 

Sec. 712. Space Act Agreements. 

Sec. 713. Human spaceflight accident investigations. 

Sec. 714. Fullest commercial use of space. 

Sec. 715. Orbital debris. 

Sec. 716. Review of orbital debris removal concepts. 


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Sec. 717. Use of operational commercial suborbital vehicles for research, development, and education. 

Sec. 718. Fundamental space life and physical sciences research. 

Sec. 719. Restoring commitment to engineering research. 

Sec. 720. Liquid rocket engine development program. 

Sec. 721. Remote satellite servicing demonstrations. 

Sec. 722. Information technology governance. 

Sec. 723. Strengthening Administration security. 

Sec. 724. Prohibition on use of funds for contractors that have committed 

fraud or other crimes. 

Sec. 725. Protection of Apollo landing sites. 

Sec. 726. Astronaut occupational healthcare. 

Sec. 727. Sense of Congress on access to observational data sets. 

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. 

9 (3) ORION CREW VEHICLE.—The term ‘‘Orion 

10 crew vehicle’’ means the multipurpose crew vehicle 

11 described in section 303 of the National Aeronautics 

12 and Space Administration Authorization Act of 2010 

13 (42 U.S.C. 18323). 

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

15 Act Agreement’’ means an agreement created under 

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

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

18 Code. 


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

2 Launch System’’ means the follow-on Government3 owned civil launch system developed, managed, and 

4 operated by the Administration to serve as a key 

5 component to expand human presence beyond low6 Earth orbit, as described in section 302 of the Na7 tional Aeronautics and Space Administration Au8 thorization Act of 2010 (42 U.S.C. 18322). 

9 TITLE I—AUTHORIZATION OF 

10 APPROPRIATIONS 

11 SEC. 101. FISCAL YEAR 2016. 

12 Except as provided in section 103, there are author13 ized to be appropriated to the Administration for fiscal 

14 year 2016 $18,529,100,000 as follows: 

15 (1) For Space Exploration, $4,953,100,000, of 

16 which— 

17 (A) $1,700,000,000 shall be for the Space 

18 Launch System; 

19 (B) $410,100,000 shall be for Exploration 

20 Ground Systems; 

21 (C) $1,200,000,000 shall be for the Orion 

22 crew vehicle; 

23 (D) $399,200,000 shall be for Exploration 

24 Research and Development; and 


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1 (E) $1,243,800,000 shall be for Commer2 cial Crew Development activities. 

3 (2) For Space Operations, $3,992,500,000. 

4 (3) For Science, $4,951,700,000, of which— 

5 (A) $1,450,000,000 shall be for Earth 

6 Science; 

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

8 Science, with up to $30,000,000 for the 

9 Astrobiology Institute; 

10 (C) $730,700,000 shall be for Astro11 physics; 

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

13 Webb Space Telescope; and 

14 (E) $651,000,000 shall be for 

15 Heliophysics. 

16 (4) For Aeronautics, $571,400,000. 

17 (5) For Space Technology, $596,000,000. 

18 (6) For Education, $119,000,000. 

19 (7) For Safety, Security, and Mission Services, 

20 $2,843,100,000. 

21 (8) For Construction and Environmental Com22 pliance and Restoration, $465,300,000. 

23 (9) For Inspector General, $37,000,000. 


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1 SEC. 102. FISCAL YEAR 2017. 

2 Except as provided in section 103, there are author3 ized to be appropriated to the Administration for fiscal 

4 year 2017 $18,807,000,000 as follows: 

5 (1) For Space Exploration, $5,268,000,000, of 

6 which— 

7 (A) $1,899,600,000 shall be for the Space 

8 Launch System; 

9 (B) $432,300,000 shall be for Exploration 

10 Ground Systems; 

11 (C) $1,349,600,000 shall be for the Orion 

12 crew vehicle; 

13 (D) $401,700,000 shall be for Exploration 

14 Research and Development; and 

15 (E) $1,184,800,000 shall be for Commer16 cial Crew Development activities. 

17 (2) For Space Operations, $3,992,500,000. 

18 (3) For Science, $4,935,300,000, of which— 

19 (A) $1,450,000,000 shall be for Earth 

20 Science; 

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

22 Science, with up to $30,000,000 for the 

23 Astrobiology Institute; 

24 (C) $730,700,000 shall be for Astro25 physics; 


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1 (D) $569,400,000 shall be for the James 

2 Webb Space Telescope; and 

3 (E) $685,200,000 shall be for 

4 Heliophysics. 

5 (4) For Aeronautics, $580,000,000. 

6 (5) For Space Technology, $596,000,000. 

7 (6) For Education, $119,000,000. 

8 (7) For Safety, Security, and Mission Services, 

9 $2,843,100,000. 

10 (8) For Construction and Environmental Com11 pliance and Restoration, $436,100,000. 

12 (9) For Inspector General, $37,000,000. 

13 SEC. 103. BUDGET CONTROL. 

14 (a) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided in subsection 

15 (b), if the applicable limits for discretionary, nonsecurity 

16 purposes contained in section 251(c) of the Balanced 

17 Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 are 

18 not repealed, replaced, or modified to account for in19 creased allocations, and if increased allocations do not oth20 erwise become available through corresponding offsets 

21 from within such limits, there are authorized to be appro22 priated to the Administration for each of fiscal years 2016 

23 and 2017 $18,010,200,000 as follows: 

24 (1) For Space Exploration, $4,845,400,000, of 

25 which— 


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1 (A) $1,700,000,000 shall be for the Space 

2 Launch System; 

3 (B) $410,100,000 shall be for Exploration 

4 Ground Systems; 

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

6 crew vehicle; 

7 (D) $399,200,000 shall be for Exploration 

8 Research and Development; and 

9 (E) $1,136,100,000 shall be for Commer10 cial Crew Development activities. 

11 (2) For Space Operations, $3,950,400,000. 

12 (3) For Science, $4,678,600,000, of which— 

13 (A) $1,198,500,000 shall be for Earth 

14 Science; 

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

16 Science, with up to $30,000,000 for the 

17 Astrobiology Institute; 

18 (C) $709,100,000 shall be for Astro19 physics; 

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

21 Webb Space Telescope; and 

22 (E) $651,000,000 shall be for 

23 Heliophysics. 

24 (4) For Aeronautics, $571,400,000. 

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


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1 (6) For Education, $119,000,000. 

2 (7) For Safety, Security, and Mission Services, 

3 $2,843,100,000. 

4 (8) For Construction and Environmental Com5 pliance and Restoration, $465,300,000. 

6 (9) For Inspector General, $37,000,000. 

7 (b) EXCEPTION.—If increased allocations described 

8 in subsection (a) become available in an amount that is 

9 not sufficient to accommodate the authorization levels 

10 specified in sections 101 and 102, there are authorized 

11 to be appropriated to the Administration for each of fiscal 

12 years 2016 and 2017 the amounts that such increased al13 locations do accommodate. Any increases in authorizations 

14 under this subsection above the amounts specified in sub15 section (a) shall be allocated proportionately among the 

16 accounts specified in this title, except that in no event 

17 shall an authorized amount exceed any amount specified 

18 in section 101 or 102. 

19 TITLE II—HUMAN SPACE FLIGHT 

20 Subtitle A—Exploration 

21 SEC. 201. SPACE EXPLORATION POLICY. 

22 (a) POLICY.—Human exploration deeper into the 

23 Solar System shall be a core mission of the Administra24 tion. It is the policy of the United States that the goal 

25 of the Administration’s exploration program shall be to 


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1 successfully conduct a crewed mission to the surface of 

2 Mars to begin human exploration of that planet. The use 

3 of the surface of the Moon, cis-lunar space, near-Earth 

4 asteroids, Lagrangian points, and Martian moons may be 

5 pursued provided they are properly incorporated into the 

6 Human Exploration Roadmap described in section 70504 

7 of title 51, United States Code. 

8 (b) VISION FOR SPACE EXPLORATION.—Section 

9 20302 of title 51, United States Code, is amended by add10 ing at the end the following: 

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

12 ‘‘(1) ORION CREW VEHICLE.—The term ‘Orion 

13 crew vehicle’ means the multipurpose crew vehicle 

14 described in section 303 of the National Aeronautics 

15 and Space Administration Authorization Act of 2010 

16 (42 U.S.C. 18323). 

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

18 ‘Space Launch System’ means the follow-on Govern19 ment-owned civil launch system developed, managed, 

20 and operated by the Administration to serve as a 

21 key component to expand human presence beyond 

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

23 National Aeronautics and Space Administration Au24 thorization Act of 2010 (42 U.S.C. 18322).’’. 


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1 (c) KEY OBJECTIVES.—Section 202(b) of the Na2 tional Aeronautics and Space Administration Authoriza3 tion Act of 2010 (42 U.S.C. 18312(b)) is amended— 

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

5 the semicolon; 

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

7 the end and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 

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

9 ‘‘(5) to accelerate the development of capabili10 ties to enable a human exploration mission to the 

11 surface of Mars and beyond through the 

12 prioritization of those technologies and capabilities 

13 best suited for such a mission in accordance with the 

14 Human Exploration Roadmap under section 70504 

15 of title 51, United States Code.’’. 

16 (d) USE OF NON-UNITED STATES HUMAN SPACE

17 FLIGHT TRANSPORTATION CAPABILITIES.—Section 

18 201(a) of the National Aeronautics and Space Administra19 tion Authorization Act of 2010 (42 U.S.C. 18311(a)) is 

20 amended to read as follows: 

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

22 FLIGHT TRANSPORTATION CAPABILITIES.— 

23 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—NASA may not obtain non24 United States human space flight capabilities unless 

25 no domestic commercial or public-private partnership 


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1 provider that the Administrator has determined to 

2 meet safety and affordability requirements estab3 lished by NASA for the transport of its astronauts 

4 is available to provide such capabilities. 

5 ‘‘(2) DEFINITION.—For purposes of this sub6 section, the term ‘domestic commercial provider’ 

7 means a person providing space transportation serv8 ices or other space-related activities, the majority 

9 control of which is held by persons other than a 

10 Federal, State, local, or foreign government, foreign 

11 company, or foreign national.’’. 

12 (e) REPEAL OF SPACE SHUTTLE CAPABILITY ASSUR13 ANCE.—Section 203 of the National Aeronautics and 

14 Space Administration Authorization Act of 2010 (42 

15 U.S.C. 18313) is amended— 

16 (1) by striking subsection (b); 

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

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

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

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

21 SEC. 202. STEPPING STONE APPROACH TO EXPLORATION. 

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

23 States Code, is amended to read as follows: 


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1 ‘‘§ 70504. Stepping stone approach to exploration 

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

3 effectiveness of the long-term space exploration and utili4 zation activities of the United States, the Administrator 

5 shall direct the Human Exploration and Operations Mis6 sion Directorate, or its successor division, to develop a 

7 Human Exploration Roadmap to define the specific capa8 bilities and technologies necessary to extend human pres9 ence to the surface of Mars and the sets and sequences 

10 of missions required to demonstrate such capabilities and 

11 technologies. 

12 ‘‘(b) INTERNATIONAL PARTICIPATION.—The Presi13 dent should invite the United States partners in the Inter14 national Space Station program and other nations, as ap15 propriate, to participate in an international initiative 

16 under the leadership of the United States to achieve the 

17 goal of successfully conducting a crewed mission to the 

18 surface of Mars. 

19 ‘‘(c) ROADMAP REQUIREMENTS.—In developing the 

20 Human Exploration Roadmap, the Administrator shall— 

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

22 technologies that contribute to extending human 

23 presence to the surface of Mars and the sets and se24 quences of missions necessary to demonstrate the 

25 proficiency of these capabilities and technologies 

26 with an emphasis on using or not using the InterVerDate Sep 11 2014 02:26 Apr 29, 2015 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00014 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H2039.IH H2039

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1 national Space Station, lunar landings, cis-lunar 

2 space, trans-lunar space, Lagrangian points, and the 

3 natural satellites of Mars, Phobos and Deimos, as 

4 testbeds, as necessary, and shall include the most 

5 appropriate process for developing such capabilities 

6 and technologies; 

7 ‘‘(2) include information on the phasing of 

8 planned intermediate destinations, Mars mission risk 

9 areas and potential risk mitigation approaches, tech10 nology requirements and phasing of required tech11 nology development activities, the management strat12 egy to be followed, related International Space Sta13 tion activities, and planned international collabo14 rative activities, potential commercial contributions, 

15 and other activities relevant to the achievement of 

16 the goal established in section 201(a) of the Na17 tional Aeronautics and Space Administration Au18 thorization Act for 2016 and 2017; 

19 ‘‘(3) describe those technologies already under 

20 development across the Federal Government or by 

21 nongovernment entities which meet or exceed the 

22 needs described in paragraph (1); 

23 ‘‘(4) provide a specific process for the evolution 

24 of the capabilities of the fully integrated Orion crew 

25 vehicle with the Space Launch System and how 


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1 these systems demonstrate the capabilities and tech2 nologies described in paragraph (1); 

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

4 and technologies that need to be demonstrated or re5 search data that could be gained through the utiliza6 tion of the International Space Station and the sta7 tus of the development of such capabilities and tech8 nologies; 

9 ‘‘(6) describe a framework for international co10 operation in the development of all technologies and 

11 capabilities required in this section, as well as an as12 sessment of the risks posed by relying on inter13 national partners for capabilities and technologies on 

14 the critical path of development; 

15 ‘‘(7) describe a process for utilizing nongovern16 mental entities for future human exploration beyond 

17 lunar landings and cis-lunar space and specify what, 

18 if any, synergy could be gained from— 

19 ‘‘(A) partnerships using Space Act Agree20 ments (as defined in section 2 of the National 

21 Aeronautics and Space Administration Author22 ization Act for 2016 and 2017); or 

23 ‘‘(B) other acquisition instruments; 

24 ‘‘(8) include in the Human Exploration Road25 map an addendum from the National Aeronautics 


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1 and Space Administration Advisory Council, and an 

2 addendum from the Aerospace Safety Advisory 

3 Panel, each with a statement of review of the 

4 Human Exploration Roadmap that shall include— 

5 ‘‘(A) subjects of agreement; 

6 ‘‘(B) areas of concern; and 

7 ‘‘(C) recommendations; and 

8 ‘‘(9) include in the Human Exploration Road9 map an examination of the benefits of utilizing cur10 rent Administration launch facilities for trans-lunar 

11 missions. 

12 ‘‘(d) UPDATES.—The Administrator shall update 

13 such Human Exploration Roadmap as needed but no less 

14 frequently than every 2 years and include it in the budget 

15 for that fiscal year transmitted to Congress under section 

16 1105(a) of title 31, and describe— 

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

18 process of developing such capabilities and tech19 nologies during the 2-year period prior to the sub20 mission of the update to Congress; and 

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

22 following 2-year period. 

23 ‘‘(e) DEFINITIONS.—In this section, the terms ‘Orion 

24 crew vehicle’ and ‘Space Launch System’ have the mean25 ings given such terms in section 20302.’’. 


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1 (b) REPORT.— 

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

3 after the date of enactment of this Act, the Adminis4 trator shall transmit a copy of the Human Explo5 ration Roadmap developed under section 70504 of 

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

7 Science, Space, and Technology of the House of 

8 Representatives and the Committee on Commerce, 

9 Science, and Transportation of the Senate. 

10 (2) UPDATES.—The Administrator shall trans11 mit a copy of each updated Human Exploration 

12 Roadmap to the Committee on Science, Space, and 

13 Technology of the House of Representatives and the 

14 Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transpor15 tation of the Senate not later than 7 days after such 

16 Human Exploration Roadmap is updated. 

17 SEC. 203. SPACE LAUNCH SYSTEM. 

18 (a) FINDINGS.—Congress finds that— 

19 (1) the Space Launch System is the most prac20 tical approach to reaching the Moon, Mars, and be21 yond, and Congress reaffirms the policy and min22 imum capability requirements for the Space Launch 

23 System contained in section 302 of the National 

24 Aeronautics and Space Administration Authorization 

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


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

2 integrated Space Launch System, including an 

3 upper stage needed to go beyond low-Earth orbit, is 

4 to safely carry a total payload to enable human 

5 space exploration of the Moon, Mars, and beyond 

6 over the course of the next century as required in 

7 section 302(c) of the National Aeronautics and 

8 Space Administration Authorization Act of 2010 (42 

9 U.S.C. 18322(c)); and 

10 (3) in order to promote safety and reduce pro11 grammatic risk, the Administrator shall budget for 

12 and undertake a robust ground test and uncrewed 

13 and crewed flight test and demonstration program 

14 for the Space Launch System and the Orion crew 

15 vehicle and shall budget for an operational flight 

16 rate sufficient to maintain safety and operational 

17 readiness. 

18 (b) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Con19 gress that the President’s annual budget requests for the 

20 Space Launch System and Orion crew vehicle develop21 ment, test, and operational phases should strive to accu22 rately reflect the resource requirements of each of those 

23 phases, consistent with the policy established in section 

24 201(a) of this Act. 


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1 (c) IN GENERAL.—Given the critical importance of 

2 a heavy-lift launch vehicle and crewed spacecraft to enable 

3 the achievement of the goal established in section 201(a) 

4 of this Act, as well as the accomplishment of intermediate 

5 exploration milestones and the provision of a backup capa6 bility to transfer crew and cargo to the International 

7 Space Station, the Administrator shall make the expedi8 tious development, test, and achievement of operational 

9 readiness of the Space Launch System and the Orion crew 

10 vehicle the highest priority of the exploration program. 

11 (d) GOVERNMENT ACCOUNTABILITY OFFICE RE12 VIEW.—Not later than 270 days after the date of enact13 ment of this Act, the Comptroller General shall transmit 

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

15 the House of Representatives and the Committee on Com16 merce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate a report 

17 on the Administration’s acquisition of ground systems in 

18 support of the Space Launch System. The report shall as19 sess the extent to which ground systems acquired in sup20 port of the Space Launch System are focused on the direct 

21 support of the Space Launch System and shall identify 

22 any ground support projects or activities that the Admin23 istration is undertaking that do not solely or primarily 

24 support the Space Launch System. 


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1 (e) UTILIZATION REPORT.—The Administrator, in 

2 consultation with the Secretary of Defense and the Direc3 tor of National Intelligence, shall prepare a report that 

4 addresses the effort and budget required to enable and 

5 utilize a cargo variant of the 130-ton Space Launch Sys6 tem configuration described in section 302(c) of the Na7 tional Aeronautics and Space Administration Authoriza8 tion Act of 2010 (42 U.S.C. 18322(c)). This report shall 

9 also include consideration of the technical requirements of 

10 the scientific and national security communities related to 

11 such Space Launch System and shall directly assess the 

12 utility and estimated cost savings obtained by using such 

13 Space Launch System for national security and space 

14 science missions. The Administrator shall transmit such 

15 report to the Committee on Science, Space, and Tech16 nology of the House of Representatives and the Committee 

17 on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate 

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

19 this Act. 

20 (f) NAMING COMPETITION.—Beginning not later 

21 than 180 days after the date of enactment of this Act and 

22 concluding not later than 1 year after such date of enact23 ment, the Administrator shall conduct a well-publicized 

24 competition among students in elementary and secondary 


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1 schools to name the elements of the Administration’s ex2 ploration program, including— 

3 (1) a name for the deep space human explo4 ration program as a whole, which includes the Space 

5 Launch System, the Orion crew vehicle, and future 

6 missions; and 

7 (2) a name for the Space Launch System. 

8 (g) ADVANCED BOOSTER COMPETITION.— 

9 (1) REPORT.—Not later than 90 days after the 

10 date of enactment of this Act, the Associate Admin11 istrator of the Administration shall transmit to the 

12 Committee on Science, Space, and Technology of the 

13 House of Representatives and the Committee on 

14 Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Sen15 ate a report that— 

16 (A) describes the estimated total develop17 ment cost of an advanced booster for the Space 

18 Launch System; 

19 (B) details any reductions or increases to 

20 the development cost of the Space Launch Sys21 tem which may result from conducting a com22 petition for an advanced booster; and 

23 (C) outlines any potential schedule delay to 

24 the Space Launch System 2018 Exploration 

25 Mission–1 launch as a result of increased costs 


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1 associated with conducting a competition for an 

2 advanced booster. 

3 (2) COMPETITION.—If the Associate Adminis4 trator reports reductions pursuant to paragraph 

5 (1)(B), and no adverse schedule impact pursuant to 

6 paragraph (1)(C), then the Administration shall con7 duct a full and open competition for an advanced 

8 booster for the Space Launch System to meet the 

9 requirements described in section 302(c) of the Na10 tional Aeronautics and Space Administration Au11 thorization Act of 2010 (42 U.S.C. 18322(c)), to 

12 begin as soon as practicable after the development of 

13 the upper stage has been initiated. 

14 SEC. 204. ORION CREW VEHICLE. 

15 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Orion crew vehicle shall meet 

16 the needs and the minimum capability requirements de17 scribed in section 303 of the National Aeronautics and 

18 Space Administration Authorization Act of 2010 (42 

19 U.S.C. 18323). 

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

21 of enactment of this Act, the Administrator shall transmit 

22 a report to the Committee on Science, Space, and Tech23 nology of the House of Representatives and the Committee 

24 on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Sen25 ate— 


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1 (1) detailing those components and systems of 

2 the Orion crew vehicle that ensure it is in compli3 ance with section 303(b) of such Act (42 U.S.C. 

4 18323(b)); 

5 (2) detailing the expected date that the Orion 

6 crew vehicle will be available to transport crew and 

7 cargo to the International Space Station; and 

8 (3) certifying that the requirements of section 

9 303(b)(3) of such Act (42 U.S.C. 18323(b)(3)) will 

10 be met by the Administration. 

11 SEC. 205. SPACE RADIATION. 

12 (a) STRATEGY AND PLAN.— 

13 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Administrator shall de14 velop a space radiation mitigation and management 

15 strategy and implementation plan to enable the 

16 achievement of the goal established in section 201 

17 that includes key research and monitoring require18 ments, milestones, a timetable, and an estimate of 

19 facility and budgetary requirements. 

20 (2) COORDINATION.—The strategy shall include 

21 a mechanism for coordinating Administration re22 search, technology, facilities, engineering, operations, 

23 and other functions required to support the strategy 

24 and plan. 


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1 (3) TRANSMITTAL.—Not later than 1 year after 

2 the date of enactment of this Act, the Administrator 

3 shall transmit the strategy and plan to the Com4 mittee on Science, Space, and Technology of the 

5 House of Representatives and the Committee on 

6 Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Sen7 ate. 

8 (b) SPACE RADIATION RESEARCH FACILITIES.—The 

9 Administrator, in consultation with the heads of other ap10 propriate Federal agencies, shall assess the national capa11 bilities for carrying out critical ground-based research on 

12 space radiation biology and shall identify any issues that 

13 could affect the ability to carry out that research. 

14 SEC. 206. PLANETARY PROTECTION FOR HUMAN EXPLO15 RATION MISSIONS. 

16 (a) STUDY.—The Administrator shall enter into an 

17 arrangement with the National Academies for a study to 

18 explore the planetary protection ramifications of potential 

19 future missions by astronauts such as to the lunar polar 

20 regions, near-Earth asteroids, the moons of Mars, and the 

21 surface of Mars. 

22 (b) SCOPE.—The study shall— 

23 (1) collate and summarize what has been done 

24 to date with respect to planetary protection meas25 ures to be applied to potential human missions such 


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1 as to the lunar polar regions, near-Earth asteroids, 

2 the moons of Mars, and the surface of Mars; 

3 (2) identify and document planetary protection 

4 concerns associated with potential human missions 

5 such as to the lunar polar regions, near-Earth aster6 oids, the moons of Mars, and the surface of Mars; 

7 (3) develop a methodology, if possible, for defin8 ing and classifying the degree of concern associated 

9 with each likely destination; 

10 (4) assess likely methodologies for addressing 

11 planetary protection concerns; and 

12 (5) identify areas for future research to reduce 

13 current uncertainties. 

14 (c) COMPLETION DATE.—Not later than 2 years 

15 after the date of enactment of this Act, the Administrator 

16 shall provide the results of the study to the Committee 

17 on Science, Space, and Technology of the House of Rep18 resentatives and the Committee on Commerce, Science, 

19 and Transportation of the Senate. 

20 Subtitle B—Space Operations 

21 SEC. 211. INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION. 

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

23 (1) The International Space Station is an ideal 

24 testbed for future exploration systems development, 

25 including long-duration space travel. 


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

2 cargo and crew transportation services is currently 

3 the most expeditious process to restore domestic ac4 cess to the International Space Station and low5 Earth orbit. 

6 (3) Government access to low-Earth orbit is 

7 paramount to the continued success of the Inter8 national Space Station and National Laboratory. 

9 (b) IN GENERAL.—The following is the policy of the 

10 United States: 

11 (1) The United States International Space Sta12 tion program shall have two primary objectives: sup13 porting achievement of the goal established in sec14 tion 201 of this Act and pursuing a research pro15 gram that advances knowledge and provides benefits 

16 to the Nation. It shall continue to be the policy of 

17 the United States to, in consultation with its inter18 national partners in the International Space Station 

19 program, support full and complete utilization of the 

20 International Space Station. 

21 (2) The International Space Station shall be 

22 utilized to the maximum extent practicable for the 

23 development of capabilities and technologies needed 

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1 ment of the Human Exploration Roadmap developed 

2 under section 70504 of title 51, United States Code. 

3 (3) The Administrator shall, in consultation 

4 with the International Space Station partners— 

5 (A) take all necessary measures to support 

6 the operation and full utilization of the Inter7 national Space Station; and 

8 (B) seek to minimize, to the extent prac9 ticable, the operating costs of the International 

10 Space Station. 

11 (4) Reliance on foreign carriers for crew trans12 fer is unacceptable, and the Nation’s human space 

13 flight program must acquire the capability to launch 

14 United States astronauts on United States rockets 

15 from United States soil as soon as is safe and prac16 tically possible, whether on Government-owned and 

17 operated space transportation systems or privately 

18 owned systems that have been certified for flight by 

19 the appropriate Federal agencies. 

20 (c) REAFFIRMATION OF POLICY.—Congress reaf21 firms— 

22 (1) its commitment to the development of a 

23 commercially developed launch and delivery system 

24 to the International Space Station for crew missions 

25 as expressed in the National Aeronautics and Space 


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1 Administration Authorization Act of 2005 (Public 

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

3 Administration Authorization Act of 2008 (Public 

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

5 Space Administration Authorization Act of 2010 

6 (Public Law 111–267); 

7 (2) that the Administration shall make use of 

8 United States commercially provided International 

9 Space Station crew transfer and crew rescue services 

10 to the maximum extent practicable; 

11 (3) that the Orion crew vehicle shall provide an 

12 alternative means of delivery of crew and cargo to 

13 the International Space Station, in the event other 

14 vehicles, whether commercial vehicles or partner-sup15 plied vehicles, are unable to perform that function; 

16 and 

17 (4) the policy stated in section 501(b) of the 

18 National Aeronautics and Space Administration Au19 thorization Act of 2010 (42 U.S.C. 18351(b)) that 

20 the Administration shall pursue international, com21 mercial, and intragovernmental means to maximize 

22 International Space Station logistics supply, mainte23 nance, and operational capabilities, reduce risks to 

24 International Space Station systems sustainability, 


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1 and offset and minimize United States operations 

2 costs relating to the International Space Station. 

3 (d) ASSURED ACCESS TO LOW-EARTH ORBIT.—Sec4 tion 70501(a) of title 51, United States Code, is amended 

5 to read as follows: 

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

7 United States to maintain an uninterrupted capability for 

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

9 beyond, as an essential instrument of national security 

10 and the capability to ensure continued United States par11 ticipation and leadership in the exploration and utilization 

12 of space.’’. 

13 (e) REPEALS.— 

14 (1) USE OF SPACE SHUTTLE OR ALTER15 NATIVES.—Chapter 701 of title 51, United States 

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

17 table of chapters for such title, are repealed. 

18 (2) SHUTTLE PRICING POLICY FOR COMMER19 CIAL AND FOREIGN USERS.—Chapter 703 of title 

20 51, United States Code, and the item relating to 

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

22 are repealed. 

23 (3) SHUTTLE PRIVATIZATION.—Section 50133 

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1 ing to such section in the table of sections for chap2 ter 501 of such title, are repealed. 

3 (f) EXTENSION CRITERIA REPORT.—Not later than 

4 1 year after the date of enactment of this Act, the Admin5 istrator shall submit to the Committee on Science, Space, 

6 and Technology of the House of Representatives and the 

7 Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of 

8 the Senate a report on the feasibility of extending the op9 eration of the International Space Station that includes— 

10 (1) criteria for defining the International Space 

11 Station as a research success; 

12 (2) any necessary contributions to enabling exe13 cution of the Human Exploration Roadmap devel14 oped under section 70504 of title 51, United States 

15 Code; 

16 (3) cost estimates for operating the Inter17 national Space Station to achieve the criteria re18 quired under paragraph (1); 

19 (4) cost estimates for extending operations to 

20 2024 and 2030; 

21 (5) an assessment of how the defined criteria 

22 under paragraph (1) respond to the National Acad23 emies Decadal Survey on Biological and Physical 

24 Sciences in Space; and 


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1 (6) an identification of the actions and cost es2 timate needed to deorbit the International Space 

3 Station once a decision is made to deorbit the lab4 oratory. 

5 (g) STRATEGIC PLAN FOR INTERNATIONAL SPACE

6 STATION RESEARCH.— 

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

8 Science and Technology Policy, in consultation with 

9 the Administrator, academia, other Federal agencies, 

10 the International Space Station National Laboratory 

11 Advisory Committee, and other potential stake12 holders, shall develop and transmit to the Committee 

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

14 Representatives and the Committee on Commerce, 

15 Science, and Transportation of the Senate a stra16 tegic plan for conducting competitive, peer-reviewed 

17 research in physical and life sciences and related 

18 technologies on the International Space Station 

19 through at least 2020. 

20 (2) PLAN REQUIREMENTS.—The strategic plan 

21 shall— 

22 (A) be consistent with the priorities and 

23 recommendations established by the National 

24 Academies in its Decadal Survey on Biological 

25 and Physical Sciences in Space; 


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1 (B) provide a research timeline and iden2 tify resource requirements for its implementa3 tion, including the facilities and instrumenta4 tion necessary for the conduct of such research; 

5 and 

6 (C) identify— 

7 (i) criteria for the proposed research, 

8 including— 

9 (I) a justification for the research 

10 to be carried out in the space micro11 gravity environment; 

12 (II) the use of model systems; 

13 (III) the testing of flight hard14 ware to understand and ensure its 

15 functioning in the microgravity envi16 ronment; 

17 (IV) the use of controls to help 

18 distinguish among the direct and indi19 rect effects of microgravity, among 

20 other effects of the flight or space en21 vironment; 

22 (V) approaches for facilitating 

23 data collection, analysis, and interpre24 tation; 


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1 (VI) procedures to ensure repeti2 tion of experiments, as needed; 

3 (VII) support for timely presen4 tation of the peer-reviewed results of 

5 the research; 

6 (VIII) defined metrics for the 

7 success of each study; and 

8 (IX) how these activities enable 

9 the Human Exploration Roadmap de10 scribed in section 70504 of title 51, 

11 United States Code; 

12 (ii) instrumentation required to sup13 port the measurements and analysis of the 

14 research to be carried out under the stra15 tegic plan; 

16 (iii) the capabilities needed to support 

17 direct, real-time communications between 

18 astronauts working on research experi19 ments onboard the International Space 

20 Station and the principal investigator on 

21 the ground; 

22 (iv) a process for involving the exter23 nal user community in research planning, 

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1 tion of the International Space Station, 

2 free flyers, or other research platforms; 

3 (v) the acquisition strategy the Ad4 ministration plans to use to acquire any 

5 new support capabilities which are not 

6 operational on the International Space Sta7 tion as of the date of enactment of this 

8 Act, and the criteria the Administration 

9 will apply if less than full and open com10 petition is selected; and 

11 (vi) defined metrics for success of the 

12 research plan. 

13 SEC. 212. BARRIERS IMPEDING ENHANCED UTILIZATION OF 

14 THE ISS’S NATIONAL LABORATORY BY COM15 MERCIAL COMPANIES. 

16 (a) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Con17 gress that— 

18 (1) enhanced utilization of the International 

19 Space Station’s National Laboratory requires a full 

20 understanding of the barriers impeding such utiliza21 tion and actions needed to be taken to remove or 

22 mitigate them to the maximum extent practicable; 

23 and 

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1 gravity research using National Laboratory research 

2 facilities. 

3 (b) ASSESSMENT.—The Administrator shall enter 

4 into an arrangement with the National Academies for an 

5 assessment to— 

6 (1) identify barriers impeding enhanced utiliza7 tion of the International Space Station’s National 

8 Laboratory; 

9 (2) recommend ways to encourage commercial 

10 companies to make greater use of the International 

11 Space Station’s National Laboratory, including cor12 porate investment in microgravity research; and 

13 (3) identify any legislative changes that may be 

14 required. 

15 (c) TRANSMITTAL.—Not later than 1 year after the 

16 date of enactment of this Act, the Administrator shall 

17 transmit to the Committee on Science, Space, and Tech18 nology of the House of Representatives and the Committee 

19 on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate 

20 the results of the assessment described in subsection (b). 

21 SEC. 213. UTILIZATION OF INTERNATIONAL SPACE STA22 TION FOR SCIENCE MISSIONS. 

23 The Administrator shall utilize the International 

24 Space Station for Science Mission Directorate missions in 


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1 low-Earth orbit wherever it is practical and cost effective 

2 to do so. 

3 SEC. 214. INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION CARGO RESUP4 PLY SERVICES LESSONS LEARNED. 

5 Not later than 120 days after the date of enactment 

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

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

8 House of Representatives and the Committee on Com9 merce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate that— 

10 (1) identifies the lessons learned to date from 

11 the Commercial Resupply Services contract; 

12 (2) indicates whether changes are needed to the 

13 manner in which the Administration procures and 

14 manages similar services upon the expiration of the 

15 existing Commercial Resupply Services contract; and 

16 (3) identifies any lessons learned from the Com17 mercial Resupply Services contract that should be 

18 applied to the procurement and management of com19 mercially provided crew transfer services to and 

20 from the International Space Station. 

21 SEC. 215. COMMERCIAL CREW PROGRAM. 

22 (a) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Con23 gress that once developed and certified to meet the Admin24 istration’s safety and reliability requirements, United 

25 States commercially provided crew transportation systems 


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1 offer the potential of serving as the primary means of 

2 transporting American astronauts and international part3 ner astronauts to and from the International Space Sta4 tion and serving as International Space Station emergency 

5 crew rescue vehicles. At the same time, the budgetary as6 sumptions used by the Administration in its planning for 

7 the Commercial Crew Program have consistently assumed 

8 significantly higher funding levels than have been author9 ized and appropriated by Congress. It is the sense of Con10 gress that credibility in the Administration’s budgetary es11 timates for the Commercial Crew Program can be en12 hanced by an independently developed cost estimate. Such 

13 credibility in budgetary estimates is an important factor 

14 in understanding program risk. 

15 (b) OBJECTIVE.—The objective of the Administra16 tion’s Commercial Crew Program shall be to assist the de17 velopment of at least one crew transportation system to 

18 carry Administration astronauts safely, reliably, and 

19 affordably to and from the International Space Station 

20 and to serve as an emergency crew rescue vehicle as soon 

21 as practicable within the funding levels authorized. The 

22 Administration shall not use any considerations beyond 

23 this objective in the overall acquisition strategy. 

24 (c) SAFETY.—Consistent with the findings and rec25 ommendations of the Columbia Accident Investigation 


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1 Board, the Administration shall ensure that safety and the 

2 minimization of the probability of loss of crew are the 

3 highest priorities of the commercial crew transportation 

4 program. 

5 (d) COST MINIMIZATION.—The Administrator shall 

6 strive through the competitive selection process to mini7 mize the life cycle cost to the Administration through the 

8 planned period of commercially provided crew transpor9 tation services. 

10 (e) TRANSPARENCY.—Transparency is the corner11 stone of ensuring a safe and reliable commercial crew 

12 transportation service to the International Space Station. 

13 The Administrator shall, to the greatest extent prac14 ticable, ensure that every commercial crew transportation 

15 services provider has provided evidence-based support for 

16 their costs and schedule. 

17 (f) INDEPENDENT COST AND SCHEDULE ESTI18 MATE.— 

19 (1) REQUIREMENT.—Not later than 60 days 

20 after the date of enactment of this Act, the Adminis21 trator shall arrange for the initiation of an Inde22 pendent Cost and Schedule Estimate for— 

23 (A) all activities associated with the devel24 opment, test, demonstration, and certification 

25 of commercial crew transportation systems; 


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1 (B) transportation and rescue services re2 quired by the Administration for International 

3 Space Station operations through calendar year 

4 2020 or later if Administration requirements so 

5 dictate; and 

6 (C) the estimated date of operational read7 iness for the program. 

8 (2) TRANSMITTAL.—Not later than 180 days 

9 after initiation of the Independent Cost and Sched10 ule Estimate under paragraph (1), the Adminis11 trator shall transmit the results of the Independent 

12 Cost and Schedule Estimate to the Committee on 

13 Science, Space, and Technology of the House of 

14 Representatives and the Committee on Commerce, 

15 Science, and Transportation of the Senate. 

16 SEC. 216. SPACE COMMUNICATIONS. 

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

18 in consultation with relevant Federal agencies, for updat19 ing the Administration’s space communications and navi20 gation architecture for low-Earth orbital and deep space 

21 operations so that it is capable of meeting the Administra22 tion’s communications needs over the next 20 years. The 

23 plan shall include lifecycle cost estimates, milestones, esti24 mated performance capabilities, and 5-year funding pro25 files. The plan shall also include an estimate of the 


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1 amounts of any reimbursements the Administration is 

2 likely to receive from other Federal agencies during the 

3 expected life of the upgrades described in the plan. At a 

4 minimum, the plan shall include a description of the fol5 lowing: 

6 (1) Steps to sustain the existing space commu7 nications and navigation network and infrastructure 

8 and priorities for how resources will be applied and 

9 cost estimates for the maintenance of existing space 

10 communications network capabilities. 

11 (2) Upgrades needed to support space commu12 nications and navigation network and infrastructure 

13 requirements, including cost estimates and schedules 

14 and an assessment of the impact on missions if re15 sources are not secured at the level needed. 

16 (3) Projected space communications and navi17 gation network requirements for the next 20 years, 

18 including those in support of human space explo19 ration missions. 

20 (4) Projected Tracking and Data Relay Sat21 ellite System requirements for the next 20 years, in22 cluding those in support of other relevant Federal 

23 agencies, and cost and schedule estimates to main24 tain and upgrade the Tracking and Data Relay Sat25 ellite System to meet projected requirements. 


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1 (5) Steps the Administration is taking to meet 

2 future space communications requirements after all 

3 Tracking and Data Relay Satellite System third-gen4 eration communications satellites are operational. 

5 (6) Steps the Administration is taking to miti6 gate threats to electromagnetic spectrum use. 

7 (b) SCHEDULE.—The Administrator shall transmit 

8 the plan developed under this section to the Committee 

9 on Science, Space, and Technology of the House of Rep10 resentatives and the Committee on Commerce, Science, 

11 and Transportation of the Senate not later than 1 year 

12 after the date of enactment of this Act. 

13 TITLE III—SCIENCE 

14 Subtitle A—General 

15 SEC. 301. SCIENCE PORTFOLIO. 

16 (a) BALANCED AND ADEQUATELY FUNDED ACTIVI17 TIES.—Section 803 of the National Aeronautics and Space 

18 Administration Authorization Act of 2010 (124 Stat. 

19 2832) is amended to read as follows: 

20 ‘‘SEC. 803. OVERALL SCIENCE PORTFOLIO—SENSE OF THE 

21 CONGRESS. 

22 ‘‘Congress reaffirms its sense, expressed in the Na23 tional Aeronautics and Space Administration Authoriza24 tion Act of 2010, that a balanced and adequately funded 

25 set of activities, consisting of research and analysis grants 


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1 programs, technology development, small, medium, and 

2 large space missions, and suborbital research activities, 

3 contributes to a robust and productive science program 

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

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

6 of programs and activities for the Administration for each 

7 fiscal year, the Administrator shall, to the greatest extent 

8 practicable, follow guidance provided in the current 

9 decadal surveys from the National Academies’ Space 

10 Studies Board. 

11 SEC. 302. RADIOISOTOPE POWER SYSTEMS. 

12 (a) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Con13 gress that conducting deep space exploration requires ra14 dioisotope power systems, and establishing continuity in 

15 the production of the material needed to power these sys16 tems is paramount to the success of these future deep 

17 space missions. It is further the sense of Congress that 

18 Federal agencies supporting the Administration through 

19 the production of such material should do so in a cost ef20 fective manner so as not to impose excessive reimburse21 ment requirements on the Administration. 

22 (b) ANALYSIS OF REQUIREMENTS AND RISKS.—The 

23 Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy 

24 and the Administrator, in consultation with other Federal 

25 agencies, shall conduct an analysis of— 


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1 (1) the requirements of the Administration for 

2 radioisotope power system material that is needed to 

3 carry out planned, high priority robotic missions in 

4 the solar system and other surface exploration activi5 ties beyond low-Earth orbit; and 

6 (2) the risks to missions of the Administration 

7 in meeting those requirements, or any additional re8 quirements, due to a lack of adequate radioisotope 

9 power system material. 

10 (c) CONTENTS OF ANALYSIS.—The analysis con11 ducted under subsection (b) shall— 

12 (1) detail the Administration’s current pro13 jected mission requirements and associated time14 frames for radioisotope power system material; 

15 (2) explain the assumptions used to determine 

16 the Administration’s requirements for the material, 

17 including— 

18 (A) the planned use of advanced thermal 

19 conversion technology such as advanced 

20 thermocouples and Stirling generators and con21 verters; and 

22 (B) the risks and implications of, and con23 tingencies for, any delays or unanticipated tech24 nical challenges affecting or related to the AdVerDate Sep 11 2014 02:26 Apr 29, 2015 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00044 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H2039.IH H2039

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1 ministration’s mission plans for the anticipated 

2 use of advanced thermal conversion technology; 

3 (3) assess the risk to the Administration’s pro4 grams of any potential delays in achieving the sched5 ule and milestones for planned domestic production 

6 of radioisotope power system material; 

7 (4) outline a process for meeting any additional 

8 Administration requirements for the material; 

9 (5) estimate the incremental costs required to 

10 increase the amount of material produced each year, 

11 if such an increase is needed to support additional 

12 Administration requirements for the material; 

13 (6) detail how the Administration and other 

14 Federal agencies will manage, operate, and fund 

15 production facilities and the design and development 

16 of all radioisotope power systems used by the Ad17 ministration and other Federal agencies as nec18 essary; 

19 (7) specify the steps the Administration will 

20 take, in consultation with the Department of En21 ergy, to preserve the infrastructure and workforce 

22 necessary for production of radioisotope power sys23 tems and ensure that its reimbursements to the De24 partment of Energy associated with such preserva25 tion are equitable and justified; and 


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1 (8) detail how the Administration has imple2 mented or rejected the recommendations from the 

3 National Research Council’s 2009 report titled ‘‘Ra4 dioisotope Power Systems: An Imperative for Main5 taining U.S. Leadership in Space Exploration’’. 

6 (d) TRANSMITTAL.—Not later than 180 days after 

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

8 transmit the results of the analysis to the Committee on 

9 Science, Space, and Technology of the House of Rep10 resentatives and the Committee on Commerce, Science, 

11 and Transportation of the Senate. 

12 SEC. 303. CONGRESSIONAL DECLARATION OF POLICY AND 

13 PURPOSE. 

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

15 amended by adding at the end the following new para16 graph: 

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

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

19 evolution, distribution, and future in the Universe. 

20 In carrying out this objective, the Administration 

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

22 space-based technical means and spectra of electro23 magnetic radiation.’’. 


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1 SEC. 304. UNIVERSITY CLASS SCIENCE MISSIONS. 

2 (a) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Con3 gress that principal investigator-led small orbital science 

4 missions, including CubeSat class, University Explorer 

5 (UNEX) class, Small Explorer (SMEX) class, and Ven6 ture class, offer valuable opportunities to advance science 

7 at low cost, train the next generation of scientists and en8 gineers, and enable participants in the program to acquire 

9 skills in systems engineering and systems integration that 

10 are critical to maintaining the Nation’s leadership in space 

11 and to enhancing the United States innovation and com12 petitiveness abroad. 

13 (b) REVIEW OF PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR-LED

14 SMALL ORBITAL SCIENCE MISSIONS.—The Administrator 

15 shall conduct a review of the science missions described 

16 in subsection (a). The review shall include— 

17 (1) the status, capability, and availability of ex18 isting small orbital science mission programs and 

19 the extent to which each program enables the par20 ticipation of university scientists and students; 

21 (2) the opportunities such mission programs 

22 provide for scientific research; 

23 (3) the opportunities such mission programs 

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1 cluding for the Administration’s scientific and engi2 neering workforce; and 

3 (4) the extent to which commercial applications 

4 such as hosted payloads, free flyers, and data buys 

5 could provide measurable benefits for such mission 

6 programs, while preserving the principle of inde7 pendent peer review as the basis for mission selec8 tion. 

9 (c) REPORT.—Not later than 270 days after the date 

10 of enactment of this Act, the Administrator shall transmit 

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

12 the House of Representatives and the Committee on Com13 merce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate a report 

14 on the review required under subsection (b) and on rec15 ommendations to enhance principal investigator-led small 

16 orbital science missions conducted by the Administration 

17 in accordance with the results of the review required by 

18 subsection (b). 

19 SEC. 305. ASSESSMENT OF SCIENCE MISSION EXTENSIONS. 

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

21 amended to read as follows: 

22 ‘‘§ 30504. Assessment of science mission extensions 

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

24 out biennial reviews within each of the Science divisions 

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


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1 the termination of data collection for those missions that 

2 exceed their planned missions’ lifetime. The assessment 

3 shall take into consideration how extending missions im4 pacts the start of future missions. 

5 ‘‘(b) CONSULTATION AND CONSIDERATION OF PO6 TENTIAL BENEFITS OF INSTRUMENTS ON MISSIONS.— 

7 When deciding whether to extend a mission that has an 

8 operational component, the Administrator shall consult 

9 with any affected Federal agency and shall take into ac10 count the potential benefits of instruments on missions 

11 that are beyond their planned mission lifetime. 

12 ‘‘(c) REPORT.—The Administrator shall transmit to 

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

14 House of Representatives and the Committee on Com15 merce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate, at the 

16 same time as the submission to Congress of the Adminis17 tration’s annual budget request for each fiscal year, a re18 port detailing any assessment required by subsection (a) 

19 that was carried out during the previous year.’’. 

20 Subtitle B—Astrophysics 

21 SEC. 311. DECADAL CADENCE. 

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

23 shall seek to ensure to the extent practicable a steady ca24 dence of large, medium, and small astrophysics missions. 


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1 SEC. 312. EXTRASOLAR PLANET EXPLORATION STRATEGY. 

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

3 an arrangement with the National Academies to develop 

4 a science strategy for the study and exploration of 

5 extrasolar planets, including the use of the Transiting 

6 Exoplanet Survey Satellite, the James Webb Space Tele7 scope, a potential Wide-Field Infrared Survey Telescope 

8 mission, or any other telescope, spacecraft, or instrument 

9 as appropriate. Such strategy shall— 

10 (1) outline key scientific questions; 

11 (2) identify the most promising research in the 

12 field; 

13 (3) indicate the extent to which the mission pri14 orities in existing decadal surveys address the key 

15 extrasolar planet research goals; 

16 (4) identify opportunities for coordination with 

17 international partners, commercial partners, and 

18 other not-for-profit partners; and 

19 (5) make recommendations on the above as ap20 propriate. 

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

22 the strategy to— 

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

24 activities of the Administration as they relate to 

25 extrasolar planet research and exploration; and 


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1 (2) provide a foundation for future activities 

2 and initiatives. 

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

4 months after the date of enactment of this Act, the Na5 tional Academies shall transmit a report to the Adminis6 trator, and to the Committee on Science, Space, and Tech7 nology of the House of Representatives and the Committee 

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

9 containing the strategy developed under subsection (a). 

10 SEC. 313. JAMES WEBB SPACE TELESCOPE. 

11 It is the sense of Congress that— 

12 (1) the James Webb Space Telescope will revo13 lutionize our understanding of star and planet for14 mation and how galaxies evolved, and advance the 

15 search for the origins of the universe; 

16 (2) the James Webb Space Telescope will en17 able American scientists to maintain their leadership 

18 in astrophysics and other disciplines; 

19 (3) the James Webb Space Telescope program 

20 is making steady progress towards a launch in 2018; 

21 (4) the on-time and on-budget delivery of the 

22 James Webb Space Telescope is a high congressional 

23 priority; and 

24 (5) maintaining this progress will require the 

25 Administrator to ensure that integrated testing is 


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1 appropriately timed and sufficiently comprehensive 

2 to enable potential issues to be identified and ad3 dressed early enough to be handled within the James 

4 Webb Space Telescope’s development schedule prior 

5 to launch. 

6 SEC. 314. NATIONAL RECONNAISSANCE OFFICE TELESCOPE 

7 DONATION. 

8 Not later than 90 days after the date of enactment 

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

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

11 House of Representatives and the Committee on Com12 merce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate out13 lining the cost of the Administration’s potential plan for 

14 developing the Wide-Field Infrared Survey Telescope as 

15 described in the 2010 National Academies’ astronomy and 

16 astrophysics decadal survey, including an alternative plan 

17 for the Wide-Field Infrared Survey Telescope 2.4, which 

18 includes the donated 2.4-meter aperture National Recon19 naissance Office telescope. Due to the budget constraints 

20 on the Administration’s science programs, this report shall 

21 include— 

22 (1) an assessment of cost efficient approaches 

23 to 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 SEC. 315. WIDE-FIELD INFRARED SURVEY TELESCOPE. 

11 (a) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Con12 gress that the Administrator, to the extent practicable, 

13 should make progress on the technologies and capabilities 

14 needed to position the Administration to meet the objec15 tives of the Wide-Field Infrared Survey Telescope mission, 

16 as outlined in the 2010 National Academies’ astronomy 

17 and astrophysics decadal survey, in a way that maximizes 

18 the scientific productivity of meeting those objectives for 

19 the resources invested. It is further the sense of Congress 

20 that the Wide-Field Infrared Survey Telescope mission 

21 has the potential to enable scientific discoveries that will 

22 transform our understanding of the universe. 

23 (b) CONTINUITY OF DEVELOPMENT.—The Adminis24 trator shall ensure that the concept definition and pre25 formulation activities of a Wide-Field Infrared Survey TelVerDate Sep 11 2014 02:26 Apr 29, 2015 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00053 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H2039.IH H2039

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1 escope mission continue while the James Webb Space Tel2 escope is being completed. 

3 SEC. 316. STRATOSPHERIC OBSERVATORY FOR INFRARED 

4 ASTRONOMY. 

5 The Administrator shall not use any funding appro6 priated to the Administration for fiscal year 2016 for the 

7 shutdown of the Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared 

8 Astronomy or for the preparation therefor. 

9 Subtitle C—Planetary Science 

10 SEC. 321. DECADAL CADENCE. 

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

12 shall seek to ensure, to the greatest extent practicable, 

13 that the Administration carries out a balanced set of plan14 etary science programs in accordance with the priorities 

15 established in the most recent decadal survey for planetary 

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

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

18 24 months; 

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

20 every 60 months; and 

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

22 decadal survey period, including a Europa mission 

23 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, approximately 65 

9 million 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 undertaken by the Administra20 tion for detecting and characterizing the hazards of 

21 near-Earth objects should continue to seek to fully 

22 determine the threat posed by such objects to cause 

23 widespread 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 detect, track, catalogue, and char5 acterize the physical characteristics of near-Earth objects 

6 equal to or greater than 140 meters in diameter in order 

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

8 Earth, pursuant to the George E. Brown, Jr. Near-Earth 

9 Object Survey Act (42 U.S.C. 16691). It shall be the goal 

10 of the Survey program to achieve 90 percent completion 

11 of its near-Earth object catalogue (based on statistically 

12 predicted populations of near-Earth objects) by 2020. 

13 (d) WARNING AND MITIGATION OF POTENTIAL HAZ14 ARDS OF NEAR-EARTH OBJECTS.—Congress reaffirms 

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

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

17 and characterizing asteroids and comets). 

18 (e) PROGRAM REPORT.—The Director of the Office 

19 of Science and Technology Policy and the Administrator 

20 shall transmit to the Committee on Science, Space, and 

21 Technology of the House of Representatives and the Com22 mittee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the 

23 Senate, not later than 1 year after the date of enactment 

24 of this 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.—Subsequent to the initial re13 port the Administrator shall annually transmit to the 

14 Committee on Science, Space, and Technology of the 

15 House of Representatives and the Committee on Com16 merce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate a report 

17 that provides— 

18 (1) a summary of all activities carried out pur19 suant to subsection (c) since the date of enactment 

20 of this Act, including the progress toward achieving 

21 90 percent completion of the survey described in 

22 subsection (c); and 

23 (2) a summary of expenditures for all activities 

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

25 of enactment of this Act. 


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1 (g) STUDY.—The Administrator, in collaboration 

2 with other relevant Federal agencies, shall carry out a 

3 technical and scientific assessment of the capabilities and 

4 resources to— 

5 (1) accelerate the survey described in subsection 

6 (c); and 

7 (2) expand the Administration’s Near-Earth 

8 Object Program to include the detection, tracking, 

9 cataloguing, and characterization of potentially haz10 ardous near-Earth objects less than 140 meters in 

11 diameter. 

12 (h) TRANSMITTAL.—Not later than 270 days after 

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

14 transmit the results of the assessment carried out under 

15 subsection (g) to the Committee on Science, Space, and 

16 Technology of the House of Representatives and the Com17 mittee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the 

18 Senate. 

19 SEC. 323. NEAR-EARTH OBJECTS PUBLIC-PRIVATE PART20 NERSHIPS. 

21 (a) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Con22 gress that the Administration should seek to leverage the 

23 capabilities of the private sector and philanthropic organi24 zations to the maximum extent practicable in carrying out 


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1 the Near-Earth Object Survey program in order to meet 

2 the goal of the Survey program. 

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

4 of enactment of this Act, the Administrator shall transmit 

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

6 the House of Representatives and the Committee on Com7 merce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate a report 

8 describing how the Administration can expand collabo9 rative partnerships to detect, track, catalogue, and cat10 egorize near-Earth objects. 

11 SEC. 324. RESEARCH ON NEAR-EARTH OBJECT TSUNAMI 

12 EFFECTS. 

13 (a) REPORT ON POTENTIAL TSUNAMI EFFECTS

14 FROM NEAR-EARTH OBJECT IMPACT.—The Adminis15 trator, in collaboration with the Administrator of the Na16 tional Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and other 

17 relevant agencies, shall prepare a report identifying and 

18 describing existing research activities and further research 

19 objectives that would increase our understanding of the 

20 nature of the effects of potential tsunamis that could occur 

21 if a near-Earth object were to impact an ocean of Earth. 

22 (b) TRANSMITTAL.—Not later than 180 days after 

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

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1 nology of the House of Representatives and the Committee 

2 on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate. 

3 SEC. 325. ASTROBIOLOGY STRATEGY. 

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

5 an arrangement with the National Academies to develop 

6 a science strategy for astrobiology that would outline key 

7 scientific questions, identify the most promising research 

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

9 priorities in existing decadal surveys address the search 

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

11 Universe. The strategy shall include recommendations for 

12 coordination with international partners. 

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

14 the strategy developed under subsection (a) in planning 

15 and funding research and other activities and initiatives 

16 in the field of astrobiology. 

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

18 months after the date of enactment of this Act, the Na19 tional Academies shall transmit a report to the Adminis20 trator, and 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 containing the strategy developed under subsection (a). 


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1 SEC. 326. ASTROBIOLOGY PUBLIC-PRIVATE PARTNERSHIPS. 

2 Not later than 180 days after the date of enactment 

3 of this Act, the Administrator shall transmit to the Com4 mittee on Science, Space, and Technology of the House 

5 of Representatives and the Committee on Commerce, 

6 Science, and Transportation of the Senate a report de7 scribing how the Administration can expand collaborative 

8 partnerships to study life’s origin, evolution, distribution, 

9 and future in the Universe. 

10 SEC. 327. ASSESSMENT OF MARS ARCHITECTURE. 

11 (a) ASSESSMENT.—The Administrator shall enter 

12 into an arrangement with the National Academies to as13 sess— 

14 (1) the Administration’s revised post-2016 

15 Mars exploration architecture and its responsiveness 

16 to the strategies, priorities, and guidelines put for17 ward by the National Academies’ planetary science 

18 decadal surveys and other relevant National Acad19 emies Mars-related reports; 

20 (2) the long-term goals of the Administration’s 

21 Mars Exploration Program and such program’s abil22 ity to optimize the science return, given the current 

23 fiscal posture of the program; 

24 (3) the Mars architecture’s relationship to 

25 Mars-related activities to be undertaken by agencies 

26 and organizations outside of the United States; and 


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1 (4) the extent to which the Mars architecture 

2 represents a reasonably balanced mission portfolio. 

3 (b) TRANSMITTAL.—Not later than 18 months after 

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

5 transmit the results of the assessment to the Committee 

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

8 and Transportation of the Senate. 

9 Subtitle D—Heliophysics 

10 SEC. 331. DECADAL CADENCE. 

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

12 shall seek to ensure to the extent practicable a steady ca13 dence of large, medium, and small heliophysics missions. 

14 SEC. 332. REVIEW OF SPACE WEATHER. 

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

16 and Technology Policy, in consultation with the Adminis17 trator, the Administrator of the National Oceanic and At18 mospheric Administration, the Director of the National 

19 Science Foundation, and heads of other relevant Federal 

20 agencies, shall enter into an arrangement with the Na21 tional Academies to provide a comprehensive study that 

22 reviews current and planned ground-based and space23 based space weather monitoring requirements and capa24 bilities, identifies gaps, and identifies options for a robust 

25 and resilient capability. The study shall inform the process 


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1 of identifying national needs for future space weather 

2 monitoring, forecasts, and mitigation. The National Acad3 emies shall give consideration to international and private 

4 sector efforts and collaboration that could potentially con5 tribute to national space weather needs. The study shall 

6 also review the current state of research capabilities in ob7 serving, modeling, and prediction and provide rec8 ommendations to ensure future advancement of predictive 

9 capability. 

10 (b) REPORT TO CONGRESS.—Not later than 14 

11 months after the date of enactment of this Act, the Na12 tional Academies shall transmit a report containing the 

13 results of the study provided under subsection (a) to the 

14 Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy, 

15 and to the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology 

16 of the House of Representatives and the Committee on 

17 Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate. 

18 Subtitle E—Earth Science 

19 SEC. 341. GOAL. 

20 (a) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Con21 gress that the Administration is being asked to undertake 

22 important Earth science activities in an environment of 

23 increasingly constrained fiscal resources, and that any 

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1 urements that are currently part of the portfolio of the 

2 National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, should 

3 be accompanied by the provision of additional resources 

4 to allow the Administration to carry out the increased re5 sponsibilities without adversely impacting its implementa6 tion of its existing Earth science programs and priorities. 

7 (b) GENERAL.—The Administrator shall continue to 

8 carry out a balanced Earth science program that includes 

9 Earth science research, Earth systematic missions, com10 petitive Venture class missions, other missions and data 

11 analysis, mission operations, technology development, and 

12 applied sciences, consistent with the recommendations and 

13 priorities established in the National Academies’ Earth 

14 Science Decadal Survey. 

15 (c) COLLABORATION.—The Administrator shall col16 laborate with other Federal agencies, including the Na17 tional Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, non-gov18 ernment entities, and international partners, as appro19 priate, in carrying out the Administration’s Earth science 

20 program. The Administration shall continue to develop 

21 first-of-a-kind instruments that, once proved, can be 

22 transitioned to other agencies for operations. 

23 (d) REIMBURSEMENT.—Whenever responsibilities for 

24 the development of sensors or for measurements are trans25 ferred to the Administration from another agency, the AdVerDate Sep 11 2014 02:26 Apr 29, 2015 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00064 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H2039.IH H2039

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1 ministration shall seek, to the extent possible, to be reim2 bursed for the assumption of such responsibilities. 

3 SEC. 342. DECADAL CADENCE. 

4 In carrying out section 341(b), the Administrator 

5 shall seek to ensure to the extent practicable a steady ca6 dence of large, medium, and small Earth science missions. 

7 SEC. 343. VENTURE CLASS MISSIONS. 

8 It is the sense of Congress that the Administration’s 

9 Venture class missions provide opportunities for innova10 tion in the Earth science program, offer low-cost ap11 proaches for high-quality competitive science investiga12 tions, enable frequent flight opportunities to engage the 

13 Earth science and applications community, and serve as 

14 a training ground for students and young scientists. It is 

15 further the sense of Congress that the Administration 

16 should seek to increase the number of Venture class 

17 projects to the extent practicable as part of a balanced 

18 Earth science program. 

19 SEC. 344. ASSESSMENT. 

20 The Administrator shall carry out a scientific assess21 ment of the Administration’s Earth science global datasets 

22 for the purpose of identifying those datasets that are use23 ful for understanding regional changes and variability, and 

24 for informing applied science research. The Administrator 

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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 not later than 

4 180 days after the date of enactment of this Act. 

5 TITLE IV—AERONAUTICS 

6 SEC. 401. SENSE OF CONGRESS. 

7 It is the sense of Congress that— 

8 (1) a robust aeronautics research portfolio will 

9 help maintain the United States status as a leader 

10 in aviation, enhance the competitiveness of the 

11 United States in the world economy and improve the 

12 quality of life of all citizens; 

13 (2) aeronautics research is essential to the Ad14 ministration’s mission, continues to be an important 

15 core element of the Administration’s mission and 

16 should be supported; 

17 (3) the Administrator should coordinate and 

18 consult with relevant Federal agencies and the pri19 vate sector to minimize duplication and leverage re20 sources; and 

21 (4) carrying aeronautics research to a level of 

22 maturity that allows the Administration’s research 

23 results to be transitioned to the users, whether pri24 vate or public sector, is critical to their eventual 

25 adoption. 


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1 SEC. 402. AERONAUTICS RESEARCH GOALS. 

2 The Administrator shall ensure that the Administra3 tion maintains a strong aeronautics research portfolio 

4 ranging from fundamental research through integrated 

5 systems research with specific research goals, including 

6 the following: 

7 (1) ENHANCE AIRSPACE OPERATIONS AND

8 SAFETY.—The Administration’s Aeronautics Re9 search Mission Directorate shall address research 

10 needs of the Next Generation Air Transportation 

11 System and identify critical gaps in technology 

12 which must be bridged to enable the implementation 

13 of the Next Generation Air Transportation System 

14 so that safety and productivity improvements can be 

15 achieved as soon as possible. 

16 (2) IMPROVE AIR VEHICLE PERFORMANCE.— 

17 The Administration’s Aeronautics Research Mission 

18 Directorate shall conduct research to improve air19 craft performance and minimize environmental im20 pacts. The Associate Administrator for the Aero21 nautics Research Mission Directorate shall consider 

22 and pursue concepts to reduce noise, emissions, and 

23 fuel consumption while maintaining high safety 

24 standards, and shall conduct research related to the 

25 impact of alternative fuels on the safety, reliability 

26 and maintainability of current and new air vehicles. 


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1 (3) STRENGTHEN AVIATION SAFETY.—The Ad2 ministration’s Aeronautics Research Mission Direc3 torate shall proactively address safety challenges as4 sociated with current and new air vehicles and with 

5 operations in the Nation’s current and future air 

6 transportation system. 

7 (4) DEMONSTRATE CONCEPTS AT THE SYSTEM

8 LEVEL.—The Administration’s Aeronautics Research 

9 Mission Directorate shall mature the most promising 

10 technologies to the point at which they can be dem11 onstrated in a relevant environment and shall inte12 grate individual components and technologies as ap13 propriate to ensure that they perform in an inte14 grated manner as well as they do when operated in15 dividually. 

16 SEC. 403. UNMANNED AERIAL SYSTEMS RESEARCH AND DE17 VELOPMENT. 

18 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Administrator, in consulta19 tion with the Administrator of the Federal Aviation Ad20 ministration and other Federal agencies, shall carry out 

21 research and technological development to facilitate the 

22 safe integration of unmanned aerial systems into the Na23 tional Airspace System, including— 

24 (1) positioning and navigation systems; 

25 (2) sense and avoid capabilities; 


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1 (3) secure data and communication links; 

2 (4) flight recovery systems; and 

3 (5) human systems integration. 

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

5 roadmap for unmanned aerial systems research and devel6 opment and transmit this roadmap to the Committee on 

7 Science, Space, and Technology of the House of Rep8 resentatives and the Committee on Commerce, Science, 

9 and Transportation of the Senate not later than 180 days 

10 after the date of enactment of this Act. 

11 (c) COOPERATIVE UNMANNED AERIAL VEHICLE AC12 TIVITIES.—Section 31504 of title 51, United States Code, 

13 is amended by inserting ‘‘Operational flight data derived 

14 from these cooperative agreements shall be made available, 

15 in appropriate and usable formats, to the Administration 

16 and the Federal Aviation Administration for the develop17 ment of regulatory standards.’’ after ‘‘in remote areas.’’. 

18 SEC. 404. RESEARCH PROGRAM ON COMPOSITE MATERIALS 

19 USED IN AERONAUTICS. 

20 (a) PURPOSE OF RESEARCH.—The Administrator 

21 shall continue the Administration’s cooperative research 

22 program with industry to identify and demonstrate more 

23 effective and safe ways of developing, manufacturing, and 

24 maintaining composite materials for use in airframes, sub25 systems, and propulsion components. 


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1 (b) EXPOSURE OF RESEARCH TO NEXT GENERATION

2 OF ENGINEERS AND TECHNICIANS.—To the extent prac3 ticable, the Administration’s cooperative research program 

4 with industry on composite materials shall provide timely 

5 access to that research to the next generation of engineers 

6 and technicians at universities, community colleges, and 

7 vocational schools, thereby helping to develop a workforce 

8 ready to take on the development, manufacture, and main9 tenance of components reliant on advanced composite ma10 terials. 

11 (c) CONSULTATION.—The Administrator, in over12 seeing the Administration’s work on composite materials, 

13 shall consult with relevant Federal agencies and partners 

14 in industry to accelerate safe development and certifi15 cation processes for new composite materials and design 

16 methods while maintaining rigorous inspection of new 

17 composite materials. 

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

19 of enactment of this Act, the Administrator shall transmit 

20 a report 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 detailing the Administration’s work on new composite ma24 terials and the coordination efforts among Federal agen25 cies and industry partners. 


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1 SEC. 405. HYPERSONIC RESEARCH. 

2 Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment 

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

4 Federal agencies, shall develop and transmit to the Com5 mittee on Science, Space, and Technology of the House 

6 of Representatives and the Committee on Commerce, 

7 Science, and Transportation of the Senate a research and 

8 development roadmap for hypersonic aircraft research 

9 with the objective of exploring hypersonic science and 

10 technology using air-breathing propulsion concepts, 

11 through a mix of theoretical work, basic and applied re12 search, and development of flight research demonstration 

13 vehicles. The roadmap shall prescribe appropriate agency 

14 contributions, coordination efforts, and technology mile15 stones. 

16 SEC. 406. SUPERSONIC RESEARCH. 

17 (a) FINDINGS.—Congress finds that— 

18 (1) the ability to fly commercial aircraft over 

19 land at supersonic speeds without adverse impacts 

20 on the environment or on local communities could 

21 open new global markets and enable new transpor22 tation capabilities; and 

23 (2) continuing the Administration’s research 

24 program is necessary to assess the impact in a rel25 evant environment of commercial supersonic flight 

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1 propriate sonic boom standards for such flight oper2 ations. 

3 (b) ROADMAP FOR SUPERSONIC RESEARCH.—Not 

4 later than 1 year after the date of enactment of this Act, 

5 the Administrator shall develop and transmit to the Com6 mittee on Science, Space, and Technology of the House 

7 of Representatives and the Committee on Commerce, 

8 Science, and Transportation of the Senate a roadmap that 

9 allows for flexible funding profiles for supersonic aero10 nautics research and development with the objective of de11 veloping and demonstrating, in a relevant environment, 

12 airframe and propulsion technologies to minimize the envi13 ronmental impact, including noise, of supersonic overland 

14 flight in an efficient and economical manner. The roadmap 

15 shall include— 

16 (1) the baseline research as embodied by the 

17 Administration’s existing research on supersonic 

18 flight; 

19 (2) a list of specific technological, environ20 mental, and other challenges that must be overcome 

21 to minimize the environmental impact, including 

22 noise, of supersonic overland flight; 

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

24 as well as a project timeline for accomplishing rel25 evant research goals; 


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1 (4) a plan for coordination with stakeholders, 

2 including relevant government agencies and indus3 try; and 

4 (5) a plan for how the Administration will en5 sure that sonic boom research is coordinated as ap6 propriate with relevant Federal agencies. 

7 SEC. 407. RESEARCH ON NEXTGEN AIRSPACE MANAGE8 MENT CONCEPTS AND TOOLS. 

9 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Administrator shall, in con10 sultation with other Federal agencies, review at least an11 nually the alignment and timing of the Administration’s 

12 research and development activities in support of the 

13 NextGen airspace management modernization initiative, 

14 and shall make any necessary adjustments by 

15 reprioritizing or retargeting the Administration’s research 

16 and development activities in support of the NextGen ini17 tiative. 

18 (b) ANNUAL REPORTS.—The Administrator shall re19 port to the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology 

20 of the House of Representatives and the Committee on 

21 Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate an22 nually regarding the progress of the Administration’s re23 search and development activities in support of the 

24 NextGen airspace management modernization initiative, 

25 including details of technologies transferred to relevant 


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1 Federal agencies for eventual operation implementation, 

2 consultation with other Federal agencies, and any adjust3 ments made to research activities. 

4 SEC. 408. ROTORCRAFT RESEARCH. 

5 Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment 

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

7 Federal agencies, shall prepare and transmit to the Com8 mittee on Science, Space, and Technology of the House 

9 of Representatives and the Committee on Commerce, 

10 Science, and Transportation of the Senate a roadmap for 

11 research relating to rotorcraft and other runway-inde12 pendent air vehicles, with the objective of developing and 

13 demonstrating improved safety, noise, and environmental 

14 impact in a relevant environment. The roadmap shall in15 clude specific goals for the research, a timeline for imple16 mentation, metrics for success, and guidelines for collabo17 ration and coordination with industry and other Federal 

18 agencies. 

19 SEC. 409. TRANSFORMATIVE AERONAUTICS RESEARCH. 

20 It is the sense of Congress that the Administrator, 

21 in looking strategically into the future and ensuring that 

22 the Administration’s Center personnel are at the leading 

23 edge of aeronautics research, should encourage investiga24 tions into the early-stage advancement of new processes, 

25 novel concepts, and innovative technologies that have the 


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1 potential to meet national aeronautics needs. The Admin2 istrator shall continue to ensure that awards for the inves3 tigation of these concepts and technologies are open for 

4 competition among Administration civil servants at its 

5 Centers, separate from other awards open only to non-Ad6 ministration sources. 

7 SEC. 410. STUDY OF UNITED STATES LEADERSHIP IN AERO8 NAUTICS RESEARCH. 

9 (a) STUDY.—The Administrator shall enter into an 

10 arrangement with the National Academies for a study to 

11 benchmark the position of the United States in civil aero12 nautics research compared to the rest of the world. The 

13 study shall— 

14 (1) seek to define metrics by which relative 

15 leadership in civil aeronautics research can be deter16 mined; 

17 (2) ascertain how the United States compares 

18 to other countries in the field of civil aeronautics re19 search and any relevant trends; and 

20 (3) provide recommendations on what can be 

21 done to regain or retain global leadership, includ22 ing— 

23 (A) identifying research areas where 

24 United States expertise has been or is at risk 

25 of being overtaken; 


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1 (B) defining appropriate roles for the Ad2 ministration; 

3 (C) identifying public-private partnerships 

4 that could be formed; and 

5 (D) estimating the impact on the Adminis6 tration’s budget should such recommendations 

7 be implemented. 

8 (b) REPORT.—Not later than 18 months after the 

9 date of enactment of this Act, the Administrator shall pro10 vide the results of the study to the Committee on Science, 

11 Space, and Technology of the House of Representatives 

12 and the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transpor13 tation of the Senate. 

14 TITLE V—SPACE TECHNOLOGY 

15 SEC. 501. SENSE OF CONGRESS. 

16 It is the sense of Congress that space technology is 

17 critical to— 

18 (1) enabling a new class of Administration mis19 sions beyond low-Earth orbit; 

20 (2) developing technologies and capabilities that 

21 will make the Administration’s missions more afford22 able and more reliable; and 

23 (3) improving technological capabilities and pro24 moting innovation for the Administration and the 

25 Nation. 


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1 SEC. 502. SPACE TECHNOLOGY PROGRAM. 

2 (a) AMENDMENT.—Section 70507 of title 51, United 

3 States Code, is amended to read as follows: 

4 ‘‘§ 70507. Space Technology Program authorized 

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

6 shall establish a Space Technology Program to pursue the 

7 research and development of advanced space technologies 

8 that have the potential of delivering innovative solutions 

9 and to support human exploration of the solar system or 

10 advanced space science. The program established by the 

11 Administrator shall take into consideration the rec12 ommendations of the National Academies’ review of the 

13 Administration’s Space Technology roadmaps and prior14 ities, as well as applicable enabling aspects of the Human 

15 Exploration Roadmap specified in section 70504. In con16 ducting the space technology program established under 

17 this section, the Administrator shall— 

18 ‘‘(1) to the maximum extent practicable, use a 

19 competitive process to select projects to be supported 

20 as part of the program; 

21 ‘‘(2) make use of small satellites and the Ad22 ministration’s suborbital and ground-based plat23 forms, to the extent practicable and appropriate, to 

24 demonstrate space technology concepts and develop25 ments; and 


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1 ‘‘(3) undertake partnerships with other Federal 

2 agencies, universities, private industry, and other 

3 spacefaring nations, as appropriate. 

4 ‘‘(b) SMALL BUSINESS PROGRAMS.—The Adminis5 trator shall organize and manage the Administration’s 

6 Small Business Innovation Research program and Small 

7 Business Technology Transfer Program within the Space 

8 Technology Program. 

9 ‘‘(c) NONDUPLICATION CERTIFICATION.—The Ad10 ministrator shall include in the budget for each fiscal year, 

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

12 31, a certification that no project, program, or mission 

13 undertaken by the Space Technology Program is duplica14 tive of any other project, program, or mission conducted 

15 by another office or directorate of the Administration.’’. 

16 (b) COLLABORATION, COORDINATION, AND ALIGN17 MENT.—The Administrator shall ensure that the Adminis18 tration’s projects, programs, and activities in support of 

19 technology research and development of advanced space 

20 technologies are fully coordinated and aligned and that re21 sults from such work are shared and leveraged within the 

22 Administration. Projects, programs, and activities being 

23 conducted by the Human Exploration and Operations Mis24 sion Directorate in support of research and development 

25 of advanced space technologies and systems focusing on 


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1 human space exploration should continue in that Direc2 torate. The Administrator shall ensure that organizational 

3 responsibility for research and development activities in 

4 support of human space exploration not initiated as of the 

5 date of enactment of this Act is established on the basis 

6 of a sound rationale. The Administrator shall provide the 

7 rationale in the report specified in subsection (d). 

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

9 of enactment of this Act, the Administrator shall provide 

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

11 the House of Representatives and the Committee on Com12 merce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate a report 

13 comparing the Administration’s space technology invest14 ments with the high-priority technology areas identified by 

15 the National Academies in the National Research Coun16 cil’s report on the Administration’s Space Technology 

17 Roadmaps. The Administrator shall identify how the Ad18 ministration will address any gaps between the agency’s 

19 investments and the recommended technology areas, in20 cluding a projection of funding requirements. 

21 (d) ANNUAL REPORT.—The Administrator shall in22 clude in the Administration’s annual budget request for 

23 each fiscal year the rationale for assigning organizational 

24 responsibility for, in the year prior to the budget fiscal 

25 year, each initiated project, program, and mission focused 


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1 on research and development of advanced technologies for 

2 human space exploration. 

3 (e) TABLE OF SECTIONS AMENDMENT.—The item 

4 relating to section 70507 in the table of sections for chap5 ter 705 of title 51, United States Code, is amended to 

6 read as follows: 

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

7 SEC. 503. UTILIZATION OF THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE 

8 STATION FOR TECHNOLOGY DEMONSTRA9 TIONS. 

10 The Administrator shall utilize the International 

11 Space Station and commercial services for space tech12 nology demonstration missions in low-Earth orbit when13 ever it is practical and cost effective to do so. 

14 TITLE VI—EDUCATION 

15 SEC. 601. EDUCATION. 

16 (a) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Con17 gress that— 

18 (1) the Administration’s missions are an inspi19 ration for Americans and in particular for the next 

20 generation, and that this inspiration has a powerful 

21 effect in stimulating interest in science, technology, 

22 engineering, and mathematics (in this section re23 ferred to as ‘‘STEM’’) education and careers; 

24 (2) the Administration’s Office of Education 

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1 ering Administration educational content because of 

2 the strong engagement of Administration scientists 

3 and engineers in the Administration’s education and 

4 outreach activities; and 

5 (3) the Administration should be a central part6 ner in contributing to the goals of the National 

7 Science and Technology Council’s Federal Science, 

8 Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) 

9 Education 5-Year Strategic Plan. 

10 (b) IN GENERAL.—The Administration shall continue 

11 its education and outreach efforts to— 

12 (1) increase student interest and participation 

13 in STEM education; 

14 (2) improve public literacy in STEM; 

15 (3) employ proven strategies for improving stu16 dent learning and teaching; 

17 (4) provide curriculum support materials; and 

18 (5) create and support opportunities for profes19 sional development for STEM teachers. 

20 (c) ORGANIZATION.—In order to ensure the inspira21 tion and engagement of children and the general public, 

22 the Administration shall continue its STEM education and 

23 outreach activities within the Science, Aeronautics Re24 search, Space Operations, and Exploration Mission Direc25 torates. 


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1 (d) CONTINUATION OF EDUCATION AND OUTREACH

2 ACTIVITIES AND PROGRAMS.—The Administrator shall 

3 continue to carry out education and outreach programs 

4 and activities through the Office of Education and the Ad5 ministration mission directorates and shall continue to en6 gage, to the maximum extent practicable, Administration 

7 and Administration-supported researchers and engineers 

8 in carrying out those programs and activities. 

9 (e) CONTINUATION OF SPACE GRANT PROGRAM.— 

10 The Administrator shall continue to operate the National 

11 Space Grant College and Fellowship program through a 

12 national network consisting of a State-based consortium 

13 in each State that provides flexibility to the States, with 

14 the objective of providing hands-on research, training, and 

15 education programs, with measurable outcomes, to en16 hance America’s STEM education and workforce. 

17 (f) REAFFIRMATION OF POLICY.—Congress reaffirms 

18 its commitment to informal science education at science 

19 centers and planetariums as set forth in section 616 of 

20 the National Aeronautics and Space Administration Au21 thorization Act of 2005 (51 U.S.C. 40907). 


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1 SEC. 602. INDEPENDENT REVIEW OF THE NATIONAL SPACE 

2 GRANT COLLEGE AND FELLOWSHIP PRO3 GRAM. 

4 (a) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Con5 gress that the National Space Grant College and Fellow6 ship Program, which was established in the National Aero7 nautics and Space Administration Authorization Act of 

8 1988 (42 U.S.C. 2486 et seq.), has been an important 

9 program by which the Federal Government has partnered 

10 with State and local governments, universities, private in11 dustry, and other organizations to enhance the under12 standing and use of space and aeronautics activities and 

13 their benefits through education, fostering of interdiscipli14 nary and multidisciplinary space research and training, 

15 and supporting Federal funding for graduate fellowships 

16 in space-related fields, among other purposes. 

17 (b) REVIEW.—The Administrator shall enter into an 

18 arrangement with the National Academies for— 

19 (1) a review of the National Space Grant Col20 lege and Fellowship Program, including its structure 

21 and capabilities for supporting science, technology, 

22 engineering, and mathematics education and train23 ing consistent with the National Science and Tech24 nology Council’s Federal Science, Technology, Engi25 neering, and Mathematics (STEM) Education 5- 

26 Year Strategic Plan; and 


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1 (2) recommendations on measures, if needed, to 

2 enhance the Program’s effectiveness and mecha3 nisms by which any increases in funding appro4 priated by Congress can be applied. 

5 (c) NATIONAL SPACE GRANT COLLEGE AND FEL6 LOWSHIP PROGRAM AMENDMENTS.— 

7 (1) PURPOSES.—Section 40301 of title 51, 

8 United States Code, is amended— 

9 (A) by striking ‘‘and’’ at the end of para10 graph (5); 

11 (B) by striking the period at the end of 

12 paragraph (6) and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 

13 (C) by adding at the end the following new 

14 paragraph: 

15 ‘‘(7) support outreach to primary and sec16 ondary schools to help support STEM engagement 

17 and learning at the K–12 level and to encourage K– 

18 12 students to pursue postsecondary degrees in 

19 fields related to space.’’. 

20 (2) REGIONAL CONSORTIUM.—Section 40306 of 

21 title 51, United States Code, is amended— 

22 (A) in subsection (a)— 

23 (i) by redesignating paragraphs (2) 

24 and (3) as paragraphs (3) and (4), respec25 tively; and 


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1 (ii) by inserting after paragraph (1) 

2 the following new paragraph: 

3 ‘‘(2) INCLUSION OF 2-YEAR INSTITUTIONS.—A 

4 space grant regional consortium designated in para5 graph (1)(B) may include one or more 2-year insti6 tutions of higher education.’’; and 

7 (B) in subsection (b)(1), by striking ‘‘para8 graphs (2)(C) and (3)(D)’’ and inserting ‘‘para9 graphs (3)(C) and (4)(D)’’. 

10 SEC. 603. SENSE OF CONGRESS. 

11 It is the sense of Congress that the Administrator 

12 should make the continuation of the Administration’s Mi13 nority University Research and Education Program a pri14 ority in order to further STEM education for underrep15 resented students. 

16 TITLE VII—POLICY PROVISIONS 

17 SEC. 701. ASTEROID RETRIEVAL MISSION. 

18 (a) ASTEROID RETRIEVAL REPORT.—Not later than 

19 180 days after the date of enactment of this Act, the Ad20 ministrator shall provide to the Committee on Science, 

21 Space, and Technology of the House of Representatives 

22 and the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transpor23 tation of the Senate a report on the proposed Asteroid 

24 Retrieval Mission. Such report shall include— 


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1 (1) a detailed budget profile, including cost esti2 mates for the development of all necessary tech3 nologies and spacecraft required for the mission; 

4 (2) a detailed technical plan that includes mile5 stones and a specific schedule; 

6 (3) a description of the technologies and capa7 bilities anticipated to be gained from the proposed 

8 mission that will enable future human missions to 

9 Mars which could not be gained by lunar missions; 

10 (4) a description of the technologies and capa11 bilities anticipated to be gained from the proposed 

12 mission that will enable future planetary defense 

13 missions, against impact threats from near-Earth 

14 objects equal to or greater than 140 meters in di15 ameter, which could not be gained by robotic mis16 sions; and 

17 (5) a complete assessment by the Small Bodies 

18 Assessment Group and the National Aeronautics and 

19 Space Administration Advisory Council of how the 

20 proposed mission is or is not in the strategic inter21 ests of the United States in space exploration. 

22 (b) MARS FLYBY REPORT.—Not later than 60 days 

23 after the date of enactment of this Act, an independent, 

24 private systems engineering and technical assistance orga25 nization contracted by the Human Exploration Operations 


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1 Mission Directorate shall transmit to the Administrator, 

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

3 House of Representatives, and the Committee on Com4 merce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate a report 

5 analyzing the proposal for a Mars Flyby human 

6 spaceflight mission to be launched in 2021. Such report 

7 shall include— 

8 (1) a technical development, test, fielding, and 

9 operations plan using the Space Launch System and 

10 other systems to successfully mount a Mars Flyby 

11 mission by 2021; 

12 (2) a description of the benefits in scientific 

13 knowledge and technologies demonstrated by a Mars 

14 Flyby mission to be launched in 2021 suitable for 

15 future Mars missions; and 

16 (3) an annual budget profile, including cost es17 timates, for the development test, fielding, and oper18 ations plan to carry out a Mars Flyby mission 

19 through 2021 and comparison of that budget profile 

20 to the 5-year budget profile contained in the Presi21 dent’s Budget request for fiscal year 2017. 

22 (c) ASSESSMENT.—Not later than 60 days after 

23 transmittal of the report specified in subsection (b), the 

24 Administrator shall transmit to the Committee on Science, 

25 Space, and Technology of the House of Representatives 


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1 and the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transpor2 tation of the Senate an assessment by the National Aero3 nautics and Space Administration Advisory Council of 

4 whether the proposal for a Mars Flyby Mission to be 

5 launched in 2021 is in the strategic interests of the United 

6 States in space exploration. 

7 (d) CREWED MISSION.—The report transmitted 

8 under subsection (b) may consider a crewed mission with 

9 the Space Launch System in cis-lunar space prior to the 

10 Mars Flyby mission in 2021. 

11 SEC. 702. TERMINATION LIABILITY SENSE OF CONGRESS. 

12 It is the sense of Congress that: 

13 (1) The International Space Station, the Space 

14 Launch System, and the Orion crew vehicle will en15 able the Nation to continue operations in low-Earth 

16 orbit and to send its astronauts to deep space. The 

17 James Webb Space Telescope will revolutionize our 

18 understanding of star and planet formation and how 

19 galaxies evolved and advance the search for the ori20 gins of our universe. As a result of their unique ca21 pabilities and their critical contribution to the future 

22 of space exploration, these systems have been des23 ignated by Congress and the Administration as pri24 ority investments. 


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1 (2) In addition, contractors are currently hold2 ing program funding, estimated to be in the hun3 dreds of millions of dollars, to cover the potential 

4 termination liability should the Government choose 

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

6 hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars are unavail7 able for meaningful work on these programs. 

8 (3) According to the Government Accountability 

9 Office, the Administration procures most of its 

10 goods and services through contracts, and it termi11 nates very few of them. In fiscal year 2010, the Ad12 ministration terminated 28 of 16,343 active con13 tracts and orders—a termination rate of about 0.17 

14 percent. 

15 (4) The Administration should vigorously pur16 sue a policy on termination liability that maximizes 

17 the utilization of its appropriated funds to make 

18 maximum progress in meeting established technical 

19 goals and schedule milestones on these high-priority 

20 programs. 

21 SEC. 703. BASELINE AND COST CONTROLS. 

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

23 amended— 

24 (1) in subsection (a)(1), by striking ‘‘Proce25 dural Requirements 7120.5c, dated March 22, 


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1 2005’’ and inserting ‘‘Procedural Requirements 

2 7120.5E, dated August 14, 2012’’; and 

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

4 months after the date the Administrator transmits a 

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

6 ‘‘beginning 18 months after the Administrator 

7 makes such determination’’. 

8 SEC. 704. PROJECT AND PROGRAM RESERVES. 

9 (a) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Con10 gress that the judicious use of program and project re11 serves provides the Administration’s project and program 

12 managers with the flexibility needed to manage projects 

13 and programs to ensure that the impacts of contingencies 

14 can be mitigated. 

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

16 of enactment of this Act the Administrator shall transmit 

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

18 the House of Representatives and the Committee on Com19 merce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate a report 

20 describing— 

21 (1) the Administration’s criteria for establishing 

22 the amount of reserves held at the project and pro23 gram levels; 


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1 (2) how such criteria relate to the agency’s pol2 icy of budgeting at a 70-percent confidence level; 

3 and 

4 (3) the Administration’s criteria for waiving the 

5 policy of budgeting at a 70-percent confidence level 

6 and alternative strategies and mechanisms aimed at 

7 controlling program and project costs when a waiver 

8 is granted. 

9 SEC. 705. INDEPENDENT REVIEWS. 

10 Not later than 270 days after the date of enactment 

11 of this Act, the Administrator shall transmit to the Com12 mittee on Science, Space, and Technology of the House 

13 of Representatives and the Committee on Commerce, 

14 Science, and Transportation of the Senate a report de15 scribing— 

16 (1) the Administration’s procedures for con17 ducting independent reviews of projects and pro18 grams at lifecycle milestones and how the Adminis19 tration ensures the independence of the individuals 

20 who conduct those reviews prior to their assignment; 

21 (2) the internal and external entities inde22 pendent of project and program management that 

23 conduct reviews of projects and programs at life 

24 cycle milestones; and 


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1 (3) how the Administration ensures the inde2 pendence of such entities and their members. 

3 SEC. 706. COMMERCIAL TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER PRO4 GRAM. 

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

6 amended by inserting ‘‘, while protecting national secu7 rity’’ after ‘‘research community’’. 

8 SEC. 707. NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINIS9 TRATION ADVISORY COUNCIL. 

10 (a) STUDY.—The Administrator shall enter into an 

11 arrangement with the National Academy of Public Admin12 istration to assess the effectiveness of the NASA Advisory 

13 Council and to make recommendations to Congress for 

14 any change to— 

15 (1) the functions of the Council; 

16 (2) the appointment of members to the Council; 

17 (3) qualifications for members of the Council; 

18 (4) duration of terms of office for members of 

19 the Council; 

20 (5) frequency of meetings of the Council; 

21 (6) the structure of leadership and Committees 

22 of the Council; and 

23 (7) levels of professional staffing for the Coun24 cil. 


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1 In carrying out the assessment, the Academy shall also 

2 assess the impacts of broadening the Council’s role to ad3 vising Congress, and any other issues that the Academy 

4 determines could potentially impact the effectiveness of 

5 the Council. The Academy shall consider the past activities 

6 of the NASA Advisory Council, as well as the activities 

7 of other analogous Federal advisory bodies in conducting 

8 its assessment. The results of the assessment, including 

9 any recommendations, shall be transmitted to the Com10 mittee on Science, Space, and Technology of the House 

11 of Representatives and the Committee on Commerce, 

12 Science, and Transportation of the Senate. 

13 (b) CONSULTATION AND ADVICE.—Section 20113(g) 

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

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

16 (c) SUNSET.—Effective on September 30, 2016, sec17 tion 20113(g) of title 51, United States Code, is amended 

18 by striking ‘‘and Congress’’. 

19 SEC. 708. COST ESTIMATION. 

20 (a) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Con21 gress that realistic cost estimating is critically important 

22 to the ultimate success of major space development 

23 projects. The Administration has devoted significant ef24 forts over the past 5 years to improving its cost estimating 

25 capabilities, but it is important that the Administration 


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1 continue its efforts to develop and implement guidance in 

2 establishing realistic cost estimates. 

3 (b) GUIDANCE AND CRITERIA.—The Administrator 

4 shall provide to programs and projects, and in a manner 

5 consistent with the Administration’s Space Flight Pro6 gram and Project Management Requirements— 

7 (1) guidance on when an Independent Cost Es8 timate and Independent Cost Assessment should be 

9 used; and 

10 (2) the criteria to be used to make such a de11 termination. 

12 (c) REPORT.—Not later than 270 days after the date 

13 of enactment of this Act, the Administrator shall transmit 

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

15 the House of Representatives and the Committee on Com16 merce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate a re17 port— 

18 (1) describing efforts to enhance internal cost 

19 estimation and assessment expertise; 

20 (2) describing the mechanisms the Administra21 tion is using and will continue to use to ensure that 

22 adequate resources are dedicated to cost estimation; 

23 (3) listing the steps the Administration is un24 dertaking to advance consistent implementation of 

25 the joint cost and schedule process; 


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1 (4) identifying criteria used by programs and 

2 projects in determining when to conduct an Inde3 pendent Cost Estimate and Independent Cost As4 sessment; and 

5 (5) listing— 

6 (A) the costs of each individual Inde7 pendent Cost Estimate or Independent Cost As8 sessment activity conducted in fiscal year 2012, 

9 fiscal year 2013, fiscal year 2014, and fiscal 

10 year 2015; 

11 (B) the purpose of the activity; 

12 (C) identification of the primary Adminis13 tration unit or outside body that conducted the 

14 activity; and 

15 (D) key findings and recommendations. 

16 (d) UPDATED REPORT.—Subsequent to submission 

17 of the report under subsection (c), for each subsequent 

18 year, the Administrator shall provide an update of listed 

19 elements in conjunction with subsequent congressional 

20 budget justifications. 

21 SEC. 709. AVOIDING ORGANIZATIONAL CONFLICTS OF IN22 TEREST IN MAJOR ADMINISTRATION ACQUI23 SITION PROGRAMS. 

24 (a) REVISED REGULATIONS REQUIRED.—Not later 

25 than 270 days after the date of enactment of this Act, 


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1 the Administrator shall revise the Administration Supple2 ment to the Federal Acquisition Regulation to provide uni3 form guidance and recommend revised requirements for 

4 organizational conflicts of interest by contractors in major 

5 acquisition programs in order to address elements identi6 fied in subsection (b). 

7 (b) ELEMENTS.—The revised regulations required by 

8 subsection (a) shall, at a minimum— 

9 (1) address organizational conflicts of interest 

10 that could potentially arise as a result of— 

11 (A) lead system integrator contracts on 

12 major acquisition programs and contracts that 

13 follow lead system integrator contracts on such 

14 programs, particularly contracts for production; 

15 (B) the ownership of business units per16 forming systems engineering and technical as17 sistance functions, professional services, or 

18 management support services in relation to 

19 major acquisition programs by contractors who 

20 simultaneously own business units competing to 

21 perform as either the prime contractor or the 

22 supplier of a major subsystem or component for 

23 such programs; 

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1 sition program to business units or other affili2 ates of the same parent corporate entity, and 

3 particularly the award of subcontracts for soft4 ware integration or the development of a pro5 prietary software system architecture; or 

6 (D) the performance by, or assistance of, 

7 contractors in technical evaluations on major 

8 acquisition programs; 

9 (2) ensure that the Administration receives ad10 vice on systems architecture and systems engineer11 ing matters with respect to major acquisition pro12 grams from objective sources independent of the 

13 prime contractor; 

14 (3) require that a contract for the performance 

15 of systems engineering and technical assistance 

16 functions for a major acquisition program contains 

17 a provision prohibiting the contractor or any affiliate 

18 of the contractor from participating as a prime con19 tractor or a major subcontractor in the development 

20 of a system under the program; and 

21 (4) establish such limited exceptions to the re22 quirement in paragraphs (2) and (3) as may be nec23 essary to ensure that the Administration has contin24 ued access to advice on systems architecture and 

25 systems engineering matters from highly qualified 


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1 contractors with domain experience and expertise, 

2 while ensuring that such advice comes from sources 

3 that are objective and unbiased. 

4 SEC. 710. FACILITIES AND INFRASTRUCTURE. 

5 (a) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Con6 gress that— 

7 (1) the Administration must reverse the deterio8 rating condition of its facilities and infrastructure, 

9 as this condition is hampering the effectiveness and 

10 efficiency of research performed by both the Admin11 istration and industry participants making use of 

12 Administration facilities, thus reducing the competi13 tiveness of the United States aerospace industry; 

14 (2) the Administration has a role in providing 

15 laboratory capabilities that are not available else16 where to industry participants that are economically 

17 viable as commercial entities; 

18 (3) to ensure continued access to reliable and 

19 efficient world-class facilities by researchers, the Ad20 ministration should seek to establish strategic part21 nerships with other Federal agencies, academic insti22 tutions, and industry, as appropriate; and 

23 (4) decisions on whether to dispose of, main24 tain, or modernize existing facilities must be made 

25 in the context of meeting future Administration and 


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1 other Federal agencies’ laboratory needs, including 

2 those required to meet the activities supporting the 

3 Human Exploration Roadmap required by section 

4 70504 of title 51, United States Code, as added by 

5 section 202 of this Act. 

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

7 that the Administration maintain reliable and efficient fa8 cilities and that decisions on whether to dispose of, main9 tain, or modernize existing facilities be made in the con10 text of meeting future Administration needs. 

11 (c) PLAN.—The Administrator shall develop a plan 

12 that has the goal of positioning the Administration to have 

13 the facilities, laboratories, tools, and approaches necessary 

14 to address future Administration requirements. Such plan 

15 shall identify— 

16 (1) future Administration research and develop17 ment and testing needs; 

18 (2) a strategy for identifying facilities that are 

19 candidates for disposal, that is consistent with the 

20 national strategic direction set forth in— 

21 (A) the National Space Policy; 

22 (B) the National Aeronautics Research, 

23 Development, Test, and Evaluation Infrastruc24 ture Plan; 


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1 (C) National Aeronautics and Space Ad2 ministration Authorization Acts; and 

3 (D) the Human Exploration Roadmap 

4 specified in section 70504 of title 51, United 

5 States Code, as added by section 202 of this 

6 Act; 

7 (3) a strategy for the maintenance, repair, up8 grading, and modernization of the Administration’s 

9 laboratories, facilities, and equipment; 

10 (4) criteria for prioritizing deferred mainte11 nance tasks and also for upgrading or modernizing 

12 laboratories, facilities, and equipment and imple13 menting processes, plans, and policies for guiding 

14 the Administration’s Centers on whether to main15 tain, repair, upgrade, or modernize a facility and for 

16 determining the type of instrument to be used; 

17 (5) an assessment of modifications needed to 

18 maximize usage of facilities that offer unique and 

19 highly specialized benefits to the aerospace industry 

20 and the American public; 

21 (6) barriers, if any, to the application of exist22 ing Working Capital Fund authorities that would 

23 enable to the maximum extent practicable that all fi24 nancial savings achieved by closing outdated or sur25 plus facilities at an Administration Center be made 


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1 available to that Center for the purpose of modern2 izing the Center’s facilities and laboratories and for 

3 upgrading the infrastructure at the Center; and 

4 (7) implementation steps, including a timeline, 

5 milestones, and an estimate of resources, required 

6 for carrying out the plan. 

7 (d) POLICY.—Not later than 180 days after the date 

8 of enactment of this Act, the Administrator shall establish 

9 and make publically available a policy that guides the Ad10 ministration’s use of existing authorities to out-grant, 

11 lease, excess to the General Services Administration, sell, 

12 decommission, demolish, or otherwise transfer property, 

13 facilities, or infrastructure. This policy shall establish cri14 teria for the use of authorities, best practices, standard15 ized procedures, and guidelines for how to appropriately 

16 manage property, infrastructure, and facilities. 

17 (e) TRANSMITTAL.—Not later than one year after the 

18 date of enactment of this Act, the Administrator shall 

19 transmit the plan developed under subsection (c) to the 

20 Committee on Science, Space, and Technology of the 

21 House of Representatives and the Committee on Com22 merce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate. 

23 SEC. 711. DETECTION AND AVOIDANCE OF COUNTERFEIT 

24 ELECTRONIC PARTS. 

25 (a) REGULATIONS.— 


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

2 after the date of enactment of this Act, the Adminis3 trator shall revise the National Aeronautics and 

4 Space Administration Supplement to the Federal 

5 Acquisition Regulation to address the detection and 

6 avoidance of counterfeit electronic parts. 

7 (2) CONTRACTOR RESPONSIBILITIES.—The re8 vised regulations issued pursuant to paragraph (1) 

9 shall provide that— 

10 (A) Administration contractors who supply 

11 electronic parts or products that include elec12 tronic parts are responsible for detecting and 

13 avoiding the use or inclusion of counterfeit elec14 tronic parts or suspect counterfeit electronic 

15 parts in such products and for any rework or 

16 corrective action that may be required to rem17 edy the use or inclusion of such parts; and 

18 (B) the cost of counterfeit electronic parts 

19 and suspect counterfeit electronic parts and the 

20 cost of rework or corrective action that may be 

21 required to remedy the use or inclusion of such 

22 parts are not allowable costs under Administra23 tion contracts, unless— 

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1 feit parts and suspect counterfeit electronic 

2 parts that has been reviewed and approved 

3 by the Administration or the Department 

4 of Defense; 

5 (ii) the covered contractor provides 

6 timely notice to the Administration pursu7 ant to paragraph (4); or 

8 (iii) the counterfeit electronic parts or 

9 suspect counterfeit electronic parts were 

10 provided to the contractor as Government 

11 property in accordance with part 45 of the 

12 Federal Acquisition Regulation. 

13 (3) SUPPLIERS OF ELECTRONIC PARTS.—The 

14 revised regulations issued pursuant to paragraph (1) 

15 shall— 

16 (A) require that the Administration and 

17 Administration contractors and subcontractors 

18 at all tiers— 

19 (i) obtain electronic parts that are in 

20 production or currently available in stock 

21 from the original manufacturers of the 

22 parts or their authorized dealers, or from 

23 suppliers who obtain such parts exclusively 

24 from the original manufacturers of the 

25 parts or their authorized dealers; and 


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1 (ii) obtain electronic parts that are 

2 not in production or currently available in 

3 stock from suppliers that meet qualifica4 tion requirements established pursuant to 

5 subparagraph (C); 

6 (B) establish documented requirements 

7 consistent with published industry standards or 

8 Government contract requirements for— 

9 (i) notification of the Administration; 

10 and 

11 (ii) inspection, testing, and authen12 tication of electronic parts that the Admin13 istration or an Administration contractor 

14 or subcontractor obtains from any source 

15 other than a source described in subpara16 graph (A); 

17 (C) establish qualification requirements, 

18 consistent with the requirements of section 

19 2319 of title 10, United States Code, pursuant 

20 to which the Administration may identify sup21 pliers that have appropriate policies and proce22 dures in place to detect and avoid counterfeit 

23 electronic parts and suspect counterfeit elec24 tronic parts; and 


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1 (D) authorize Administration contractors 

2 and subcontractors to identify and use addi3 tional suppliers beyond those identified pursu4 ant to subparagraph (C) provided that— 

5 (i) the standards and processes for 

6 identifying such suppliers comply with es7 tablished industry standards; 

8 (ii) the contractor or subcontractor 

9 assumes responsibility for the authenticity 

10 of parts provided by such suppliers as pro11 vided in paragraph (2); and 

12 (iii) the selection of such suppliers is 

13 subject to review and audit by appropriate 

14 Administration officials. 

15 (4) TIMELY NOTIFICATION.—The revised regu16 lations issued pursuant to paragraph (1) shall re17 quire that any Administration contractor or subcon18 tractor who becomes aware, or has reason to sus19 pect, that any end item, component, part, or mate20 rial contained in supplies purchased by the Adminis21 tration, or purchased by a contractor or subcon22 tractor for delivery to, or on behalf of, the Adminis23 tration, contains counterfeit electronic parts or sus24 pect counterfeit electronic parts, shall provide notifiVerDate Sep 11 2014 02:26 Apr 29, 2015 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00105 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H2039.IH H2039

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1 cation to the applicable Administration contracting 

2 officer within 30 calendar days. 

3 (b) REPORT.—Not later than 120 days after the re4 vised regulations specified in subsection (a) have been im5 plemented, the Administrator shall submit to the Com6 mittee on Science, Space, and Technology of the House 

7 of Representatives and the Committee on Commerce, 

8 Science, and Transportation of the Senate a report updat9 ing the Administration’s actions to prevent counterfeit 

10 electronic parts from entering the supply chain as de11 scribed in its October 2011 report pursuant to section 

12 1206(d) of the National Aeronautics and Space Adminis13 tration Authorization Act of 2010 (42 U.S.C. 18444(d)). 

14 (c) DEFINITION.—In this section, the term ‘‘elec15 tronic part’’ means a discrete electronic component, in16 cluding a microcircuit, transistor, capacitor, resistor, or 

17 diode that is intended for use in a safety or mission critical 

18 application. 

19 SEC. 712. SPACE ACT AGREEMENTS. 

20 (a) COST SHARING.—To the extent that the Adminis21 trator determines practicable, the funds provided by the 

22 Government under a funded Space Act Agreement shall 

23 not exceed the total amount provided by other parties to 

24 the Space Act Agreement. 


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1 (b) NEED.—A funded Space Act Agreement may be 

2 used only when the use of a standard contract, grant, or 

3 cooperative agreement is not feasible or appropriate, as 

4 determined by the Associate Administrator for Procure5 ment. 

6 (c) PUBLIC NOTICE AND COMMENT.—The Adminis7 trator shall make available for public notice and comment 

8 each proposed Space Act Agreement at least 30 days be9 fore entering into such agreement, with appropriate 

10 redactions for proprietary, sensitive, or classified informa11 tion. 

12 (d) TRANSPARENCY.—The Administrator shall pub13 licly disclose on the Administration’s website and make 

14 available in a searchable format each Space Act Agree15 ment, with appropriate redactions for proprietary, sen16 sitive, or classified information, not later than 60 days 

17 after such agreement is signed. 

18 (e) ANNUAL REPORT.— 

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

20 after the end of each fiscal year, the Administrator 

21 shall submit to the Committee on Science, Space, 

22 and Technology of the House of Representatives and 

23 the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Trans24 portation of the Senate a report on the use of Space 


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1 Act Agreement authority by the Administration dur2 ing the previous fiscal year. 

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

4 each Space Act Agreement in effect at the time of 

5 the report— 

6 (A) an indication of whether the agreement 

7 is a reimbursable, nonreimbursable, or funded 

8 Space Act Agreement; 

9 (B) a description of— 

10 (i) the subject and terms; 

11 (ii) the parties; 

12 (iii) the responsible— 

13 (I) mission directorate; 

14 (II) center; or 

15 (III) headquarters element; 

16 (iv) the value; 

17 (v) the extent of the cost sharing 

18 among Federal Government and non-Fed19 eral sources; 

20 (vi) the time period or schedule; and 

21 (vii) all milestones; and 

22 (C) an indication of whether the agreement 

23 was renewed during the previous fiscal year. 

24 (3) ANTICIPATED AGREEMENTS.—The report 

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1 able, nonreimbursable, and funded Space Act Agree2 ments for the upcoming fiscal year. 

3 (4) CUMULATIVE PROGRAM BENEFITS.—The 

4 report shall also include, with respect to the Space 

5 Act Agreements covered by the report, a summary 

6 of— 

7 (A) the technology areas in which research 

8 projects were conducted under such agreements; 

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

10 Space Act Agreements— 

11 (i) has contributed to a broadening of 

12 the technology and industrial base avail13 able for meeting Administration needs; and 

14 (ii) has fostered within the technology 

15 and industrial base new relationships and 

16 practices that support the United States; 

17 and 

18 (C) the total amount of value received by 

19 the Federal Government during the fiscal year 

20 pursuant to such Space Act Agreements. 

21 SEC. 713. HUMAN SPACEFLIGHT ACCIDENT INVESTIGA22 TIONS. 

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

24 amended by striking paragraph (3) and inserting the fol25 lowing: 


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1 ‘‘(3) any other orbital or suborbital space vehi2 cle carrying humans— 

3 ‘‘(A) that is owned by the Federal Govern4 ment; or 

5 ‘‘(B) that is being used pursuant to a con6 tract or Space Act Agreement, as defined in 

7 section 2 of the National Aeronautics and 

8 Space Administration Authorization Act for 

9 2016 and 2017, with the Federal Government 

10 for carrying a researcher or payload funded by 

11 the Federal Government; or’’. 

12 SEC. 714. FULLEST COMMERCIAL USE OF SPACE. 

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

14 of enactment of this Act, the Administrator shall transmit 

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

16 the House of Representatives and the Committee on Com17 merce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate a report 

18 on current and continuing efforts by the Administration 

19 to ‘‘seek and encourage, to the maximum extent possible, 

20 the fullest commercial use of space,’’ as described in sec21 tion 20102(c) of title 51, United States Code. 

22 (b) ELEMENTS.—The report required under sub23 section (a) shall include— 

24 (1) an assessment of the Administration’s ef25 forts to comply with the policy; 


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1 (2) an explanation of criteria used to define 

2 compliance; 

3 (3) a description of programs, policies, and ac4 tivities the Administration is using, and will continue 

5 to use, to ensure compliance; 

6 (4) an explanation of how the Administration 

7 could expand on the efforts to comply; and 

8 (5) a summary of all current and planned ac9 tivities pursuant to this policy. 

10 (c) BARRIERS TO FULLEST COMMERCIAL USE OF

11 SPACE.—Not later than 90 days after the date of enact12 ment of this Act, the Administrator shall transmit to the 

13 Committee on Science, Space, and Technology of the 

14 House of Representatives and the Committee on Com15 merce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate a report 

16 on current and continuing efforts by the Administration 

17 to reduce impediments, bureaucracy, redundancy, and 

18 burdens to ensure the fullest commercial use of space as 

19 required by section 20102(c) of title 51, United States 

20 Code. 

21 SEC. 715. ORBITAL DEBRIS. 

22 (a) FINDINGS.—Congress finds that orbital debris 

23 poses serious risks to the operational space capabilities of 

24 the United States and that an international commitment 

25 and integrated strategic plan are needed to mitigate the 


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1 growth of orbital debris wherever possible. Congress finds 

2 the delay in the Office of Science and Technology Policy’s 

3 submission of a report on the status of international co4 ordination and development of mitigation strategies to be 

5 inconsistent with such risks. 

6 (b) REPORTS.— 

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

8 after the date of enactment of this Act, the Adminis9 trator shall provide the Committee on Science, 

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

12 Transportation of the Senate with a report on the 

13 status of efforts to coordinate with countries within 

14 the Inter-Agency Space Debris Coordination Com15 mittee to mitigate the effects and growth of orbital 

16 debris as required by section 1202(b)(1) of the Na17 tional Aeronautics and Space Administration Au18 thorization Act of 2010 (42 U.S.C. 18441(b)(1)). 

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

20 days after the date of enactment of this Act, the Di21 rector of the Office of Science and Technology Policy 

22 shall provide the Committee on Science, Space, and 

23 Technology of the House of Representatives and the 

24 Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transpor25 tation of the Senate with a report on the status of 


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1 the orbital debris mitigation strategy required under 

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

3 Space Administration Authorization Act of 2010 (42 

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

5 SEC. 716. REVIEW OF ORBITAL DEBRIS REMOVAL CON6 CEPTS. 

7 (a) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Con8 gress that the amount of orbital debris in low-Earth orbit 

9 poses risks for human activities and robotic spacecraft and 

10 that this debris may increase due to collisions between ex11 isting debris objects. Understanding options to address 

12 and remove orbital debris is important for ensuring safe 

13 and effective spacecraft operations in low-Earth orbit. 

14 (b) REVIEW.—The Administrator, in collaboration 

15 with other relevant Federal agencies, shall solicit and re16 view concepts and technological options for removing or17 bital debris from low-Earth orbit. The solicitation and re18 view shall also address the requirements for and feasibility 

19 of developing and implementing each of the options. 

20 (c) TRANSMITTAL.—Not later than 270 days after 

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

22 provide a report to the Committee on Science, Space, and 

23 Technology of the House of Representatives and the Com24 mittee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the 


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1 Senate on the solicitation and review required under sub2 section (b). 

3 SEC. 717. USE OF OPERATIONAL COMMERCIAL SUB4 ORBITAL VEHICLES FOR RESEARCH, DEVEL5 OPMENT, AND EDUCATION. 

6 (a) POLICY.—The Administrator shall develop a pol7 icy on the use of operational commercial reusable sub8 orbital flight vehicles for carrying out scientific and engi9 neering investigations and educational activities. 

10 (b) PLAN.—The Administrator shall prepare a plan 

11 on the Administration’s use of operational commercial re12 usable suborbital flight vehicles for carrying out scientific 

13 and engineering investigations and educational activities. 

14 The plan shall— 

15 (1) describe the purposes for which the Admin16 istration intends to use such vehicles; 

17 (2) describe the processes required to support 

18 such use, including the criteria used to determine 

19 which scientific and engineering investigations and 

20 educational activities are selected for a suborbital 

21 flight; 

22 (3) describe Administration, space flight oper23 ator, and supporting contractor responsibilities for 

24 developing standard payload interfaces and con25 ducting payload safety analyses, payload integration 


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1 and processing, payload operations, and safety as2 surance for Administration-sponsored space flight 

3 participants, among other functions required to fly 

4 Administration-sponsored payloads and space flight 

5 participants on operational commercial suborbital ve6 hicles; 

7 (4) identify Administration-provided hardware, 

8 software, or services that may be provided to com9 mercial reusable suborbital space flight operators on 

10 a cost-reimbursable basis, through agreements or 

11 contracts entered into under section 20113(e) of 

12 title 51, United States Code; and 

13 (5) describe the United States Government and 

14 space flight operator responsibilities for liability and 

15 indemnification with respect to commercial sub16 orbital vehicle flights that involve Administration17 sponsored payloads or activities, Administration-sup18 ported space flight participants, or other Adminis19 tration-related contributions. 

20 (c) ASSESSMENT OF CAPABILITIES AND RISKS.—The 

21 Administrator shall assess and characterize the potential 

22 capabilities and performance of commercial reusable sub23 orbital vehicles for addressing scientific research, includ24 ing research requiring access to low-gravity and micro25 gravity environments, for carrying out technology demVerDate Sep 11 2014 02:26 Apr 29, 2015 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00115 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H2039.IH H2039

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1 onstrations related to science, exploration, or space oper2 ations requirements, and for providing opportunities for 

3 educating and training space scientists and engineers, 

4 once those vehicles become operational. The assessment 

5 shall also characterize the risks of using potential commer6 cial reusable suborbital flights to Administration-spon7 sored researchers and scientific investigations and flight 

8 hardware. 

9 (d) TRANSMITTAL.—Not later than 1 year after the 

10 date of enactment of this Act, the Administrator shall 

11 transmit the plan and assessment described in subsections 

12 (b) and (c) to the Committee on Science, Space, and Tech13 nology of the House of Representatives and the Committee 

14 on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate. 

15 (e) ANNUAL PROGRESS REPORTS.—In conjunction 

16 with the Administration’s annual budget request justifica17 tion for each fiscal year, the Administrator shall transmit 

18 a report to the Committee on Science, Space, and Tech19 nology of the House of Representatives and the Committee 

20 on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate 

21 describing progress in carrying out the Commercial Reus22 able Suborbital Research Program, including the number 

23 and type of suborbital missions planned in each fiscal 

24 year. 


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1 (f) INDEMNIFICATION AND LIABILITY.—The Admin2 istrator shall not proceed with a request for proposals, 

3 award any contract, commit any United States Govern4 ment funds, or enter into any other agreement for the pro5 vision of a commercial reusable suborbital vehicle launch 

6 service for an Administration-sponsored spaceflight partic7 ipant until transmittal of the plan and assessment speci8 fied in subsections (b) and (c), the liability issues associ9 ated with the use of such systems by the United States 

10 Government have been addressed, and the liability and in11 demnification provisions that are planned to be included 

12 in such contracts or agreements have been provided to the 

13 Committee on Science, Space, and Technology of the 

14 House of Representatives and the Committee on Com15 merce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate. 

16 SEC. 718. FUNDAMENTAL SPACE LIFE AND PHYSICAL 

17 SCIENCES RESEARCH. 

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

19 that fundamental, discovery-based space life and physical 

20 sciences research is critical for enabling space exploration, 

21 protecting humans in space, and providing societal bene22 fits, and that the space environment facilitates the ad23 vancement of understanding of the life sciences and phys24 ical sciences. Space life and physical science research con25 tributes to advancing science, technology, engineering, and 


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1 mathematics research, and provides careers and training 

2 opportunities in academia, Federal laboratories, and com3 mercial industry. Congress encourages the Administrator 

4 to augment discovery-based fundamental research and to 

5 establish requirements reflecting the importance of such 

6 research in keeping with the priorities established in the 

7 National Academies’ decadal survey entitled ‘‘Recapturing 

8 a Future for Space Exploration: Life and Physical 

9 Sciences Research for a New Era’’. 

10 (b) BUDGET REQUEST.—The Administrator shall in11 clude as part of the Administration’s annual budget re12 quest for each fiscal year a budget line for fundamental 

13 space life and physical sciences research, devoted to com14 petitive, peer-reviewed grants, that is separate from the 

15 International Space Station Operations account. 

16 (c) STRATEGIC PLAN.— 

17 (1) DEVELOPMENT.—The Administrator, in 

18 consultation with academia, other Federal agencies, 

19 and other potential stakeholders, shall develop a 

20 strategic plan for carrying out competitive, peer-re21 viewed fundamental space life science and physical 

22 sciences and related technology research, among 

23 other activities, consistent with the priorities in the 

24 National Academies’ decadal survey described in 

25 subsection (a). 


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1 (2) TRANSMITTAL.—Not later than 270 days 

2 after the date of enactment of this Act, the Adminis3 trator shall transmit the strategic plan developed 

4 under paragraph (1) to the Committee on Science, 

5 Space, and Technology of the House of Representa6 tives and the Committee on Commerce, Science, and 

7 Transportation of the Senate. 

8 SEC. 719. RESTORING COMMITMENT TO ENGINEERING RE9 SEARCH. 

10 (a) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Con11 gress that engineering excellence has long been a hallmark 

12 of the Administration’s ability to make significant ad13 vances in aeronautics and space exploration. However, as 

14 has been noted in recent National Academies reports, in15 creasingly constrained funding and competing priorities 

16 have led to an erosion of the Administration’s commitment 

17 to basic engineering research. This research provides the 

18 basis for the technology development that enables the Ad19 ministration’s many challenging missions to succeed. If 

20 current trends continue, the Administration’s ability to at21 tract and maintain the best and brightest engineering 

22 workforce at its Centers as well as its ability to remain 

23 on the cutting edge of aeronautical and space technology 

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1 tion’s ability to be a world leader in aeronautics research 

2 and development and space exploration. 

3 (b) PLAN.—The Administrator shall develop a plan 

4 for restoring a meaningful basic engineering research pro5 gram at the Administration’s Centers, including, as appro6 priate, collaborations with industry, universities, and other 

7 relevant organizations. The plan shall identify the organi8 zational approach to be followed, an initial set of basic 

9 research priorities, and a proposed budget. 

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

11 of enactment of this Act, the Administrator shall transmit 

12 the plan specified in subsection (b) to the Committee on 

13 Science, Space, and Technology of the House of Rep14 resentatives and the Committee on Commerce, Science, 

15 and Transportation of the Senate. 

16 SEC. 720. LIQUID ROCKET ENGINE DEVELOPMENT PRO17 GRAM. 

18 The Administrator shall consult with the Secretary 

19 of Defense to ensure that any next generation liquid rock20 et engine made in the United States for national security 

21 space launch objectives can contribute, to the extent prac22 ticable, to the space programs and missions carried out 

23 by the Administration. 


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1 SEC. 721. REMOTE SATELLITE SERVICING DEMONSTRA2 TIONS. 

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

5 (1) the Administration plays a key role in dem6 onstrating the feasibility of using robotic tech7 nologies for a spacecraft that could autonomously 

8 access, inspect, repair, and refuel satellites; 

9 (2) demonstrating this feasibility would both as10 sist the Administration in its future missions and 

11 provide other Federal agencies and private sector en12 tities with enhanced confidence in the feasibility to 

13 robotically refuel, inspect, repair, and maintain their 

14 satellites in both near and distant orbits; and 

15 (3) the capability to refuel, inspect, repair, and 

16 maintain satellites robotically could add years of 

17 functional life to satellites. 

18 (b) REPORT.—Not later than 120 days after the date 

19 of enactment of this Act, the Administrator shall transmit 

20 a report 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 describing the Administration’s— 

24 (1) activities, tools, and techniques associated 

25 with the ultimate goal of autonomously servicing sat26 ellites using robotic spacecraft; 


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1 (2) efforts to coordinate its technology develop2 ment and demonstrations with other Federal agen3 cies and private sector entities that conduct pro4 grams, projects, or activities on on-orbit satellite in5 spection and servicing capabilities; 

6 (3) efforts to leverage the work of these Federal 

7 agencies and private sector entities into the Admin8 istration’s plans; 

9 (4) accomplishments to date in demonstrating 

10 various servicing technologies; 

11 (5) major technical and operational challenges 

12 encountered and mitigation measures taken; and 

13 (6) demonstrations needed to increase con14 fidence in the use of the technologies for operational 

15 missions, and the timeframe for these demonstra16 tions. 

17 SEC. 722. INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY GOVERNANCE. 

18 (a) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Con19 gress that information security is central to the Adminis20 tration’s ability to protect information and information 

21 systems vital to its mission. 

22 (b) STUDY.—The Comptroller General of the United 

23 States shall conduct a study to assess the effectiveness of 

24 the Administration’s Information Technology Governance. 

25 The study shall include an assessment of— 


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1 (1) the resources available for overseeing Ad2 ministration-wide information technology operations, 

3 investments, and security measures and the Chief 

4 Information Officer’s visibility into and access to 

5 those resources; 

6 (2) the effectiveness of the Administration’s de7 centralized information technology structure, deci8 sionmaking processes and authorities and its ability 

9 to enforce information security; and 

10 (3) the impact of providing the Chief Informa11 tion Officer approval authority over information 

12 technology investments that exceed a defined mone13 tary threshold and any potential impacts of the 

14 Chief Information Officer having such authority on 

15 the Administration’s missions, flights programs and 

16 projects, research activities, and Center operations. 

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

18 of enactment of this Act, the Comptroller General shall 

19 transmit a report detailing the results of the study con20 ducted under subsection (b) to the Committee on Science, 

21 Space, and Technology of the House of Representatives 

22 and the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transpor23 tation of the Senate. 


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1 SEC. 723. STRENGTHENING ADMINISTRATION SECURITY. 

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

4 (1) Following the public disclosure of security 

5 and export control violations at its research centers, 

6 the Administration contracted with the National 

7 Academy of Public Administration to conduct an 

8 independent assessment of how the Administration 

9 carried out Foreign National Access Management 

10 practices and other security matters. 

11 (2) The assessment by the National Academy of 

12 Public Administration concluded that ‘‘NASA net13 works are compromised’’, that the Administration 

14 lacked a standardized and systematic approach to 

15 export compliance, and that individuals within the 

16 Administration were not held accountable when 

17 making serious, preventable errors in carrying out 

18 Foreign National Access Management practices and 

19 other security matters. 

20 (b) REPORT.—Not later than 90 days after the date 

21 of enactment of this Act, the Administration shall report 

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 on how 

25 it plans to address each of the recommendations made in 

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1 lic Administration and the recommendations made by the 

2 Government Accountability Office and the Administra3 tion’s Office of the Inspector General regarding security 

4 and safeguarding export control information. 

5 (c) REVIEW.—Not later than 1 year after the date 

6 of enactment of this Act, the Comptroller General of the 

7 United States shall report to the Committee on Science, 

8 Space, and Technology of the House of Representatives 

9 and the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transpor10 tation of the Senate its assessment of how the Administra11 tion has complied with the recommendations described in 

12 subsection (b). 

13 SEC. 724. PROHIBITION ON USE OF FUNDS FOR CONTRAC14 TORS THAT HAVE COMMITTED FRAUD OR 

15 OTHER CRIMES. 

16 None of the funds authorized to be appropriated or 

17 otherwise made available for fiscal year 2016 or any fiscal 

18 year thereafter for the Administration may be used to 

19 enter into a contract with any offeror or any of its prin20 cipals if the offeror certifies, pursuant to the Federal Ac21 quisition Regulation, that the offeror or any of its prin22 cipals— 

23 (1) within a 3-year period preceding the offer 

24 has been convicted of or had a civil judgment ren25 dered against it for— 


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1 (A) commission of fraud or a criminal of2 fense in connection with obtaining, attempting 

3 to obtain, or performing a public (Federal, 

4 State, or local) contract or subcontract; 

5 (B) violation of Federal or State antitrust 

6 statutes relating to the submission of offers; or 

7 (C) commission of embezzlement, theft, 

8 forgery, bribery, falsification or destruction of 

9 records, making false statements, tax evasion, 

10 violating Federal criminal tax laws, or receiving 

11 stolen property; 

12 (2) are presently indicted for, or otherwise 

13 criminally or civilly charged by a governmental enti14 ty with, commission of any of the offenses enumer15 ated in paragraph (1); or 

16 (3) within a 3-year period preceding the offer, 

17 has been notified of any delinquent Federal taxes in 

18 an amount that exceeds $3,000 for which the liabil19 ity remains unsatisfied. 

20 SEC. 725. PROTECTION OF APOLLO LANDING SITES. 

21 (a) ASSESSMENT.—The Director of the Office of 

22 Science and Technology Policy, in consultation with all rel23 evant agencies of the Federal Government and other ap24 propriate entities and individuals, shall carry out a review 

25 and assessment of the issues involved in protecting and 


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1 preserving historically important Apollo Program lunar 

2 landing sites and Apollo program artifacts residing on the 

3 lunar surface, including those pertaining to Apollo 11 and 

4 Apollo 17. The review and assessment shall, at a min5 imum, include determination of what risks to the protec6 tion and preservation of those sites and artifacts exist or 

7 may exist in the future, what measures are required to 

8 ensure such protection and preservation, the extent to 

9 which additional domestic legislation or international trea10 ties or agreements will be required, and specific rec11 ommendations for protecting and preserving those lunar 

12 landing sites and artifacts. 

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

14 of enactment of this Act, the Director shall transmit to 

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

16 House of Representatives and the Committee on Com17 merce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate the re18 sults of the assessment required under subsection (a). 

19 SEC. 726. ASTRONAUT OCCUPATIONAL HEALTHCARE. 

20 (a) IN GENERAL.—The National Academies’ Insti21 tute of Medicine report ‘‘Health Standards for Long Du22 ration and Exploration Spaceflight: Ethics Principles, Re23 sponsibilities, and Decision Framework’’ found that the 

24 Administration has ethical responsibilities for and should 

25 adopt policies and processes related to health standards 


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1 for long duration and exploration spaceflights that recog2 nize those ethical responsibilities. In particular, the report 

3 recommended that the Administration ‘‘provide preventa4 tive long-term health screening and surveillance of astro5 nauts and lifetime health care to protect their health, sup6 port ongoing evaluation of health standards, improve mis7 sion safety, and reduce risks for current and future astro8 nauts’’. 

9 (b) RESPONSE.—The Administration shall prepare a 

10 response to the National Academies report recommenda11 tion described in subsection (a). The response shall include 

12 the estimated budgetary resources required for the imple13 mentation of those recommendations, and any options that 

14 might be considered as part of the response. 

15 (c) TRANSMITTAL.—The response required under 

16 subsection (b) shall be transmitted to the Committee on 

17 Science, Space, and Technology of the House of Rep18 resentatives and the Committee on Commerce, Science, 

19 and Transportation of the Senate not later than 6 months 

20 after the date of enactment of this Act. 

21 SEC. 727. SENSE OF CONGRESS ON ACCESS TO OBSERVA22 TIONAL DATA SETS. 

23 It is the sense of Congress that the Administration 

24 should prioritize the development of tools and interfaces 

25 that make publicly available observational data sets more 


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1 easy to access, analyze, manipulate, and understand for 

2 students, teachers, and the American public at large, with 

3 a particular focus on K–12 and undergraduate STEM 

4 education settings. 

Æ 


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