I 

115TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 870 

To direct the National Aeronautics and Space Administration to plan to 

return to the Moon and develop a sustained human presence on the Moon. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

FEBRUARY 3, 2017 

Mr. POSEY (for himself, Ms. JACKSON LEE, and Mr. BABIN) introduced the 

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

and Technology 

A BILL 

To direct the National Aeronautics and Space Administration 

to plan to return to the Moon and develop a sustained 

human presence on the Moon. 

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. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Reasserting American 

5 Leadership in Space Act’’ or the ‘‘REAL Space Act’’. 

6 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

7 Congress finds the following: 

8 (1) The 109th Congress passed the National 

9 Aeronautics and Space Administration Authorization 


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1 Act of 2005 overwhelmingly, establishing as the Na2 tional Aeronautics and Space Administration’s pri3 ority human space flight goal: ‘‘To develop a sus4 tained human presence on the Moon . . . to promote 

5 exploration, commerce, science, and United States 

6 preeminence in space as a stepping stone for the fu7 ture exploration of Mars and other destinations.’’. 

8 (2) The 110th Congress overwhelmingly re9 affirmed the vision of returning to the Moon as an 

10 integral part of exploring further into our solar sys11 tem through the passage of the National Aero12 nautics and Space Administration Authorization Act 

13 of 2008, expressing support for ‘‘the broad goals of 

14 the space exploration policy of the United States, in15 cluding the eventual return to and exploration of the 

16 Moon and other destinations in the solar system and 

17 the important national imperative of independent ac18 cess to space’’. 

19 (3) The 111th Congress, in the National Aero20 nautics and Space Administration Authorization Act 

21 of 2010, called for the development of a super heavy 

22 lift capability of greater than 130 metric tons con23 sisting of the Space Launch System (SLS) and 

24 Orion Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle (MPCV) to purVerDate Sep 11 2014 21:33 Feb 13, 2017 Jkt 069200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H870.IH H870

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1 sue exploration, yet fell short on explicitly stating a 

2 clear destination. 

3 (4) The 112th, 113th, and 114th Congresses 

4 have reaffirmed this commitment to the development 

5 of a super heavy lift capability and exploration 

6 spacecraft in authorization and appropriations bills. 

7 (5) A sustained human presence on the Moon 

8 will allow astronauts and researchers the oppor9 tunity to leverage new technologies in addressing the 

10 challenges of sustaining life on another celestial 

11 body, lessons which are necessary and applicable as 

12 we explore further into our solar system, to Mars 

13 and beyond. 

14 (6) A sustained human presence on the Moon 

15 would once again inspire and engage public interest 

16 in our space program, motivating young people to 

17 excel in the vital subjects of math and science, sub18 jects in which American students lag behind our 

19 international competitors. 

20 (7) A sustained human presence on the Moon 

21 would challenge American industry to continue to 

22 develop technologies that not only enhance our ex23 ploration programs but can be applied across all dis24 ciplines of science. 


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1 (8) The commercial applications of space tech2 nologies have had tens of billions of dollars in eco3 nomic impact, including products from semiconduc4 tors and aircraft controls to scratch-resistant lenses 

5 and water purification systems. 

6 (9) There is growing commercial interest among 

7 United States companies in developing systems, like 

8 landers, habitats and surveying technology, as part 

9 of a National Aeronautics and Space Administra10 tion-led return to the Moon. 

11 (10) The healthcare technologies derived from 

12 our space program, such as the portable x-ray ma13 chine, the MRI, advanced life-saving diagnostics, 

14 and the implantable heart aid, have saved and im15 proved countless lives. 

16 (11) Space is the world’s ultimate high ground, 

17 and returning to the Moon and reinvigorating our 

18 human space flight program is a matter of national 

19 security. 

20 (12) Technologies developed and sustained by 

21 the National Aeronautics and Space Administra22 tion’s human space flight program, such as liquid 

23 and solid rocket propulsion, environmental and life 

24 support systems, and communications, navigation, 

25 and control systems are important to our military. 


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1 (13) China and Russia, understanding the eco2 nomic and strategic importance of human space 

3 flight, have declared their intentions of colonizing 

4 the Moon and are advancing their lunar exploration 

5 plans. 

6 (14) It is strategically important that the 

7 United States possess and maintain the capabilities 

8 of unfettered operation in the cislunar space domain, 

9 and not cede this domain to other nations. 

10 SEC. 3. MISSION. 

11 In accordance with the National Aeronautics and 

12 Space Administration Authorization Act of 2005, which 

13 established as the National Aeronautics and Space Admin14 istration’s priority goal: ‘‘To develop a sustained human 

15 presence on the Moon . . . to promote exploration, com16 merce, science, and United States preeminence in space 

17 as a stepping stone for the future exploration of Mars and 

18 other destinations’’, and in accordance with the National 

19 Aeronautics and Space Administration Authorization Act 

20 of 2008, which endorsed ‘‘the broad goals of the space ex21 ploration policy of the United States, including the even22 tual return to and exploration of the Moon and other des23 tinations in the solar system and the important national 

24 imperative of independent access to space’’, the National 

25 Aeronautics and Space Administration shall plan to return 


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1 to the Moon by 2023 and develop a sustained human pres2 ence on the Moon, in order to promote exploration, com3 merce, science, and United States preeminence in space 

4 as a stepping stone for the future exploration of Mars and 

5 other destinations. The budget requests and expenditures 

6 of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration 

7 shall be consistent with achieving this goal. 

Æ 


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