108TH CONGRESS

2D SESSION H. R. 912

AN ACT

To authorize the Administrator of the National

Aeronautics and Space Administration to establish an awards program in honor of Charles‘‘Pete’’ Conrad, astronaut and space scientist, forrecognizing the discoveries made by amateur astronomers of asteroids with near-Earth orbit trajectories.

108TH CONGRESS

2D SESSION H. R. 912

AN ACT

To authorize the Administrator of the National Aeronautics

and Space Administration to establish an awards program in honor of Charles ‘‘Pete’’ Conrad, astronaut and

space scientist, for recognizing the discoveries made by

amateur astronomers of asteroids with near-Earth orbit

trajectories.
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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 ‘‘Charles ‘Pete’ Conrad

5 Astronomy Awards Act’’.

6 SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.

7 For the purposes of this Act—

8 (1) the term ‘‘Administrator’’ means the Ad9 ministrator of the National Aeronautics and Space

10 Administration;

11 (2) the term ‘‘amateur astronomer’’ means an

12 individual whose employer does not provide any

13 funding, payment, or compensation to the individual

14 for the observation of asteroids and other celestial

15 bodies, and does not include any individual employed

16 as a professional astronomer;

17 (3) the term ‘‘Minor Planet Center’’ means the

18 Minor Planet Center of the Smithsonian Astro19 physical Observatory;

20 (4) the term ‘‘near-Earth asteroid’’ means an

21 asteroid with a perihelion distance of less than 1.3

22 Astronomical Units from the Sun; and

23 (5) the term ‘‘Program’’ means the Charles

24 ‘‘Pete’’ Conrad Astronomy Awards Program estab25 lished under section 3.
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1 SEC. 3. PETE CONRAD ASTRONOMY AWARD PROGRAM.

2 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Administrator shall establish

3 the Charles ‘‘Pete’’ Conrad Astronomy Awards Program.

4 (b) AWARDS.—The Administrator shall make awards

5 under the Program based on the recommendations of the

6 Minor Planet Center.

7 (c) AWARD CATEGORIES.—The Administrator shall

8 make one annual award, unless there are no eligible dis9 coveries or contributions, for each of the following cat10 egories:

11 (1) The amateur astronomer or group of ama12 teur astronomers who in the preceding calendar year

13 discovered the intrinsically brightest near-Earth as14 teroid among the near-Earth asteroids that were dis15 covered during that year by amateur astronomers or

16 groups of amateur astronomers.

17 (2) The amateur astronomer or group of ama18 teur astronomers who made the greatest contribu19 tion to the Minor Planet Center’s mission of cata20 loguing near-Earth asteroids during the preceding

21 year.

22 (d) AWARD AMOUNT.—An award under the Program

23 shall be in the amount of $3,000.

24 (e) GUIDELINES.—(1) No individual who is not a cit25 izen or permanent resident of the United States at the
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1 time of his discovery or contribution may receive an award

2 under this Act.

3 (2) The decisions of the Administrator in making

4 awards under this Act are final.

5 (f) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—From

6 sums otherwise authorized to be appropriated, there are

7 authorized to be appropriated such sums as may be nec8 essary to carry out this Act.

Passed the House of Representatives March 3,

2004.

Attest:

Clerk.