I

103D CONGRESS

1ST SESSION H. R. 2522

To authorize appropriations for the design and construction of a hypersonic

research airplane as part of the National Aerospace Plane Program,

and for other purposes.

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

JUNE 24, 1993

Mr. BROWN of California introduced the following bill; which was referred to

the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology

A BILL

To authorize appropriations for the design and construction

of a hypersonic research airplane as part of the National

Aerospace Plane Program, 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.

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Hypersonic Research

5 Airplane Authorization Act of 1993’’.

6 SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

7 The Congress finds the following:

8 (1) The timely development in the United

9 States of a single-stage-to-orbit, air-breathing aero-
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1 space plane is expected to result in a major reduc2 tion of the cost of payload delivery into space, and

3 could therefore provide the United States aerospace

4 industry with a major competitive boost in inter5 national markets in the twenty-first century.

6 (2) There are significant strategic advantages

7 associated with having access to a hypersonic aero8 space plane.

9 (3) The recently restructured National Aero10 space Plane Program, under which the decision to

11 design and construct an X–30 aircraft has been in12 definitely deferred, has lost sight of the initial goal

13 of the Program, which was the timely development

14 of a single-stage-to-orbit hypersonic research air15 plane with an air-breathing engine and the capability

16 to take off and land from a runway.

17 (4) To provide the proper focus for the Na18 tional Aerospace Plane Program and to obtain suffi19 cient data for the timely development of a single20 stage-to-orbit hypersonic aircraft, the Program must

21 include the development, in the near future, of a

22 hypersonic research airplane which will push the lim23 its of the flight envelope using existing technology.

24 (5) The timely deployment of a hypersonic re25 search airplane will decrease the overall technical
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1 uncertainty, size, and cost of eventually building a

2 single-stage-to-orbit airplane.

3 SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS.

4 For the purposes of this Act:

5 (1) The term ‘‘National Aerospace Plane’’

6 means an airplane which—

7 (A) utilizes single-stage-to-orbit technology;

8 (B) relies on air-breathing propulsion to

9 achieve orbital speeds;

10 (C) utilizes technology with the potential to

11 reduce substantially the cost of delivery of pay12 loads to orbit; and

13 (D) can take off and land on a runway.

14 (2) The term ‘‘hypersonic research airplane’’

15 means an airplane which—

16 (A) utilizes air-breathing propulsion and

17 carries no payload except for a pilot and nec18 essary instrumentation;

19 (B) is a precursor of the National Aero20 space Plane and is instrumented to collect

21 hypersonic aerodynamic and combustion data in

22 the speed regime beyond Mach 8; and

23 (C) extends flight envelope boundaries by

24 flying at speeds that push the limits of tech-
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1 nology developed as of the date of the enact2 ment of this Act.

3 (3) The term ‘‘single-stage-to-orbit’’ means a

4 technology which enables an aircraft to fly into orbit

5 from a runway without expendable booster rockets.

6 (4) The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means the Secretary

7 of Defense.

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

10 Administration.

11 (6) The term ‘‘development’’ means design, con12 struction, and initial testing.

13 SEC. 4. DEVELOPMENT OF A HYPERSONIC RESEARCH AIR14 PLANE.

15 (a) SUBMISSION OF PLAN.—Within 180 days after

16 the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary and

17 the Administrator shall jointly submit to the Congress a

18 plan for the National Aerospace Plane Program. In devel19 oping the plan, the Secretary and the Administrator shall

20 consider existing independent proposals which meet the

21 purposes of the plan. The plan shall—

22 (1) contain specific plans for the development of

23 a hypersonic research airplane that costs not more

24 than $5,000,000,000, and the first flight of which is
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1 within 5 years after the date of the enactment of

2 this Act; and

3 (2) have the objective of achieving single-stage4 to-orbit with the airplane referred to in paragraph

5 (1) or with a research aircraft that is the follow-on

6 to such an airplane.

7 (b) PARTICIPATION BY OTHER ENTITIES.—The Sec8 retary and the Administrator may enter into arrange9 ments with Federal agencies, States, universities, non10 profit entities, industry, international sources, or other

11 persons, or with consortia thereof, for participation in the

12 research, development, design, construction, and operation

13 of the hypersonic research airplane referred to in sub14 section (a)(1) and the National Aerospace Plane, except

15 that any such arrangement may not jeopardize the strate16 gic advantage to the United States to be gained from the

17 National Aerospace Plane Program.

18 (c) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There

19 are authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary and

20 the Administrator a total of $5,000,000,000 for fiscal

21 years 1995 through 2000 to carry out the plan referred

22 to in subsection (a). No funds appropriated pursuant to

23 this subsection may be obligated until 60 days after the

24 submission of the plan under subsection (a)(1).

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