(d) APPLICATION.—An individual seeking a scholar-
ship under this section shall submit an application to the 
Administrator at such time, in such manner, and con-
taining such information, agreements, or assurances as 
the Administrator may require. 
(e) LIST OF ACADEMIC PROGRAMS AND FIELDS OF 
STUDY.—The Administrator shall make publicly available 
a list of academic programs and fields of study for which 
scholarships under the Program may be utilized and shall 
update the list as necessary. 
(f) PROVIDING SCHOLARSHIPS.— 
(1) REQUIRED ACADEMIC DEGREE PROGRAM.— 
The Administrator may provide a scholarship under 
the Program for an academic year if the individual 
applying for the scholarship has submitted to the 
Administrator, as part of the application required 
under subsection (d), a proposed academic program 
leading to a degree in a program or field of study 
on the list made available under subsection (e). 
(2) FOUR-YEAR
LIMITATION.—An individual 
may not receive a scholarship under this section for 
more than 4 academic years, unless the Adminis-
trator grants a waiver. 
(3) AMOUNT.—The dollar amount of a scholar-
ship under this section for an academic year shall be
determined under regulations issued by the Adminis-
trator, but shall in no case exceed the cost of attend-
ance. 
(4) USE.—A scholarship provided under this 
section may be expended for tuition, fees, and other 
authorized expenses as established by the Adminis-
trator by regulation. 
(5) DIRECT PAYMENTS TO INSTITUTIONS.—The 
Administrator may enter into a contractual agree-
ment with an institution of higher education under 
which the amounts provided for a scholarship under 
this section for tuition, fees, and other authorized 
expenses are paid directly to the institution with re-
spect to which the scholarship is provided. 
(g) PERIOD OF SERVICE.— 
(1) DURATION.—The period of service for 
which an individual shall be obligated to serve as an 
employee of the Administration is, except as pro-
vided in subsection (i)(2), 24 months for each aca-
demic year for which a scholarship under this sec-
tion is provided. 
(2) START DATE.— 
(A) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided in 
subparagraph (B), obligated service under para-
graph (1) shall begin not later than 60 days
after the individual obtains the educational de-
gree for which the scholarship was provided. 
(B) 
DEFERMENT.—The 
Administrator 
may defer the obligation of an individual to pro-
vide a period of service under paragraph (1) if 
the Administrator determines that such a 
deferment is appropriate. The Administrator 
shall prescribe the terms and conditions under 
which a service obligation may be deferred 
through regulation. 
(h) BREACH AND LIABILITY FOR REPAYMENT.— 
(1) FAILURE
TO
COMPLETE
ACADEMIC
PRO-
GRAM.—Scholarship recipients who fail to maintain 
a high level of academic standing, as defined by the 
Administrator by regulation, who are dismissed from 
their educational institutions for disciplinary rea-
sons, or who voluntarily terminate academic training 
before graduation from the educational program for 
which the scholarship was awarded, shall be in 
breach of their contractual agreement and, in lieu of 
any service obligation arising under such agreement, 
shall be liable to the United States for repayment 
within one year after the date of default of all schol-
arship funds paid to them and to the institution of 
higher education on their behalf under the agree-
ment, except as provided in subsection (i)(2). The 
repayment period may be extended by the Adminis-
trator when determined to be necessary, as estab-
lished by regulation. 
(2) FAILURE
TO
FULFILL
SERVICE
OBLIGA-
TION.— 
(A) BREACH
OF
CONTRACTUAL
AGREE-
MENT.—A scholarship recipient who, for any 
reason, fails to begin or complete the recipient’s 
service obligation after completion of academic 
training, or fails to comply with the terms and 
conditions of deferment established by the Ad-
ministrator pursuant to subsection (g)(2)(B), 
shall be in breach of the recipient’s contractual 
agreement. 
(B) LIABILITY TO UNITED STATES.—A re-
cipient in breach of the recipient’s contractual 
agreement under subparagraph (A) shall be lia-
ble to the United States for an amount equal 
to 3 times the sum of— 
(i) the total amount of scholarships 
received by the recipient under this section; 
plus 
(ii) the interest on the amounts of the 
awards which would be payable if at the
time the awards were received they were 
loans bearing interest at the maximum 
legal prevailing rate, as determined by the 
Treasurer of the United States. 
(i) CANCELLATION, WAIVER, AND SUSPENSION OF 
OBLIGATIONS.— 
(1) DEATH.—Any obligation of an individual 
incurred under the Program (or a contractual agree-
ment thereunder) for service or payment shall be 
canceled upon the death of the individual. 
(2) IMPOSSIBILITY OR EXTREME HARDSHIP.— 
The Administrator shall by regulation provide for 
the partial or total waiver or suspension of any obli-
gation of service or payment incurred by an indi-
vidual under the Program (or a contractual agree-
ment thereunder) whenever compliance by the indi-
vidual is impossible or would involve extreme hard-
ship to the individual, or if enforcement of such obli-
gation with respect to the individual would be con-
trary to the best interests of the Government. 
(j) APPROPRIATIONS.— 
(1) AUTHORIZATION.—There is authorized to 
be appropriated to the Administration for the Pro-
gram $10,000,000 for each fiscal year.
(2) 
AVAILABILITY.—Amounts 
appropriated 
under this section shall remain available for 2 fiscal 
years. 
(k) TEMPORARY INTERNSHIPS.—The Administrator 
may provide temporary internships to full-time students 
enrolled in an undergraduate or post-graduate program 
leading to an advanced degree in an aerospace-related or 
aviation safety-related field of endeavor. 
SUBCHAPTER VIII—SAFETY 
§ 581. Drug and alcohol testing 
(a) FINDINGS.—Congress finds that— 
(1) alcohol abuse and illegal drug use pose sig-
nificant dangers to the safety and welfare of the Na-
tion; 
(2) the success of the United States civil space 
program is contingent upon the safe and successful 
development and deployment of the many varied 
components of that program; 
(3) the greatest efforts must be expended to 
eliminate the abuse of alcohol and use of illegal 
drugs, whether on duty or off duty, by those individ-
uals who are involved in the positions affecting safe-
ty, security, and national security; 
(4) the use of alcohol and illegal drugs has been 
demonstrated to adversely affect the performance of