SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘International Space
Station Authorization Act of 1995’’.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
The Congress finds that—
(1) the development, assembly, and operation of
the International Space Station is in the national in-
terest of the United States;
(2) the National Aeronautics and Space Admin-
istration has restructured and redesigned the Inter-
national Space Station, consolidated contract respon-
sibility, and achieved program management, control,
and stability;
(3) the significant involvement by private ven-
tures in marketing and using, competitively servicing,
and commercially augmenting the operational capa-
bilities of the International Space Station during its
assembly and operational phases will lower costs and
increase benefits to the international partners;
(4) further rescoping or redesigns of the Inter-
national Space Station will lead to costly delays, in-
crease costs to its international partners, discourage
commercial involvement, and weaken the inter-
national space partnership necessary for future space
projects;
(5) total program costs for development, assem-
bly, and initial operations have been identified and
capped to ensure financial discipline and maintain
program schedule milestones;
(6) in order to contain costs, mission planning
and engineering functions of the National Space
Transportation System (Space Shuttle) program
should be coordinated with the Space Station Pro-
gram Office;
(7) complete program authorizations for large
development programs promote program stability, re-
duce the potential for cost growth, and provide nec-
essary assurance to international partners and com-
mercial participants; and
(8) the International Space Station represents
an important component of an adequately funded
civil space program which balances human space
flight with science, aeronautics, and technology.
SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS.
For the purposes of this Act—
(1) the term ‘‘Administrator’’ means the Admin-
istrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Ad-
ministration; and
(2) the term ‘‘cost threat’’ means a potential
change to the program baseline documented as a po-
tential cost by the Space Station Program Office.
SEC. 4. SPACE STATION COMPLETE PROGRAM AUTHORIZA-
TION.
(a) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—Except as
provided in subsection (b), there are authorized to be appro-
priated to the National Aeronautics and Space Administra-
tion for the period encompassing fiscal year 1996 and all
subsequent fiscal years not to exceed $13,141,000,000, to re-
main available until expended, for complete development
and assembly of, and to provide for initial operations,
through fiscal year 2002, of, the International Space Sta-
tion. Not more than $2,121,000,000 may be appropriated
for any one fiscal year.
(b) CERTIFICATION AND REPORT.—None of the funds
authorized under subsection (a) may be appropriated for
any fiscal year unless, within 60 days after the submission
of the President’s budget request for that fiscal year, the
Administrator—
(1) certifies to the Congress that—
(A) the program reserves available for such
fiscal year exceed the total of all cost threats
known at the time of certification;
(B) the Administrator does not foresee
delays in the International Space Station’s de-
velopment or assembly, including any delays re-
lating to agreements between the United States
and its international partners; and
(C) the International Space Station can be
fully developed and assembled without requiring
further authorization of appropriations beyond
amounts authorized under subsection (a); or
(2) submits to the Congress a report which de-
scribes—
(A) the circumstances which prevent a cer-
tification under paragraph (1);
(B) remedial actions undertaken or to be
undertaken with respect to such circumstances;
(C) the effects of such circumstances on the
development and assembly of the International
Space Station; and
(D) the justification for proceeding with the
program, if appropriate.
If the Administrator submits a report under paragraph (2),
such report shall include any comments relating thereto
submitted to the Administrator by any involved party.
(c) NEUTRAL BUOYANCY LABORATORY.—The Adminis-
trator is authorized to exercise an option to purchase, for
not more than $35,000,000, the Clear Lake Development
Facility, containing the Sonny Carter Training Facility
and the approximately 13.7 acre parcel of land on which
it is located, using funds authorized by this Act.
SEC. 5. COORDINATION WITH SPACE SHUTTLE.
The Administrator shall—
(1) coordinate the engineering functions of the
Space Shuttle program with the Space Station Pro-
gram Office to minimize overlapping activities; and
(2) in the interest of safety and the successful in-
tegration of human spacecraft development with
human spaceflight operations, maintain at one lead
center the complementary capabilities of human
spacecraft engineering and astronaut training.
SEC. 6. COMMERCIALIZATION OF SPACE STATION.
(a) POLICY.—The Congress declares that a priority
goal of constructing the International Space Station is the
economic development of Earth orbital space. The Congress
further declares that the use of free market principles in
operating, allocating the use of, and adding capabilities to
the Space Station, and the resulting fullest possible engage-
ment of commercial providers and participation of commer-
cial users, will reduce Space Station operational costs for
all partners and the Federal Government’s share of the
United States burden to fund operations.
(b) REPORT.—The Administrator shall deliver to the
Congress, within 60 days after the submission of the Presi-
dent’s budget request for fiscal year 1997, a market study
that examines the role of commercial ventures which could
supply, use, service, or augment the International Space
Station, the specific policies and initiatives the Adminis-
trator is advancing to encourage these commercial opportu-
nities, the cost savings to be realized by the international
partnership from applying commercial approaches to cost-
shared operations, and the cost reimbursements to the Unit-
ed States Federal Government from commercial users of the
Space Station.
SEC. 7. SENSE OF CONGRESS.
It is the sense of Congress that the ‘‘cost incentive fee’’
single prime contract negotiated by the National Aero-
nautics and Space Administration for the International
Space Station, and the consolidation of programmatic and
financial accountability into a single Space Station Pro-
gram Office, are two examples of reforms for the reinvention
of all National Aeronautics and Space Administration pro-
grams that should be applied as widely and as quickly as
possible throughout the Nation’s civil space program.
SEC. 8. SPACE STATION ACCOUNTING REPORT.
Within one year after the date of enactment of this
Act, and annually thereafter, the Administrator shall trans-
mit to the Congress a report with a complete annual ac-
counting of all costs of the space station, including cash
and other payments to Russia.
Passed the House of Representatives September 28,
1995.
Attest:
Clerk.