technology disciplines. Awards shall be made pursuant to standards estab-
lished for the fellowship program by the Administrator. 
§ 40903. Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive 
Research—merit grant competition requirements 
(a) DEFINITION OF ELIGIBLE STATE.—In this section, the term ‘‘eligible 
State’’ means a State designated by the Administrator as eligible to compete 
in the National Science Foundation’s Experimental Program to Stimulate 
Competitive Research. 
(b) COMPETITION.—Making use of the existing infrastructure established 
in eligible States by the National Science Foundation, the Administrator 
shall conduct a merit grant competition among the eligible States in areas 
of research important to the mission of the Administration. With respect to 
a grant application by an eligible State, the Administrator shall consider— 
(1) the application’s merit and relevance to the mission of the Ad-
ministration; 
(2) the potential for the grant to serve as a catalyst to enhance the 
ability of researchers in the State to become more competitive for reg-
ular Administration funding; 
(3) the potential for the grant to improve the environment for 
science, mathematics, and engineering education in the State; and 
(4) the need to ensure the maximum distribution of grants among 
eligible States, consistent with merit. 
(c) SUPPLEMENTAL GRANTS.—The Administrator shall endeavor, where 
appropriate, to supplement grants made under subsection (b) with such 
grants for fellowships, traineeships, equipment, or instrumentation as are 
available. 
(d) INFORMATION IN ANNUAL BUDGET SUBMISSION.—In order to ensure 
that research expertise and talent throughout the Nation is developed and 
engaged in Administration research and education activities, the Adminis-
tration shall, as part of its annual budget submission, detail additional steps 
that can be taken to further integrate the participating eligible States in 
both existing and new or emerging Administration research programs and 
center activities. 
§ 40904. Microgravity research 
The Administrator shall— 
(1) ensure the capacity to support ground-based research leading to 
space-based basic and applied scientific research in a variety of dis-
ciplines with potential direct national benefits and applications that can 
be advanced significantly from the uniqueness of microgravity and the 
space environment; and 
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(2) carry out, to the maximum extent practicable, basic, applied, and 
commercial International Space Station research in fields such as mo-
lecular crystal growth, animal research, basic fluid physics, combustion 
research, cellular biotechnology, low-temperature physics, and cellular 
research at a level that will sustain the existing United States scientific 
expertise and research capability in microgravity research. 
§ 40905. Program to expand distance learning in rural un-
derserved areas 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Administrator shall develop or expand programs 
to extend science and space educational outreach to rural communities and 
schools through video conferencing, interpretive exhibits, teacher education, 
classroom presentations, and student field trips. 
(b) PRIORITIES.—In carrying out subsection (a), the Administrator shall 
give priority to existing programs, including Challenger Learning Centers— 
(1) that utilize community-based partnerships in the field; 
(2) that build and maintain video conference and exhibit capacity; 
(3) that travel directly to rural communities and serve low-income 
populations; and 
(4) with a special emphasis on increasing the number of women and 
minorities in the science and engineering professions. 
§ 40906. Equal access to the Administration’s education pro-
grams 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Administrator shall strive to ensure equal access 
for minority and economically disadvantaged students to the Administra-
tion’s education programs. 
(b) REPORT.—Every 2 years, the Administrator shall submit a report to 
the Committee on Science and Technology of the House of Representatives 
and the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Sen-
ate describing the efforts by the Administrator to ensure equal access for 
minority and economically disadvantaged students under this section and 
the results of such efforts. As part of the report, the Administrator shall 
provide— 
(1) data on minority participation in the Administration’s education 
programs, at a minimum in the categories of— 
(A) elementary and secondary education; 
(B) undergraduate education; and 
(C) graduate education; and 
(2) the total value of grants the Administration made to Historically 
Black Colleges and Universities and to Hispanic Serving Institutions 
through education programs during the period covered by the report. 
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(c) PROGRAM.—The Administrator shall establish the Dr. Mae C. 
Jemison Grant Program to work with Minority Serving Institutions to bring 
more women of color into the field of space and aeronautics. 
§ 40907. Museums 
The Administrator may provide grants to, and enter into cooperative 
agreements with, museums and planetariums to enable them to enhance 
programs related to space exploration, aeronautics, space science, Earth 
science, or microgravity. 
§ 40908. Continuation of certain education programs 
From amounts appropriated to the Administration for education pro-
grams, the Administrator shall ensure the continuation of the Space Grant 
Program, the Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research, 
and, consistent with the results of the review under section 614 of the Na-
tional Aeronautics and Space Administration Authorization Act of 2005 
(Public Law 109–155, 119 Stat. 2933), the Administration Explorer School 
program, to motivate and develop the next generation of explorers. 
§ 40909. Compliance with title IX of Education Amendments 
of 1972 
To comply with title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 (20 
U.S.C. 1681 et seq.), the Administrator shall conduct compliance reviews 
of at least 2 grantees annually. 
Subtitle V—Programs Targeting 
Commercial Opportunities 
CHAPTER 501—SPACE COMMERCE 
SUBCHAPTER I—GENERAL 
Sec. 
50101.
Definitions. 
SUBCHAPTER II—PROMOTION OF COMMERCIAL SPACE OPPORTUNITIES 
50111.
Commercialization of Space Station. 
50112.
Promotion of United States Global Positioning System standards. 
50113.
Acquisition of space science data. 
50114.
Administration of commercial space centers. 
50115.
Sources of Earth science data. 
50116.
Commercial technology transfer program. 
SUBCHAPTER III—FEDERAL ACQUISITION OF SPACE TRANSPORTATION 
SERVICES 
50131.
Requirement to procure commercial space transportation services. 
50132.
Acquisition of commercial space transportation services. 
50133.
Shuttle privatization. 
50134.
Use of excess intercontinental ballistic missiles. 
SUBCHAPTER I—GENERAL 
§ 50101. Definitions 
In this chapter: 
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(1) COMMERCIAL
PROVIDER.—The term ‘‘commercial provider’’ 
means any person providing space transportation services or other 
space-related activities, primary control of which is held by persons 
other than Federal, State, local, and foreign governments. 
(2) PAYLOAD.—The term ‘‘payload’’ means anything that a person 
undertakes to transport to, from, or within outer space, or in suborbital 
trajectory, by means of a space transportation vehicle, but does not in-
clude the space transportation vehicle itself except for its components 
which are specifically designed or adapted for that payload. 
(3) SPACE-RELATED ACTIVITIES.—The term ‘‘space-related activi-
ties’’ includes research and development, manufacturing, processing, 
service, and other associated and support activities. 
(4) SPACE TRANSPORTATION SERVICES.—The term ‘‘space transpor-
tation services’’ means the preparation of a space transportation vehicle 
and its payloads for transportation to, from, or within outer space, or 
in suborbital trajectory, and the conduct of transporting a payload to, 
from, or within outer space, or in suborbital trajectory. 
(5) SPACE TRANSPORTATION VEHICLE.—The term ‘‘space transpor-
tation vehicle’’ means any vehicle constructed for the purpose of oper-
ating in, or transporting a payload to, from, or within, outer space, or 
in suborbital trajectory, and includes any component of such vehicle not 
specifically designed or adapted for a payload. 
(6) STATE.—The term ‘‘State’’ means each of the several States of 
the Union, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto 
Rico, the Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, the Commonwealth 
of the Northern Mariana Islands, and any other commonwealth, terri-
tory, or possession of the United States. 
(7) UNITED STATES COMMERCIAL PROVIDER.—The term ‘‘United 
States commercial provider’’ means a commercial provider, organized 
under the laws of the United States or of a State, that is— 
(A) more than 50 percent owned by United States nationals; or 
(B) a subsidiary of a foreign company and the Secretary of 
Transportation finds that— 
(i) such subsidiary has in the past evidenced a substantial 
commitment to the United States market through— 
(I) investments in the United States in long-term re-
search, development, and manufacturing (including the 
manufacture of major components and subassemblies); 
and 
(II) significant contributions to employment in the 
United States; and 
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