TITLE IV—AERONAUTICS 
SEC. 401. DEFINITION. 
For purposes of this title, the term ‘‘institution of high-
er education’’ has the meaning given that term by section 
101 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001). 
Subtitle A—National Policy for Aer-
onautics Research and Develop-
ment 
SEC. 411. POLICY. 
It shall be the policy of the United States to reaffirm 
the National Aeronautics and Space Act of 1958 and its 
identification of aeronautical research and development as 
a core mission of NASA. Further, it shall be the policy of 
the United States to promote aeronautical research and de-
velopment that will expand the capacity, ensure the safety, 
and increase the efficiency of the Nation’s air transpor-
tation system, promote the security of the Nation, protect 
the environment, and retain the leadership of the United 
States in global aviation. 
Subtitle B—NASA Aeronautics 
Breakthrough Research Initiatives 
SEC. 421. ENVIRONMENTAL AIRCRAFT RESEARCH AND DE-
VELOPMENT INITIATIVE. 
(a) OBJECTIVE.—The Administrator may establish an 
initiative with the objective of developing, and dem-
onstrating in a relevant environment, within 10 years after 
the date of enactment of this Act, technologies to enable the 
following commercial aircraft performance characteristics: 
(1) NOISE.—Noise levels on takeoff and on air-
port approach and landing that do not exceed ambi-
ent noise levels in the absence of flight operations in 
the vicinity of airports from which such commercial 
aircraft would normally operate. 
(2) ENERGY CONSUMPTION.—Twenty-five percent 
reduction in the energy required for medium to long 
range flights, compared to aircraft in commercial 
service as of the date of enactment of this Act. This 
reduction may be achieved by a combination of im-
provements to—
(A) specific fuel consumption; 
(B) lift-to-drag ratio; and 
(C) structural weight fraction. 
(3) EMISSIONS.—Nitrogen oxides on take-off and 
landing that are reduced by 50 percent relative to 
aircraft in commercial service as of the date of enact-
ment of this Act. 
(b) STUDY.—
(1) REQUIREMENT.—The Administrator shall 
enter into an arrangement for the National Research 
Council to conduct a study to identify and quantify
new markets that would be created, as well as existing 
markets that would be expanded, by the incorporation 
of the technologies developed pursuant to this section 
into future commercial aircraft. The study shall iden-
tify whether any of the performance characteristics 
specified in subsection (a) would need to be made 
more stringent in order to create new markets or ex-
pand existing markets. The National Research Coun-
cil shall seek input from at least the aircraft manu-
facturing industry, academia, and the airlines in car-
rying out the study. 
(2) REPORT.—A report containing the results of 
the study conducted under paragraph (1) shall be pro-
vided to Congress not later than 18 months after the 
date of enactment of this Act. 
SEC. 422. CIVIL SUPERSONIC TRANSPORT RESEARCH AND 
DEVELOPMENT INITIATIVE. 
The Administrator may establish an initiative with 
the objective of developing, and demonstrating in a relevant 
environment, within 20 years after the date of enactment 
of this Act, technologies to enable overland flight of super-
sonic civil transport aircraft with at least the following per-
formance characteristics: 
(1) Mach number of at least 1.4. 
(2) Range of at least 4,000 nautical miles.
(3) Payload of at least 24 passengers. 
(4) Noise levels on takeoff and on airport ap-
proach and landing that meet community noise 
standards in place at airports from which such com-
mercial supersonic aircraft would normally operate 
at the time the aircraft would enter commercial serv-
ice. 
(5) Shaped sonic boom signatures sufficiently 
low to permit overland flight over populated areas. 
(6) Nitrogen oxide, carbon dioxide, and water 
vapor emissions consistent with regulations likely to 
be in effect at the time of this aircraft’s introduction. 
SEC. 
423. 
ROTORCRAFT 
AND 
OTHER 
RUNWAY-INDE-
PENDENT AIR VEHICLES RESEARCH AND DE-
VELOPMENT INITIATIVE. 
The Administrator may establish a rotorcraft and 
other runway-independent air vehicles initiative with the 
objective of developing and demonstrating in a relevant en-
vironment, within 10 years after the date of enactment of 
this Act, technologies to enable significantly safer, quieter, 
and more environmentally compatible operation from a 
wider range of airports under a wider range of weather con-
ditions than is the case for rotorcraft and other runway-
independent air vehicles in service as of the date of enact-
ment of this Act.
Subtitle 
C—Other 
NASA 
Aero-
nautics Research and Develop-
ment Activities 
SEC. 431. FUNDAMENTAL RESEARCH AND TECHNOLOGY 
BASE PROGRAM. 
(a) OBJECTIVE.—In order to ensure that the Nation 
maintains needed capabilities in fundamental areas of 
aeronautical research, the Administrator shall establish a 
program of long-term fundamental research in aeronautical 
sciences and technologies that is not tied to specific develop-
ment projects. 
(b) ASSESSMENT.—The Administrator shall enter into 
an arrangement with the National Research Council for an 
assessment of the Nation’s future requirements for funda-
mental aeronautics research and whether the Nation will 
have a skilled research workforce and research facilities 
commensurate with those requirements. The assessment 
shall include an identification of any projected gaps, and 
recommendations for what steps should be taken by the Fed-
eral Government to eliminate those gaps. 
(c) REPORT.—The Administrator shall transmit the 
assessment, along with NASA’s response to the assessment, 
to Congress not later than 2 years after the date of enact-
ment of this Act.
SEC. 432. AIRSPACE SYSTEMS RESEARCH. 
(a) OBJECTIVE.—The Airspace Systems Research pro-
gram shall pursue research and development to enable revo-
lutionary improvements to and modernization of the Na-
tional Airspace System, as well as to enable the introduc-
tion of new systems for vehicles that can take advantage 
of an improved, modern air transportation system. 
(b) ALIGNMENT.—Not later than 2 years after the date 
of enactment of this Act, the Administrator shall align the 
projects of the Airspace Systems Research program so that 
they directly support the objectives of the Joint Planning 
and Development Office’s Next Generation Air Transpor-
tation System Integrated Plan. 
SEC. 433. AVIATION SAFETY AND SECURITY RESEARCH. 
(a) OBJECTIVE.—The Aviation Safety and Security 
Research program shall pursue research and development 
activities that directly address the safety and security needs 
of the National Airspace System and the aircraft that fly 
in it. The program shall develop prevention, intervention, 
and mitigation technologies aimed at causal, contributory, 
or circumstantial factors of aviation accidents. 
(b) PLAN.—Not later than 1 year after the date of en-
actment of this Act, the Administrator shall transmit to 
Congress a 5-year prioritized plan for the research to be 
conducted within the Aviation Safety and Security Re-
search program. The plan shall be aligned with the objec-
tives of the Joint Planning and Development Office’s Next 
Generation Air Transportation System Integrated Plan. 
SEC. 434. ZERO-EMISSIONS AIRCRAFT RESEARCH. 
(a) OBJECTIVE.—The Administrator may establish a 
zero-emissions aircraft research program whose objective 
shall be to develop and test concepts to enable a hydrogen 
fuel cell-powered aircraft that would have no hydrocarbon 
or nitrogen oxide emissions into the environment. 
(b) APPROACH.—The Administrator may establish a 
program of competitively awarded grants available to teams 
of researchers that may include the participation of indi-
viduals from universities, industry, and government for the 
conduct of this research. 
SEC. 435. MARS AIRCRAFT RESEARCH. 
(a) OBJECTIVE.—The Administrator may establish a 
Mars Aircraft project whose objective shall be to develop and 
test concepts for an uncrewed aircraft that could operate 
for sustained periods in the atmosphere of Mars. 
(b) APPROACH.—The Administrator may establish a 
program of competitively awarded grants available to teams 
of researchers that may include the participation of indi-
viduals from universities, industry, and government for the 
conduct of this research.
SEC. 436. HYPERSONICS RESEARCH. 
The Administrator may establish a hypersonics re-
search program whose objective shall be to explore the 
science and technology of hypersonic flight using air-breath-
ing propulsion concepts, through a mix of theoretical work, 
basic and applied research, and development of flight re-
search demonstration vehicles. 
SEC. 437. NASA AERONAUTICS SCHOLARSHIPS. 
(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Administrator shall estab-
lish a program of scholarships for full-time graduate stu-
dents who are United States citizens and are enrolled in, 
or have been accepted by and have indicated their intention 
to enroll in, accredited Masters degree programs in aero-
nautical engineering at institutions of higher education. 
Each such scholarship shall cover the costs of room, board, 
tuition, and fees, and may be provided for a maximum of 
2 years. 
(b) IMPLEMENTATION.—Not later than 180 days after 
the date of enactment of this Act, the Administrator shall 
publish regulations governing the scholarship program 
under this section. 
(c) COOPERATIVE TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES.—Stu-
dents who have been awarded a scholarship under this sec-
tion shall have the opportunity for paid employment at one 
of the NASA Centers engaged in aeronautics research and 
development during the summer prior to the first year of
the student’s Masters program, and between the first and 
second year, if applicable. 
SEC. 438. AVIATION WEATHER RESEARCH. 
The Administrator may carry out a program of col-
laborative research with the National Oceanic and Atmos-
pheric Administration on convective weather events, with 
the goal of significantly improving the reliability of 2-hour 
to 6-hour aviation weather forecasts. 
SEC. 439. ASSESSMENT OF WAKE TURBULENCE RESEARCH 
AND DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM. 
(a) ASSESSMENT.—The Administrator shall enter into 
an arrangement with the National Research Council for an 
assessment of Federal wake turbulence research and develop-
ment programs. The assessment shall address at least the 
following questions: 
(1) Are the Federal research and development 
goals and objectives well defined? 
(2) Are there any deficiencies in the Federal re-
search and development goals and objectives? 
(3) What roles should be played by each of the 
relevant Federal agencies, such as NASA, the Federal 
Aviation Administration, and the National Oceanic 
and Atmospheric Administration, in wake turbulence 
research and development?
(b) REPORT.—A report containing the results of the 
assessment conducted pursuant to subsection (a) shall be 
provided to Congress not later than 1 year after the date 
of enactment of this Act. 
SEC. 440. UNIVERSITY-BASED CENTERS FOR RESEARCH ON 
AVIATION TRAINING. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Administrator may award 
grants to institutions of higher education (or consortia 
thereof) to establish one or more Centers for Research on 
Aviation Training under cooperative agreements with ap-
propriate NASA Centers. 
(b) PURPOSE.—The purpose of the Centers shall be to 
investigate the impact of new technologies and procedures, 
particularly those related to the aircraft flight deck and to 
the air traffic management functions, on training require-
ments for pilots and air traffic controllers. 
(c) APPLICATION.—An institution of higher education 
(or a consortium of such institutions) seeking funding 
under this section shall submit an application to the Ad-
ministrator at such time, in such manner, and containing 
such information as the Administrator may require, includ-
ing, at a minimum, a 5-year research plan. 
(d) AWARD DURATION.—An award made by the Ad-
ministrator under this section shall be for a period of 5 
years and may be renewed on the basis of—
(1) satisfactory performance in meeting the goals 
of the research plan proposed by the Center in its ap-
plication under subsection (c); and 
(2) other requirements as specified by the Ad-
ministrator. 
TITLE V—HUMAN SPACE FLIGHT 
SEC. 501. INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION COMPLETION. 
(a) ELEMENTS, CAPABILITIES, AND CONFIGURATION 
CRITERIA.—The Administrator shall ensure that the ISS 
will be able to—
(1) be used for a diverse range of microgravity 
research, including fundamental, applied, and com-
mercial research; 
(2) have an ability to support crew size of at 
least 6 persons; 
(3) support Crew Exploration Vehicle docking 
and automated docking of cargo vehicles or modules 
launched by either heavy-lift or commercially-devel-
oped launch vehicles; and 
(4) be operated at an appropriate risk level. 
(b) CONTINGENCY PLAN.—The transportation plan to 
support ISS shall include contingency options to ensure suf-
ficient logistics and on-orbit capabilities to support any po-
tential period during which the Space Shuttle or its follow-
on crew and cargo systems is unavailable, and provide suf-
ficient prepositioning of spares and other supplies needed 
to accommodate any such hiatus. 
(c) CERTIFICATION.—Not later than 60 days after the 
date of enactment of this Act, and before making any change 
in the ISS assembly sequence in effect on the date of enact-
ment of this Act, the Administrator shall certify in writing 
to the Committee on Science of the House of Representatives 
and the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transpor-
tation of the Senate NASA’s plan to meet the requirements 
of subsections (a) and (b). 
SEC. 502. HUMAN EXPLORATION PRIORITIES. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Administrator shall—
(1) construct an architecture and implementa-
tion plan for NASA’s human exploration program 
that is not critically dependent on the achievement of 
milestones by fixed dates; and 
(2) determine the relative priority of each of the 
potential elements of NASA’s implementation plan for 
its human exploration program in case funding short-
falls or cost growth necessitate the adjustment of 
NASA’s implementation plan. 
(b) PRIORITIES.—Development of a Crew Exploration 
Vehicle with a robust crew escape system, development of 
a launch system for the Crew Exploration Vehicle, and defi-
nition of an overall architecture and prioritized implemen-
tation plan shall be the highest priorities of the human ex-
ploration program over the period governed by this Act. 
SEC. 503. GAO ASSESSMENT. 
Not later than 9 months after the date of enactment 
of this Act, the Comptroller General shall transmit to the 
Committee on Science of the House of Representatives and 
the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation 
of the Senate an assessment of the milestones and estimated 
costs of the plans submitted under section 102(a)(7). 
TITLE VI—OTHER PROGRAM 
AREAS 
Subtitle A—Space and Flight 
Support 
SEC. 601. ORBITAL DEBRIS. 
The Administrator, in conjunction with the heads of 
other Federal agencies, shall take steps to develop or acquire 
technologies that will enable NASA to decrease the risks as-
sociated with orbital debris. 
SEC. 602. SECONDARY PAYLOAD CAPABILITY. 
The Administrator is encouraged to provide the capa-
bilities to support secondary payloads on United States 
launch vehicles, including freeflyers, for satellites or sci-
entific payloads.
Subtitle B—Education 
SEC. 611. INSTITUTIONS IN NASA’S MINORITY INSTITU-
TIONS PROGRAM. 
The matter appearing under the heading ‘‘NATIONAL 
AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION—SMALL 
AND DISADVANTAGED BUSINESS’’ in title III of the Depart-
ments of Veterans Affairs and Housing and Urban Develop-
ment, and Independent Agencies Appropriations Act, 1990 
(42 U.S.C. 2473b; 103 Stat. 863) is amended by striking 
‘‘Historically Black Colleges and Universities and’’ and in-
serting ‘‘Historically Black Colleges and Universities that 
are part B institutions (as defined in section 322(2) of the 
Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1061(2))), His-
panic-serving institutions (as defined in section 502(a)(5) 
of that Act (20 U.S.C. 1101a(a)(5))), Tribal Colleges or 
Universities (as defined in section 316(b)(3) of that Act (20 
U.S.C. 1059c(b)(3))), Alaskan Native-serving institutions 
(as defined in section 317(b)(2) of that Act (20 U.S.C. 
1059d)(b)(2))), Native Hawaiian-serving institutions (as 
defined in section 317(b)(4) of that Act (20 U.S.C. 
1059d(b)(4))), and’’. 
SEC. 612. PROGRAM TO EXPAND DISTANCE LEARNING IN 
RURAL UNDERSERVED 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, class-
room presentations, and student field trips. 
(b) PRIORITIES.—In carrying out subsection (a), the 
Administrator shall give priority to existing programs—
(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. 
SEC. 613. CHARLES ‘‘PETE’’ CONRAD ASTRONOMY AWARDS. 
(a) SHORT TITLE.—This section may be cited as the 
‘‘Charles ‘Pete’ Conrad Astronomy Awards Act’’. 
(b) DEFINITIONS.—For the purposes of this section—
(1) the term ‘‘amateur astronomer’’ means an 
individual whose employer does not provide any 
funding, payment, or compensation to the individual 
for the observation of asteroids and other celestial bod-
ies, and does not include any individual employed as 
a professional astronomer;
(2) the term ‘‘Minor Planet Center’’ means the 
Minor Planet Center of the Smithsonian Astro-
physical Observatory; 
(3) the term ‘‘near-Earth asteroid’’ means an as-
teroid with a perihelion distance of less than 1.3 As-
tronomical Units from the Sun; and 
(4) the term ‘‘Program’’ means the Charles 
‘‘Pete’’ Conrad Astronomy Awards Program estab-
lished under subsection (c). 
(c) PETE CONRAD ASTRONOMY AWARD PROGRAM.—
(1) IN GENERAL.—The Administrator shall es-
tablish the Charles ‘‘Pete’’ Conrad Astronomy Awards 
Program. 
(2) AWARDS.—The Administrator shall make 
awards under the Program based on the recommenda-
tions of the Minor Planet Center. 
(3) AWARD
CATEGORIES.—The Administrator 
shall make one annual award, unless there are no eli-
gible discoveries or contributions, for each of the fol-
lowing categories: 
(A) The amateur astronomer or group of 
amateur astronomers who in the preceding cal-
endar year discovered the intrinsically brightest 
near-Earth asteroid among the near-Earth aster-
oids that were discovered during that year by
amateur astronomers or groups of amateur as-
tronomers. 
(B) The amateur astronomer or group of 
amateur astronomers who made the greatest con-
tribution to the Minor Planet Center’s mission of 
cataloguing near-Earth asteroids during the pre-
ceding year. 
(4) AWARD AMOUNT.—An award under the Pro-
gram shall be in the amount of $3,000. 
(5) GUIDELINES.—(A) No individual who is not 
a citizen or permanent resident of the United States 
at the time of his discovery or contribution may re-
ceive an award under this section. 
(B) The decisions of the Administrator in mak-
ing awards under this section are final. 
SEC. 614. REVIEW OF EDUCATION PROGRAMS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Administrator shall enter into 
an arrangement with the National Research Council of the 
National Academy of Sciences to conduct a review and eval-
uation of NASA’s science, technology, engineering, and 
mathematics education program. The review and evalua-
tion shall be documented in a report to the Administrator 
and shall include such recommendations as the National 
Research Council determines will improve the effectiveness 
of the program.
(b) REVIEW.—The review and evaluation under sub-
section (a) shall include—
(1) an evaluation of the effectiveness of the over-
all program in meeting its defined goals and objec-
tives; 
(2) an assessment of the quality and educational 
effectiveness of the major components of the program, 
including an evaluation of the adequacy of assessment 
metrics and data collection requirements available for 
determining the effectiveness of individual projects; 
(3) an evaluation of the funding priorities in the 
program, including a review of the funding level and 
funding trend for each major component of the pro-
gram and an assessment of whether the resources 
made available are consistent with meeting identified 
goals and priorities; and 
(4) a determination of the extent and the effec-
tiveness of coordination and collaboration between 
NASA and other Federal agencies that sponsor 
science, technology, engineering, and mathematics 
education activities. 
(c) REPORT TO CONGRESS.—Not later than 18 months 
after the date of enactment of this Act, the Administrator 
shall transmit to the Committee on Science of the House 
of Representatives and the Committee on Commerce,