porating the Landsat instrument on the first National 
Polar-Orbiting Environmental Satellite System spacecraft 
versus undertaking a dedicated Landsat data ‘‘gap-filler’’ 
mission followed by the incorporation of the Landsat in-
strument on the second National Polar-Orbiting Environ-
mental Satellite System spacecraft. The assessment shall 
also include an evaluation of the budgetary requirements 
of each of the options under consideration. 
(b) REPORT.—The Administrator shall transmit the 
independent assessment to the Committee on Commerce, 
Science, and Technology of the Senate and the Committee 
on Science of the House of Representatives not later than 
180 days after the date of enactment of this Act. 
SEC. 207. ASSESSMENT OF SCIENCE MISSION EXTENSIONS. 
(a) ASSESSMENT.—The Administrator shall carry out 
annual termination reviews within each of the Science dis-
ciplines to assess the cost and benefits of extending the 
date of the termination of data collection for those mis-
sions which are beyond their primary goals. In addition: 
(1) Not later than 60 days after the date of en-
actment of this Act, the Administrator shall carry 
out such an assessment for the following missions: 
FAST, TIMED, Cluster, Wind, Geotail, Polar, 
TRACE, Ulysses, and Voyager.
(2) For those missions that have an operational 
component, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric 
Administration shall be consulted and the potential 
benefits of instruments on missions which are be-
yond their primary goals taken into account. 
(b) REPORT.—Not later than 30 days after com-
pleting the assessments required by subsection (a)(1), the 
Administrator shall transmit a report on the assessment 
to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transpor-
tation of the Senate and the Committee on Science of the 
House of Representatives. 
SEC. 208. MICROGRAVITY RESEARCH. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Administrator shall—
(1) not later than 60 days after the date of en-
actment of this Act, provide to the Committee on 
Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Sen-
ate and the Committee on Science of the House of 
Representatives an assessment of microgravity re-
search, including biomedical and life science re-
search, planned for implementation aboard the ISS 
that includes the identification of research which can 
be performed in ground-based facilities and then 
validated in space; 
(2) ensure the capacity to support ground-based 
research leading to space-based basic and applied
scientific research in a variety of disciplines with po-
tential direct national benefits and applications that 
can advance significantly from the uniqueness of 
microgravity and the space environment; 
(3) restore and protect potential basic, applied, 
and commercial ISS research activities such as mo-
lecular crystal growth, animal research, basic fluid 
physics, combustion research, cellular biotechnology, 
low temperature physics, and cellular research at a 
level which will sustain the existing scientific exper-
tise and research capabilities; 
(4) establish prioritization and research mani-
festing processes by which ISS resources will be allo-
cated to maintain a balanced research portfolio 
wherein fundamental and commercial research that 
do not directly support NASA’s human exploration 
program is afforded a minimum of 25 percent of 
ISS research resources; and 
(5) not later than 1 year after the date of en-
actment of this Act, develop a research plan that will 
demonstrate the process by which NASA will evolve 
the ISS research portfolio in a manner consistent 
with the planned growth and evolution of ISS on-
orbit capabilities and transportation capabilities to 
and from the ISS.
(b) MAINTENANCE OF ON-ORBIT ANALYTICAL CAPA-
BILITIES.—The Administrator shall ensure that on-orbit 
analytical capabilities to support diagnostic human re-
search, as well as on-orbit characterization of molecular 
crystal growth, cellular research, and other research prod-
ucts and results are developed and maintained, as an al-
ternative to Earth-based analysis requiring the capability 
of returning research products to Earth. 
(c) 
ASSESSMENT
OF
POTENTIAL
SCIENTIFIC 
USES.—The Administrator shall assess further potential 
scientific uses of the ISS for other applications, such as 
technology development, development of manufacturing 
processes, Earth observation and characterization, and as-
tronomical observations. 
Subtitle B—Remote Sensing 
SEC. 211. DEFINITIONS. 
In this subtitle—
(1) the term ‘‘geospatial information’’ means 
knowledge of the nature and distribution of physical 
and cultural features on the landscape based on 
analysis of data from airborne or spaceborne plat-
forms or other types and sources of data; 
(2) the term ‘‘high resolution’’ means resolution 
better than five meters; and
(3) the term ‘‘institution of higher education’’ 
has the meaning given that term in section 101(a) 
of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 
1001(a)). 
SEC. 212. PILOT PROJECTS TO ENCOURAGE PUBLIC SEC-
TOR APPLICATIONS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Administrator shall establish 
a program of grants for competitively awarded pilot 
projects to explore the integrated use of sources of remote 
sensing and other geospatial information to address State, 
local, regional, and tribal agency needs. 
(b) PREFERRED PROJECTS.—In awarding grants 
under this section, the Administrator shall give preference 
to projects that—
(1) make use of commercial data sets, including 
high resolution commercial satellite imagery and de-
rived satellite data products, existing public data 
sets where commercial data sets are not available or 
applicable, or the fusion of such data sets; 
(2) integrate multiple sources of geospatial in-
formation, such as geographic information system 
data, satellite-provided positioning data, and re-
motely sensed data, in innovative ways; 
(3) include funds or in-kind contributions from 
non-Federal sources;
(4) involve the participation of commercial enti-
ties that process raw or lightly processed data, often 
merging that data with other geospatial information, 
to create data products that have significant value 
added to the original data; and 
(5) taken together demonstrate as diverse a set 
of public sector applications as possible. 
(c) OPPORTUNITIES.—In carrying out this section, 
the Administrator shall seek opportunities to assist—
(1) in the development of commercial applica-
tions potentially available from the remote sensing 
industry; and 
(2) State, local, regional, and tribal agencies in 
applying remote sensing and other geospatial infor-
mation technologies for growth management. 
(d) DURATION.—Assistance for a pilot project under 
subsection (a) shall be provided for a period not to exceed 
3 years. 
(e) REPORT.—Each recipient of a grant under sub-
section (a) shall transmit a report to the Administrator 
on the results of the pilot project within 180 days of the 
completion of that project. 
(f) WORKSHOP.—Each recipient of a grant under 
subsection (a) shall, not later than 180 days after the com-
pletion of the pilot project, conduct at least one workshop
for potential users to disseminate the lessons learned from 
the pilot project as widely as feasible. 
(g) REGULATIONS.—The Administrator shall issue 
regulations establishing application, selection, and imple-
mentation procedures for pilot projects, and guidelines for 
reports and workshops required by this section. 
SEC. 213. PROGRAM EVALUATION. 
(a) ADVISORY
COMMITTEE.—The Administrator 
shall establish an advisory committee, consisting of indi-
viduals with appropriate expertise in State, local, regional, 
and tribal agencies, the university research community, 
and the remote sensing and other geospatial information 
industry, to monitor the program established under sec-
tion 212. The advisory committee shall consult with the 
Federal Geographic Data Committee and other appro-
priate industry representatives and organizations. Not-
withstanding section 14 of the Federal Advisory Com-
mittee Act, the advisory committee established under this 
subsection shall remain in effect until the termination of 
the program under section 212. 
(b) EFFECTIVENESS EVALUATION.—Not later than 
December 31, 2009, the Administrator shall transmit to 
the Congress an evaluation of the effectiveness of the pro-
gram established under section 212 in exploring and pro-
moting the integrated use of sources of remote sensing
and other geospatial information to address State, local, 
regional, and tribal agency needs. Such evaluation shall 
have been conducted by an independent entity. 
SEC. 214. DATA AVAILABILITY. 
The Administrator shall ensure that the results of 
each of the pilot projects completed under section 212 
shall be retrievable through an electronic, Internet-acces-
sible database. 
SEC. 215. EDUCATION. 
The Administrator shall establish an educational out-
reach program to increase awareness at institutions of 
higher education and State, local, regional, and tribal 
agencies of the potential applications of remote sensing 
and other geospatial information. 
Subtitle C—George E. Brown, Jr. 
Near-Earth Object Survey 
SEC. 221. GEORGE E. BROWN, JR. NEAR-EARTH OBJECT 
SURVEY. 
(a) SHORT TITLE.—This section may be cited as the 
‘‘George E. Brown, Jr. Near-Earth Object Survey Act’’. 
(b) FINDINGS.—The Congress makes the following 
findings: 
(1) Near-Earth objects pose a serious and cred-
ible threat to humankind, as many scientists believe 
that a major asteroid or comet was responsible for
the mass extinction of the majority of the Earth’s 
species, including the dinosaurs, nearly 65,000,000 
years ago. 
(2) Similar objects have struck the Earth or 
passed through the Earth’s atmosphere several times 
in the Earth’s history and pose a similar threat in 
the future. 
(3) Several such near-Earth objects have only 
been discovered within days of the objects’ closest 
approach to Earth, and recent discoveries of such 
large objects indicate that many large near-Earth 
objects remain undiscovered. 
(4) The efforts taken to date by NASA for de-
tecting and characterizing the hazards of near-Earth 
objects are not sufficient to fully determine the 
threat posed by such objects to cause widespread de-
struction and loss of life. 
(c) DEFINITIONS.—For purposes of this section the 
term ‘‘near-Earth object’’ means an asteroid or comet with 
a perihelion distance of less that 1.3 Astronomical Units 
from the Sun. 
(d) NEAR-EARTH OBJECT SURVEY.—
(1) SURVEY
PROGRAM.—The Administrator 
shall plan, develop, and implement a Near-Earth 
Object Survey program to detect, track, catalogue,
and characterize the physical characteristics of near-
Earth objects equal to or greater than 100 meters 
in diameter in order to assess the threat of such 
near-Earth objects to the Earth. It shall be the goal 
of the Survey program to achieve 90 percent comple-
tion of its near-Earth object catalogue (based on sta-
tistically predicted populations of near-Earth ob-
jects) within 15 years after the date of enactment of 
this Act. 
(2) AMENDMENTS.—Section 102 of the Na-
tional Aeronautics and Space Act of 1958 (42 
U.S.C. 2451) is amended—
(A) by redesignating subsection (g) as sub-
section (h); 
(B) by inserting after subsection (f) the 
following new subsection: 
‘‘(g) The Congress declares that the general welfare 
and security of the United States require that the unique 
competence of the National Aeronautics and Space Ad-
ministration be directed to detecting, tracking, cata-
loguing, and characterizing near-Earth asteroids and com-
ets in order to provide warning and mitigation of the po-
tential hazard of such near-Earth objects to the Earth.’’; 
and
(C) in subsection (h), as so redesignated 
by subparagraph (A) of this paragraph, by 
striking ‘‘and (f)’’ and inserting ‘‘(f), and (g)’’. 
(3) ANNUAL REPORT.—The Administrator shall 
transmit to the Congress, not later than February 
28 of each of the next 5 years beginning after the 
date of enactment of this Act, a report that provides 
the following: 
(A) A summary of all activities taken pur-
suant to paragraph (1) for the previous fiscal 
year. 
(B) A summary of expenditures for all ac-
tivities pursuant to paragraph (1) for the pre-
vious fiscal year. 
(4) INITIAL REPORT.—The Administrator shall 
transmit to Congress not later than 1 year after the 
date of enactment of this Act an initial report that 
provides the following: 
(A) An analysis of possible alternatives 
that the the Administration may employ to 
carry out the Survey program, including 
ground-based and space-based alternatives with 
technical descriptions.
(B) A recommended option and proposed 
budget to carry out the Survey program pursu-
ant to the recommended option. 
(C) An analysis of possible alternatives 
that the Administration could employ to divert 
an object on a likely collision course with Earth. 
TITLE III—AERONAUTICS 
SEC. 301. DEFINITION. 
For purposes of this title, the term ‘‘institution of 
higher education’’ has the meaning given that term by sec-
tion 101 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 
1001). 
Subtitle 
A—National 
Policy 
for 
Aeronautics Research and De-
velopment 
SEC. 311. 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 
development that will expand the capacity, ensure the 
safety, and increase the efficiency of the Nation’s air 
transportation 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. 321. ENVIRONMENTAL AIRCRAFT RESEARCH AND DE-
VELOPMENT INITIATIVE. 
(a) OBJECTIVE.—The Administrator shall 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 characteris-
tics: 
(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 per-
cent reduction in the energy required for medium to 
long range flights, compared to aircraft in commer-
cial service as of the date of enactment of this Act. 
This reduction may be achieved by a combination of 
improvements 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 
enactment of this Act. 
(b) IMPLEMENTATION.—Not later than 270 days 
after the date of enactment of this Act, the Administrator 
shall provide to Congress a plan for the implementation 
of the initiative described in subsection (a). Such imple-
mentation plan shall include—
(1) technological roadmaps for achieving each 
of the performance characteristics specified in sub-
section (a); 
(2) an estimate of the 10-year funding profile 
required to achieve the objective specified in sub-
section (a); 
(3) a plan for carrying out a formal quantifica-
tion of the estimated costs and benefits of each tech-
nological option selected for development beyond the 
initial concept definition phase; and 
(4) a plan for transferring the technologies to 
industry, including the identification of requirements 
for technology demonstrations, as appropriate. 
(c) 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 exist-
ing markets that would be expanded, by the incorpo-
ration of the technologies developed pursuant to this 
section into future commercial aircraft. The study 
shall identify whether any of the performance char-
acteristics specified in subsection (a) would need to 
be made more stringent in order to create new mar-
kets or expand existing markets. The National Re-
search Council shall seek input from at least the air-
craft manufacturing industry, academia, and the air-
lines in carrying out the study. 
(2) REPORT.—A report containing the results 
of the study conducted under paragraph (1) shall be 
provided to Congress not later than 18 months after 
the date of enactment of this Act. 
SEC. 322. CIVIL SUPERSONIC TRANSPORT RESEARCH AND 
DEVELOPMENT INITIATIVE. 
(a) OBJECTIVE.—The Administrator shall establish 
an initiative with the objective of developing, and dem-
onstrating in a relevant environment, within 20 years after 
the date of enactment of this Act, technologies to enable
overland flight of supersonic civil transport aircraft with 
at least the following performance 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 introduc-
tion. 
(b) IMPLEMENTATION.—Not later than 270 days 
after the date of enactment of this Act, the Administrator 
shall provide to Congress a plan for the implementation 
of the initiative described in subsection (a). Such imple-
mentation plan shall include—
(1) technological roadmaps for achieving each 
of the performance characteristics specified in sub-
section (a);
(2) an estimate of the 10-year funding profile 
required to achieve the objective specified in sub-
section (a); 
(3) a plan for carrying out a formal quantifica-
tion of the estimated costs and benefits of each tech-
nological option selected for development beyond the 
initial concept definition phase; 
(4) a plan for transferring the technologies to 
industry, including the identification of requirements 
for technology demonstrations, as appropriate; 
(5) a plan for research to quantify, within 3 
years after the date of enactment of this Act, the 
limits on sonic boom parameters, such as over-
pressure and rise time, that would be acceptable to 
the general public; and 
(6) a plan for adjusting the noise reduction re-
search and development activities as needed to ac-
commodate changes in community noise standards 
that may occur over the lifetime of the initiative. 
SEC. 
323. 
ROTORCRAFT 
AND 
OTHER 
RUNWAY-INDE-
PENDENT AIR VEHICLES RESEARCH AND DE-
VELOPMENT INITIATIVE. 
(a) OBJECTIVE.—The Administrator shall establish a 
rotorcraft and other runway-independent air vehicles ini-
tiative with the objective of developing and demonstrating
in a relevant environment, within 10 years after the date 
of enactment of this Act, technologies to enable signifi-
cantly safer, quieter, and more environmentally compatible 
operation from a wider range of airports under a wider 
range of weather conditions than is the case for rotorcraft 
and other runway-independent air vehicles in service as 
of the date of enactment of this Act. 
(b) IMPLEMENTATION.—Not later than 270 days 
after the date of enactment of this Act, the Administrator 
shall provide a plan to the Congress for the implementa-
tion of the initiative described in subsection (a). The im-
plementation plan shall include—
(1) a set of performance characteristics, devel-
oped in consultation with the National Research 
Council, that shall quantify the objectives specified 
in subsection (a); 
(2) technological roadmaps for achieving each 
of the performance characteristics developed under 
paragraph (1); 
(3) an estimate of the 10-year funding profile 
required to achieve the objective specified in sub-
section (a); 
(4) a plan for carrying out a formal quantifica-
tion of the estimated costs and benefits of each tech-
nological option selected for development beyond the 
initial concept definition phase; and 
(5) a plan for transferring the technologies to 
industry, including the identification of requirements 
for technology demonstrations, as appropriate. 
SEC. 324. REVIEW. 
The Administrator shall enter into an arrangement 
with the National Research Council for the review, within 
18 months after the date of enactment of this Act, of the 
adequacy of the implementation plans provided under sec-
tions 321(b), 322(b), and 323(b) to achieve the objectives 
described in sections 321(a), 322(a), and 323(a). In addi-
tion, the Administrator shall enter into an arrangement 
with the National Research Council for the review, every 
3 years subsequent to the initial review under this section, 
of NASA’s progress in achieving the objectives described 
in sections 321(a), 322(a), and 323(a), including rec-
ommendations for changes to NASA’s research and devel-
opment program as needed, as well as recommendations 
for changes to the desired performance characteristics as 
needed. The results of each review shall be provided to 
Congress within 30 days after completion of the review.
Subtitle 
C—Other 
NASA 
Aero-
nautics Research and Develop-
ment Activities 
SEC. 331. 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 aero-
nautical sciences and technologies that is not tied to spe-
cific development 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 
fundamental aeronautics research and whether the Nation 
will have a skilled research workforce and research facili-
ties commensurate with those requirements. The assess-
ment shall include an identification of any projected gaps, 
and recommendations for what steps should be taken by 
the Federal Government to eliminate those gaps. 
(c) REPORT.—The Administrator shall transmit the 
assessment, along with NASA’s response to the assess-
ment, to Congress not later than 2 years after the date 
of enactment of this Act.
SEC. 332. AIRSPACE SYSTEMS RESEARCH. 
(a) OBJECTIVE.—The Airspace Systems Research 
program shall pursue research and development to enable 
revolutionary improvements to and modernization of the 
National Airspace System, as well as to enable the intro-
duction of new systems for vehicles that can take advan-
tage 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 pro-
gram so that they directly support the objectives of the 
Joint Planning and Development Office’s Next Generation 
Air Transportation System Integrated Plan. 
SEC. 333. 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, inter-
vention, and mitigation technologies aimed at causal, con-
tributory, or circumstantial factors of aviation accidents. 
(b) PLAN.—Not later than 1 year after the date of 
enactment 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. 334. ZERO-EMISSIONS AIRCRAFT RESEARCH. 
(a) OBJECTIVE.—The Administrator shall 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 shall establish a 
program of competitively awarded grants available to 
teams of researchers that may include the participation 
of individuals from universities, industry, and government 
for the conduct of this research. 
SEC. 335. MARS AIRCRAFT RESEARCH. 
(a) OBJECTIVE.—The Administrator shall establish a 
Mars Aircraft project whose objective shall be to develop 
and test concepts for an uncrewed aircraft that could oper-
ate for sustained periods in the atmosphere of Mars. 
(b) APPROACH.—The Administrator shall establish a 
program of competitively awarded grants available to 
teams of researchers that may include the participation 
of individuals from universities, industry, and government 
for the conduct of this research.
SEC. 336. HYPERSONICS RESEARCH. 
(a) OBJECTIVE.—The Administrator shall establish a 
hypersonics research program whose objective shall be to 
explore the science and technology of hypersonic flight 
using air-breathing propulsion concepts, through a mix of 
theoretical work, basic and applied research, and develop-
ment of flight research demonstration vehicles. 
(b) PLAN.—Not later than 1 year after the date of 
enactment of this Act, the Administrator shall develop a 
10-year hypersonics research plan and shall have that plan 
reviewed by the National Research Council. The results 
of that review shall be provided to Congress. 
SEC. 337. NASA AERONAUTICS SCHOLARSHIPS. 
(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Administrator shall es-
tablish a program of scholarships for full-time graduate 
students who are United States citizens and are enrolled 
in, or have been accepted by and have indicated their in-
tention to enroll in, accredited Masters degree programs 
in aeronautical engineering at institutions of higher edu-
cation. 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 pro-
gram under this section.