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(6) detail how the Administration and other 
Federal agencies will manage, operate, and fund 
production facilities and the design and development 
of all radioisotope power systems used by the Ad-
ministration and other Federal agencies as nec-
essary; 
(7) specify the steps the Administration will 
take, in consultation with the Department of En-
ergy, to preserve the infrastructure and workforce 
necessary for production of radioisotope power sys-
tems and ensure that its reimbursements to the De-
partment of Energy associated with such preserva-
tion are equitable and justified; and 
(8) detail how the Administration has imple-
mented or rejected the recommendations from the 
National Research Council’s 2009 report titled ‘‘Ra-
dioisotope Power Systems: An Imperative for Main-
taining U.S. Leadership in Space Exploration’’. 
(d) TRANSMITTAL.—Not later than 180 days after 
the date of enactment of this Act, the Administrator shall 
transmit the results of the analysis to the Committee on 
Science, Space, and Technology of the House of Rep-
resentatives and the Committee on Commerce, Science, 
and Transportation of the Senate.
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SEC. 303. CONGRESSIONAL DECLARATION OF POLICY AND 
PURPOSE. 
Section 20102(d) of title 51, United States Code, is 
amended by adding at the end the following new para-
graph: 
‘‘(10) The direction of the unique competence 
of the Administration to the search for life’s origin, 
evolution, distribution, and future in the Universe. 
In carrying out this objective, the Administration 
may use any practicable ground-based, airborne, or 
space-based technical means and spectra of electro-
magnetic radiation.’’. 
SEC. 304. UNIVERSITY CLASS SCIENCE MISSIONS. 
(a) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Con-
gress that principal investigator-led small orbital science 
missions, including CubeSat class, University Explorer 
(UNEX) class, Small Explorer (SMEX) class, and Ven-
ture class, offer valuable opportunities to advance science 
at low cost, train the next generation of scientists and en-
gineers, and enable participants in the program to acquire 
skills in systems engineering and systems integration that 
are critical to maintaining the Nation’s leadership in space 
and to enhancing the United States innovation and com-
petitiveness abroad. 
(b) REVIEW
OF
PRINCIPAL
INVESTIGATOR-LED 
SMALL ORBITAL SCIENCE MISSIONS.—The Administrator
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shall conduct a review of the science missions described 
in subsection (a). The review shall include— 
(1) the status, capability, and availability of ex-
isting small orbital science mission programs and 
the extent to which each program enables the par-
ticipation of university scientists and students; 
(2) the opportunities such mission programs 
provide for scientific research; 
(3) the opportunities such mission programs 
provide for training and education, including sci-
entific and engineering workforce development, in-
cluding for the Administration’s scientific and engi-
neering workforce; and 
(4) the extent to which commercial applications 
such as hosted payloads, free flyers, and data buys 
could provide measurable benefits for such mission 
programs, while preserving the principle of inde-
pendent peer review as the basis for mission selec-
tion. 
(c) REPORT.—Not later than 270 days after the date 
of enactment of this Act, the Administrator shall transmit 
to the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology of 
the House of Representatives and the Committee on Com-
merce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate a report 
on the review required under subsection (b) and on rec-
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ommendations to enhance principal investigator-led small 
orbital science missions conducted by the Administration 
in accordance with the results of the review required by 
subsection (b). 
SEC. 305. ASSESSMENT OF SCIENCE MISSION EXTENSIONS. 
Section 30504 of title 51, United States Code, is 
amended to read as follows: 
‘‘§ 30504. Assessment of science mission extensions 
‘‘(a) ASSESSMENT.—The Administrator shall carry 
out biennial reviews within each of the Science divisions 
to assess the cost and benefits of extending the date of 
the termination of data collection for those missions that 
exceed their planned missions’ lifetime. The assessment 
shall take into consideration how extending missions im-
pacts the start of future missions. 
‘‘(b) CONSULTATION AND CONSIDERATION OF PO-
TENTIAL BENEFITS OF INSTRUMENTS ON MISSIONS.— 
When deciding whether to extend a mission that has an 
operational component, the Administrator shall consult 
with any affected Federal agency and shall take into ac-
count the potential benefits of instruments on missions 
that are beyond their planned mission lifetime. 
‘‘(c) REPORT.—The Administrator shall transmit to 
the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology of the 
House of Representatives and the Committee on Com-
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merce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate, at the 
same time as the submission to Congress of the Adminis-
tration’s annual budget request for each fiscal year, a re-
port detailing any assessment required by subsection (a) 
that was carried out during the previous year.’’. 
Subtitle B—Astrophysics 
SEC. 311. DECADAL CADENCE. 
In carrying out section 301(b), the Administrator 
shall seek to ensure to the extent practicable a steady ca-
dence of large, medium, and small astrophysics missions. 
SEC. 312. EXTRASOLAR PLANET EXPLORATION STRATEGY. 
(a) STRATEGY.—The Administrator shall enter into 
an arrangement with the National Academies to develop 
a science strategy for the study and exploration of 
extrasolar planets, including the use of the Transiting 
Exoplanet Survey Satellite, the James Webb Space Tele-
scope, a potential Wide-Field Infrared Survey Telescope 
mission, or any other telescope, spacecraft, or instrument 
as appropriate. Such strategy shall— 
(1) outline key scientific questions; 
(2) identify the most promising research in the 
field; 
(3) indicate the extent to which the mission pri-
orities in existing decadal surveys address the key 
extrasolar planet research goals;
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(4) identify opportunities for coordination with 
international partners, commercial partners, and 
other not-for-profit partners; and 
(5) make recommendations on the above as ap-
propriate. 
(b) USE OF STRATEGY.—The Administrator shall use 
the strategy to— 
(1) inform roadmaps, strategic plans, and other 
activities of the Administration as they relate to 
extrasolar planet research and exploration; and 
(2) provide a foundation for future activities 
and initiatives. 
(c) REPORT
TO CONGRESS.—Not later than 18 
months after the date of enactment of this Act, the Na-
tional Academies shall transmit a report to the Adminis-
trator, and to the Committee on Science, Space, and Tech-
nology of the House of Representatives and the Committee 
on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate, 
containing the strategy developed under subsection (a). 
SEC. 313. JAMES WEBB SPACE TELESCOPE. 
It is the sense of Congress that— 
(1) the James Webb Space Telescope will revo-
lutionize our understanding of star and planet for-
mation and how galaxies evolved, and advance the 
search for the origins of the universe;
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(2) the James Webb Space Telescope will en-
able American scientists to maintain their leadership 
in astrophysics and other disciplines; 
(3) the James Webb Space Telescope program 
is making steady progress towards a launch in 2018; 
(4) the on-time and on-budget delivery of the 
James Webb Space Telescope is a high congressional 
priority; and 
(5) maintaining this progress will require the 
Administrator to ensure that integrated testing is 
appropriately timed and sufficiently comprehensive 
to enable potential issues to be identified and ad-
dressed early enough to be handled within the James 
Webb Space Telescope’s development schedule prior 
to launch. 
SEC. 314. NATIONAL RECONNAISSANCE OFFICE TELESCOPE 
DONATION. 
Not later than 90 days after the date of enactment 
of this Act, the Administrator shall transmit a report to 
the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology of the 
House of Representatives and the Committee on Com-
merce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate out-
lining the cost of the Administration’s potential plan for 
developing the Wide-Field Infrared Survey Telescope as 
described in the 2010 National Academies’ astronomy and
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astrophysics decadal survey, including an alternative plan 
for the Wide-Field Infrared Survey Telescope 2.4, which 
includes the donated 2.4-meter aperture National Recon-
naissance Office telescope. Due to the budget constraints 
on the Administration’s science programs, this report shall 
include— 
(1) an assessment of cost efficient approaches 
to develop the Wide-Field Infrared Survey Telescope; 
(2) a comparison to the development of mission 
concepts that exclude the utilization of the donated 
asset; 
(3) an assessment of how the Administration’s 
existing science missions will be affected by the utili-
zation of the donated asset described in this section; 
and 
(4) a description of the cost associated with 
storing and maintaining the donated asset. 
SEC. 315. WIDE-FIELD INFRARED SURVEY TELESCOPE. 
(a) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Con-
gress that the Administrator, to the extent practicable, 
should make progress on the technologies and capabilities 
needed to position the Administration to meet the objec-
tives of the Wide-Field Infrared Survey Telescope mission, 
as outlined in the 2010 National Academies’ astronomy 
and astrophysics decadal survey, in a way that maximizes
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the scientific productivity of meeting those objectives for 
the resources invested. It is further the sense of Congress 
that the Wide-Field Infrared Survey Telescope mission 
has the potential to enable scientific discoveries that will 
transform our understanding of the universe. 
(b) CONTINUITY OF DEVELOPMENT.—The Adminis-
trator shall ensure that the concept definition and pre- 
formulation activities of a Wide-Field Infrared Survey Tel-
escope mission continue while the James Webb Space Tel-
escope is being completed. 
SEC. 316. STRATOSPHERIC OBSERVATORY FOR INFRARED 
ASTRONOMY. 
The Administrator shall not use any funding appro-
priated to the Administration for fiscal year 2014 for the 
shutdown of the Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared 
Astronomy or for the preparation therefor. 
Subtitle C—Planetary Science 
SEC. 321. DECADAL CADENCE. 
In carrying out section 301(b), the Administrator 
shall seek to ensure to the greatest extent practicable that 
the Administration carries out a balanced set of planetary 
science programs in accordance with the priorities estab-
lished in the most recent decadal survey for planetary 
science. Such programs shall include, at a minimum—
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(1) a Discovery-class mission at least once every 
24 months; 
(2) a New Frontiers-class mission at least once 
every 60 months; and 
(3) at least one Flagship-class mission per 
decadal survey period, including a Europa mission 
with a goal of launching by 2021. 
SEC. 322. NEAR-EARTH OBJECTS. 
(a) FINDINGS.—Congress makes the following find-
ings: 
(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, approximately 
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 to be discovered.
•HR 4412 EH1S 
(4) The efforts undertaken by the Administra-
tion for detecting and characterizing the hazards of 
near-Earth objects should continue to seek to fully 
determine the threat posed by such objects to cause 
widespread destruction and loss of life. 
(b) DEFINITION.—For purposes of this section, the 
term ‘‘near-Earth object’’ means an asteroid or comet with 
a perihelion distance of less than 1.3 Astronomical Units 
from the Sun. 
(c) NEAR-EARTH OBJECT SURVEY.—The Adminis-
trator shall continue to detect, track, catalogue, and char-
acterize the physical characteristics of near-Earth objects 
equal to or greater than 140 meters in diameter in order 
to assess the threat of such near-Earth objects to the 
Earth, pursuant to the George E. Brown, Jr. Near-Earth 
Object Survey Act (42 U.S.C. 16691). It shall be the goal 
of the Survey program to achieve 90 percent completion 
of its near-Earth object catalogue (based on statistically 
predicted populations of near-Earth objects) by 2020. 
(d) WARNING AND MITIGATION OF POTENTIAL HAZ-
ARDS
OF NEAR-EARTH OBJECTS.—Congress reaffirms 
the policy set forth in section 20102(g) of title 51, United 
States Code (relating to detecting, tracking, cataloguing, 
and characterizing asteroids and comets).
•HR 4412 EH1S 
(e) PROGRAM REPORT.—The Director of the Office 
of Science and Technology Policy and the Administrator 
shall transmit to the Committee on Science, Space, and 
Technology of the House of Representatives and the Com-
mittee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the 
Senate, not later than 1 year after the date of enactment 
of this Act, an initial report that provides— 
(1) recommendations for carrying out the Sur-
vey program and an associated proposed budget; 
(2) analysis of possible options that the Admin-
istration could employ to divert an object on a likely 
collision course with Earth; and 
(3) a description of the status of efforts to co-
ordinate and cooperate with other countries to dis-
cover hazardous asteroids and comets, plan a mitiga-
tion strategy, and implement that strategy in the 
event of the discovery of an object on a likely colli-
sion course with Earth. 
(f) ANNUAL REPORTS.—Subsequent to the initial re-
port the Administrator shall annually transmit to the 
Committee on Science, Space, and Technology of the 
House of Representatives and the Committee on Com-
merce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate a report 
that provides—