I 
109TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 3250
To authorize appropriation for the National Aeronautics and Space 
Administration, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JULY 12, 2005
Mr. GORDON (for himself, Mr. UDALL of Colorado, Mr. AL GREEN of Texas, 
Mr. MILLER of North Carolina, Mr. COSTELLO, Ms. EDDIE BERNICE 
JOHNSON of Texas, Ms. HOOLEY, Mr. HONDA, Mr. DAVIS of Tennessee, 
Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas, Mr. BAIRD, Mr. MATHESON, Mr. COSTA, 
Mr. MOORE of Kansas, Mr. CARNAHAN, Mr. MELANCON, Mr. SHERMAN, 
Mr. WU, Mr. LIPINSKI, and Ms. WOOLSEY) introduced the following bill; 
which was referred to the Committee on Science 
A BILL 
To authorize appropriation for the National Aeronautics and 
Space Administration, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; TABLE OF CONTENTS. 
(a) SHORT TITLE.—This Act may be cited as the 
‘‘National Aeronautics and Space Administration Author-
ization Act of 2005’’. 
(b) TABLE OF CONTENTS.—The table of contents for 
this Act is as follows:
Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents. 
Sec. 2. Findings. 
Sec. 3. Definitions. 
TITLE I—AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS 
Subtitle A—Authorizations 
Sec. 101. Fiscal year 2006. 
Sec. 102. Fiscal year 2007. 
Sec. 103. Fiscal year 2008. 
Subtitle B—General Provisions 
Sec. 111. Technology transfer program. 
Sec. 112. Proportionality. 
Sec. 113. Limitations on authority. 
Sec. 114. Notice of reprogramming. 
Sec. 115. Structure of budgetary accounts. 
Sec. 116. Cost growth and cost overruns. 
Sec. 117. Evaluation criteria for budget request. 
Sec. 118. Official representational fund. 
Sec. 119. Safety management. 
Sec. 120. Lessons learned and best practices. 
TITLE II—SCIENCE 
Subtitle A—General Provisions 
Sec. 201. Prioritization of science projects and activities. 
Sec. 202. Performance assessments. 
Sec. 203. Status report on Hubble Space Telescope servicing mission. 
Sec. 204. Future of the Deep Space Network. 
Sec. 205. Earth observing system. 
Sec. 206. Independent assessment of Landsat-NPOESS integrated mission. 
Sec. 207. Assessment of science mission extensions. 
Sec. 208. Microgravity research. 
Subtitle B—Remote Sensing 
Sec. 211. Definitions. 
Sec. 212. Pilot projects to encourage public sector applications. 
Sec. 213. Program evaluation. 
Sec. 214. Data availability. 
Sec. 215. Education. 
Subtitle C—George E. Brown, Jr. Near-Earth Object Survey 
Sec. 221. George E. Brown, Jr. Near-Earth Object Survey. 
TITLE III—AERONAUTICS 
Sec. 301. Definition. 
Subtitle A—National Policy for Aeronautics Research and Development 
Sec. 311. Policy. 
Subtitle B—NASA Aeronautics Breakthrough Research Initiatives
Sec. 321. Environmental aircraft research and development initiative. 
Sec. 322. Civil supersonic transport research and development initiative. 
Sec. 323. Rotorcraft and other runway-independent air vehicles research and 
development initiative. 
Sec. 324. Review. 
Subtitle C—Other NASA Aeronautics Research and Development Activities 
Sec. 331. Fundamental research and technology base program. 
Sec. 332. Airspace systems research. 
Sec. 333. Aviation safety and security research. 
Sec. 334. Zero-emissions aircraft research. 
Sec. 335. Mars aircraft research. 
Sec. 336. Hypersonics research. 
Sec. 337. NASA aeronautics scholarships. 
Sec. 338. Aviation weather research. 
Sec. 339. Assessment of wake turbulence research and development program. 
Sec. 340. University-based centers for research on aviation training. 
TITLE IV—HUMAN SPACE FLIGHT 
Sec. 401. International Space Station completion. 
Sec. 402. Use of the International Space Station and annual report. 
Sec. 403. International Space Station cost cap. 
Sec. 404. Space shuttle transition. 
Sec. 405. Human exploration priorities. 
Sec. 406. Development of expanded permanent human presence beyond low-
Earth orbit. 
Sec. 407. Ground-based exploration analog capabilities. 
Sec. 408. GAO assessment of feasibility of Moon and Mars exploration mis-
sions. 
Sec. 409. United States human-rated launch capacity assessment. 
TITLE V—OTHER PROGRAM AREAS 
Subtitle A—Space and Flight Support 
Sec. 501. Space communications study. 
Sec. 502. Orbital debris. 
Sec. 503. Secondary payload capability. 
Sec. 504. NASA healthcare program. 
Subtitle B—Education 
Sec. 511. Institutions in NASA’s minority institutions program. 
Sec. 512. Program to expand distance learning in rural underserved areas. 
Sec. 513. Charles ‘‘Pete’’ Conrad Astronomy Awards. 
Sec. 514. Review of education programs. 
Sec. 515. Equal access to NASA’s education programs. 
TITLE VI—COMMERCIALIZATION 
Sec. 601. Competitive prize program to encourage development of advanced 
space and aeronautical technologies. 
Sec. 602. Commercial support of International Space Station operations and 
utilization. 
Sec. 603. Commercialization plan. 
Sec. 604. Commercial goods and services.
TITLE VII—WORKFORCE AND FACILITIES 
Sec. 701. Workforce strategy. 
Sec. 702. Facilities plan. 
Sec. 703. NASA test facilities policy. 
Sec. 704. Study on the feasibility of use of ground source heat pumps. 
Sec. 705. Facilities management. 
TITLE VIII—MISCELLANEOUS AMENDMENTS 
Sec. 801. Retrocession of jurisdiction. 
Sec. 802. Extension of indemnification authority. 
Sec. 803. Intellectual property provisions. 
Sec. 804. Electronic access to business opportunities. 
Sec. 805. Requirement for independent cost analysis. 
Sec. 806. Limitations on off-shore performance of contracts for the procure-
ment of goods and services. 
TITLE IX—INDEPENDENT COMMISSIONS 
Sec. 901. Definitions. 
Subtitle A—International Space Station Independent Safety Commission 
Sec. 911. Establishment of Commission. 
Sec. 912. Tasks of the Commission. 
Subtitle B—Human Space Flight Independent Investigation Commission 
Sec. 921. Establishment of Commission. 
Sec. 922. Tasks of the Commission. 
Sec. 923. Role of NTSB. 
Subtitle C—Organization and Operation of Commissions 
Sec. 931. Composition of Commissions. 
Sec. 932. Powers of Commission. 
Sec. 933. Public meetings, information, and hearings. 
Sec. 934. Staff of Commission. 
Sec. 935. Compensation and travel expenses. 
Sec. 936. Security clearances for Commission members and staff. 
Sec. 937. Reporting requirements and termination.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
The Congress finds the following: 
(1) NASA is and should remain a multimission 
agency with a balanced and robust set of core mis-
sions in science, aeronautics, and human space 
flight.
(2) The President’s vision of returning humans 
to the Moon and then venturing further into the 
solar system on a step-by-step basis provides a sus-
tainable rationale for the United States human 
space flight program. 
(3) Maintaining the capability to safely send 
humans into space is essential to maintaining 
United States preeminence in human space flight. 
Thus, a gap in United States human space flight ca-
pability is harmful to the national interest. 
(4) The United States should honor its inter-
national commitments to the International Space 
Station program. 
(5) The United States must remain the leader 
in aeronautics and aviation. Any erosion of this pre-
eminence is not in the Nation’s economic or security 
interests. Past Federal investments in aeronautics 
research and development have benefited the econ-
omy and national security of the United States and 
improved the quality of life of its citizens. 
(6) Long-term progress in aeronautics and 
space requires continued Federal investment in fun-
damental research, test facilities, and maintenance 
of a skilled civil service workforce at NASA’s Cen-
ters.
SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS. 
In this Act: 
(1) ADMINISTRATOR.—The term ‘‘Adminis-
trator’’ means the Administrator of the National 
Aeronautics and Space Administration. 
(2) IN-SITU
RESOURCE
UTILIZATION.—The 
term ‘‘in-situ resource utilization’’ means technology 
or systems that can convert indigenous or locally-sit-
uated substances into useful materials and products. 
(3) ISS.—The term ‘‘ISS’’ means the Inter-
national Space Station. 
(4) NASA.—The term ‘‘NASA’’ means the Na-
tional Aeronautics and Space Administration. 
TITLE I—AUTHORIZATION OF 
APPROPRIATIONS 
Subtitle A—Authorizations 
SEC. 101. FISCAL YEAR 2006. 
There are authorized to be appropriated to NASA for 
fiscal year 2006 $16,471,050,000, as follows: 
(1) For Science, Aeronautics, Space and Flight 
Support, and Education (including amounts for con-
struction of facilities), $7,567,200,000 of which—
(A) $5,954,200,000 shall be for Science, of 
which—
(i) $1,765,000,000 shall be for Solar 
System Exploration;