109TH CONGRESS
1ST SESSION
H. R. 1023
AN ACT
To authorize the Administrator of the National
Aeronautics and Space Administration to estab-
lish an awards program in honor of Charles
‘‘Pete’’ Conrad, astronaut and space scientist, for
recognizing the discoveries made by amateur as-
tronomers of asteroids with near-Earth orbit tra-
jectories.
109TH CONGRESS
1ST SESSION
H. R. 1023
AN ACT
To authorize the Administrator of the National Aeronautics
and Space Administration to establish an awards pro-
gram in honor of Charles ‘‘Pete’’ Conrad, astronaut and
space scientist, for recognizing the discoveries made by
amateur astronomers of asteroids with near-Earth orbit
trajectories.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Charles ‘Pete’ Conrad
Astronomy Awards Act’’.
SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.
For the purposes of this Act—
(1) the term ‘‘Administrator’’ means the Ad-
ministrator of the National Aeronautics and Space
Administration;
(2) 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
bodies, and does not include any individual employed
as a professional astronomer;
(3) the term ‘‘Minor Planet Center’’ means the
Minor Planet Center of the Smithsonian Astro-
physical Observatory;
(4) the term ‘‘near-Earth asteroid’’ means an
asteroid with a perihelion distance of less than 1.3
Astronomical Units from the Sun; and
(5) the term ‘‘Program’’ means the Charles
‘‘Pete’’ Conrad Astronomy Awards Program estab-
lished under section 3.
SEC. 3. PETE CONRAD ASTRONOMY AWARD PROGRAM.
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Administrator shall establish
the Charles ‘‘Pete’’ Conrad Astronomy Awards Program.
(b) AWARDS.—The Administrator shall make awards
under the Program based on the recommendations of the
Minor Planet Center.
(c) AWARD CATEGORIES.—The Administrator shall
make one annual award, unless there are no eligible dis-
coveries or contributions, for each of the following cat-
egories:
(1) The amateur astronomer or group of ama-
teur astronomers who in the preceding calendar year
discovered the intrinsically brightest near-Earth as-
teroid among the near-Earth asteroids that were dis-
covered during that year by amateur astronomers or
groups of amateur astronomers.
(2) The amateur astronomer or group of ama-
teur astronomers who made the greatest contribu-
tion to the Minor Planet Center’s mission of cata-
loguing near-Earth asteroids during the preceding
year.
(d) AWARD AMOUNT.—An award under the Program
shall be in the amount of $3,000.
(e) GUIDELINES.—(1) No individual who is not a cit-
izen or permanent resident of the United States at the
time of his discovery or contribution may receive an award
under this Act.
(2) The decisions of the Administrator in making
awards under this Act are final.
(f) AUTHORIZATION
OF APPROPRIATIONS.—From
sums otherwise authorized to be appropriated, there are
authorized to be appropriated such sums as may be nec-
essary to carry out this Act.
Passed the House of Representatives May 10, 2005.
Attest:
Clerk.