H. R. 1654—18
(b) REQUIRED IMPROVEMENTS.—The Administrator shall con-
duct an internal agency study, based on the conclusions of the
study required by subsection (a), of what—
(1) improvements to the current Space Shuttle external
tank; and
(2) other in-space transportation or infrastructure capa-
bility developments,
would be required for the safe and economical use of the Space
Shuttle external tank for any or all of the applications identified
by the study required by subsection (a), a report on which shall
be delivered to Congress not later than 45 days after receipt of
the final report required by subsection (a).
(c) CHANGES IN LAW OR POLICY.—Upon receipt of the final
report required by subsection (a), the Administrator shall solicit
comment from industry on what, if any, changes in law or policy
would be required to achieve the applications identified in that
final report. Not later than 90 days after receipt of such final
report, the Administrator shall transmit to the Congress the com-
ments received along with the recommendations of the Adminis-
trator as to changes in law or policy that may be required for
those purposes.
SEC. 311. NOTICE.
(a) NOTICE OF REPROGRAMMING.—If any funds authorized by
this Act are subject to a reprogramming action that requires notice
to be provided to the Appropriations Committees of the House
of Representatives and the Senate, notice of such action shall
concurrently be provided to the Committee on Science of the House
of Representatives and the Committee on Commerce, Science, and
Transportation of the Senate.
(b) NOTICE OF REORGANIZATION.—The Administrator shall pro-
vide notice to the Committees on Science and Appropriations of
the House of Representatives, and the Committees on Commerce,
Science, and Transportation and Appropriations of the Senate, not
later than 30 days before any major reorganization of any program,
project, or activity of the National Aeronautics and Space Adminis-
tration.
SEC. 312. UNITARY WIND TUNNEL PLAN ACT OF 1949 AMENDMENTS.
The Unitary Wind Tunnel Plan Act of 1949 is amended—
(1) in section 101 (50 U.S.C. 511) by striking ‘‘transsonic
and supersonic’’ and inserting ‘‘transsonic, supersonic, and
hypersonic’’; and
(2) in section 103 (50 U.S.C. 513)—
(A) by striking ‘‘laboratories’’ in subsection (a) and
inserting ‘‘laboratories and centers’’;
(B) by striking ‘‘supersonic’’ in subsection (a) and
inserting ‘‘transsonic, supersonic, and hypersonic’’; and
(C) by striking ‘‘laboratory’’ in subsection (c) and
inserting ‘‘facility’’.
SEC. 313. INNOVATIVE TECHNOLOGIES FOR HUMAN SPACE FLIGHT.
(a) ESTABLISHMENT
OF PROGRAM.—In order to promote a
‘‘faster, cheaper, better’’ approach to the human exploration and
development of space, the Administrator shall establish a Human
Space Flight Innovative Technologies program of ground-based and
space-based research and development in innovative technologies.
H. R. 1654—19
The program shall be part of the Technology and Commercialization
program.
(b) AWARDS.—At least 75 percent of the amount appropriated
for Technology and Commercialization under section 101(b)(4) for
any fiscal year shall be awarded through broadly distributed
announcements of opportunity that solicit proposals from edu-
cational institutions, industry, nonprofit institutions, National Aero-
nautics and Space Administration Centers, the Jet Propulsion Lab-
oratory, other Federal agencies, and other interested organizations,
and that allow partnerships among any combination of those enti-
ties, with evaluation, prioritization, and recommendations made
by external peer review panels.
(c) PLAN.—The Administrator shall provide to the Committee
on Science of the House of Representatives and to the Committee
on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate, not later
than December 1, 2000, a plan to implement the program estab-
lished under subsection (a).
SEC. 314. LIFE IN THE UNIVERSE.
(a) REVIEW.—The Administrator shall enter into appropriate
arrangements with the National Academy of Sciences for the con-
duct of a review of—
(1) international efforts to determine the extent of life
in the universe; and
(2) enhancements that can be made to the National Aero-
nautics and Space Administration’s efforts to determine the
extent of life in the universe.
(b) ELEMENTS.—The review required by subsection (a) shall
include—
(1) an assessment of the direction of the National Aero-
nautics and Space Administration’s astrobiology initiatives
within the Origins program;
(2) an assessment of the direction of other initiatives car-
ried out by entities other than the National Aeronautics and
Space Administration to determine the extent of life in the
universe, including other Federal agencies, foreign space agen-
cies, and private groups such as the Search for Extraterrestrial
Intelligence Institute;
(3) recommendations about scientific and technological
enhancements that could be made to the National Aeronautics
and Space Administration’s astrobiology initiatives to effectively
utilize the initiatives of the scientific and technical commu-
nities; and
(4) recommendations for possible coordination or integra-
tion of National Aeronautics and Space Administration initia-
tives with initiatives of other entities described in paragraph
(2).
(c) REPORT
TO CONGRESS.—Not later than 20 months after
the date of the enactment of this Act, the Administrator shall
transmit to the Congress a report on the results of the review
carried out under this section.
SEC. 
315. 
CARBON 
CYCLE 
REMOTE 
SENSING 
APPLICATIONS
RESEARCH.
(a) CARBON CYCLE REMOTE SENSING APPLICATIONS RESEARCH
PROGRAM.—
(1) IN GENERAL.—The Administrator shall develop a carbon
cycle remote sensing applications research program—
H. R. 1654—20
(A) to provide a comprehensive view of vegetation
conditions;
(B) to assess and model agricultural carbon sequestra-
tion; and
(C) to encourage the development of commercial prod-
ucts, as appropriate.
(2) USE OF CENTERS.—The Administrator of the National
Aeronautics and Space Administration shall use regional earth
science application centers to conduct applications research
under this section.
(3) RESEARCHED AREAS.—The areas that shall be the sub-
jects of research conducted under this section include—
(A) the mapping of carbon-sequestering land use and
land cover;
(B) the monitoring of changes in land cover and
management;
(C) new approaches for the remote sensing of soil
carbon; and
(D) region-scale carbon sequestration estimation.
(b) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There is authorized
to be appropriated to carry out this section $5,000,000 of funds
authorized by section 102 for fiscal years 2001 through 2002.
SEC. 316. REMOTE SENSING FOR AGRICULTURAL AND RESOURCE
MANAGEMENT.
(a) INFORMATION DEVELOPMENT.—The Administrator shall—
(1) consult with the Secretary of Agriculture to determine
data product types that are of use to farmers which can be
remotely sensed from air or space;
(2) consider useful commercial data products related to
agriculture as identified by the focused research program
between the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s
Stennis Space Center and the Department of Agriculture; and
(3) examine other data sources, including commercial
sources, LightSAR, RADARSAT I, and RADARSAT II, which
can provide domestic and international agricultural information
relating to crop conditions, fertilization and irrigation needs,
pest infiltration, soil conditions, projected food, feed, and fiber
production, and other related subjects.
(b) PLAN.—After performing the activities described in sub-
section (a) the Administrator shall, in consultation with the Sec-
retary of Agriculture, develop a plan to inform farmers and other
prospective users about the use and availability of remote sensing
products that may assist with agricultural and forestry applications
identified in subsection (a). The Administrator shall transmit such
plan to the Congress not later than 180 days after the date of
the enactment of this Act.
(c) IMPLEMENTATION.—Not later than 90 days after the plan
has been transmitted under subsection (b), the Administrator shall
implement the plan.
SEC. 317. 100TH ANNIVERSARY OF FLIGHT EDUCATIONAL INITIATIVE.
(a) EDUCATIONAL
INITIATIVE.—In recognition of the 100th
anniversary of the first powered flight, the Administrator, in
coordination with the Secretary of Education, shall develop and
provide for the distribution, for use in the 2001–2002 academic
year and thereafter, of age-appropriate educational materials, for
use at the kindergarten, elementary, and secondary levels, on the
H. R. 1654—21
history of flight, the contribution of flight to global development
in the 20th century, the practical benefits of aeronautics and space
flight to society, the scientific and mathematical principles used
in flight, and any other related topics the Administrator considers
appropriate. The Administrator shall integrate into the educational
materials plans for the development and flight of the Mars plane.
(b) REPORT TO CONGRESS.—Not later than December 1, 2000,
the Administrator shall transmit a report to the Congress on activi-
ties undertaken pursuant to this section.
SEC. 318. INTERNET AVAILABILITY OF INFORMATION.
Upon the conclusion of the research under a research grant
or award of $50,000 or more made with funds authorized by this
Act, the Administrator shall make available through the Internet
home page of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration
a brief summary of the results and importance of such research
grant or award. Nothing in this section shall be construed to require
or permit the release of any information prohibited by law or
regulation from being released to the public.
SEC. 319. SENSE OF THE CONGRESS; REQUIREMENT REGARDING
NOTICE.
(a) PURCHASE
OF AMERICAN-MADE EQUIPMENT
AND PROD-
UCTS.—In the case of any equipment or products that may be
authorized to be purchased with financial assistance provided under
this Act, it is the sense of the Congress that entities receiving
such assistance should, in expending the assistance, purchase only
American-made equipment and products.
(b) NOTICE TO RECIPIENTS OF ASSISTANCE.—In providing finan-
cial assistance under this Act, the Administrator shall provide
to each recipient of the assistance a notice describing the statement
made in subsection (a) by the Congress.
SEC. 320. ANTI-DRUG MESSAGE ON INTERNET SITES.
Not later than 90 days after the date of the enactment of
this Act, the Administrator, in consultation with the Director of
the Office of National Drug Control Policy, shall place anti-drug
messages on Internet sites controlled by the National Aeronautics
and Space Administration.
SEC. 321. ENHANCEMENT OF SCIENCE AND MATHEMATICS PROGRAMS.
(a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section:
(1) EDUCATIONALLY
USEFUL
FEDERAL
EQUIPMENT.—The
term ‘‘educationally useful Federal equipment’’ means com-
puters and related peripheral tools and research equipment
that is appropriate for use in schools.
(2) SCHOOL.—The term ‘‘school’’ means a public or private
educational institution that serves any of the grades of kinder-
garten through grade 12.
(b) SENSE OF THE CONGRESS.—
(1) IN GENERAL.—It is the sense of the Congress that the
Administrator should, to the greatest extent practicable and
in a manner consistent with applicable Federal law (including
Executive Order No. 12999), donate educationally useful Fed-
eral equipment to schools in order to enhance the science and
mathematics programs of those schools.