ing measures that advance the long-term initiative for 
international cooperation. 
SEC. 402. STEPPING STONE APPROACH TO EXPLORATION. 
In order to maximize the cost-effectiveness of the 
long-term exploration and utilization activities of the 
United States, the Administrator shall take all necessary 
steps to ensure that activities in its lunar exploration pro-
gram shall be designed and implemented in a manner that 
gives strong consideration to how those activities might 
also help meet the requirements of future exploration and 
utilization activities beyond the Moon. The timetable of 
the lunar phase of the long-term international exploration 
initiative shall be determined by the availability of funding 
and agreement on an international cooperative framework 
for the conduct of the international exploration initiative. 
However, once an exploration-related project enters its de-
velopment phase, the Administrator shall seek, to the max-
imum extent practicable, to complete that project without 
undue delays. 
SEC. 403. LUNAR OUTPOST. 
(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—As NASA works toward the 
establishment of a lunar outpost, NASA shall make no 
plans that would require a lunar outpost to be occupied 
to maintain its viability. Any such outpost shall be oper-
able as a human-tended facility capable of remote or au-
tonomous operation for extended periods. 
(b) DESIGNATION.—The United States portion of the 
first human-tended outpost established on the surface of 
the Moon shall be designated the ‘‘Neil A. Armstrong 
Lunar Outpost’’. 
(c) CONGRESSIONAL INTENT.—It is the intent of 
Congress that NASA shall make use of commercial serv-
ices to the maximum extent practicable in support of its 
lunar outpost activities. 
SEC. 404. EXPLORATION TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—A robust program of long-term 
exploration-related technology research and development 
will be essential for the success and sustainability of any 
enduring initiative of human and robotic exploration of the 
solar system. 
(b) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Administrator shall es-
tablish and maintain a program of long-term exploration- 
related technology research and development that is not 
tied to specific flight projects and that has a funding goal 
of at least 10 percent of the total budget of the Explo-
ration Systems Mission Directorate. 
(c) GOALS.—The long-term technology program shall 
have the goal of having at least 50 percent of the funding
allocated to external grants and contracts with univer-
sities, research institutions, and industry. 
SEC. 405. EXPLORATION RISK MITIGATION PLAN. 
(a) PLAN.—The Administrator shall prepare a plan 
that identifies and prioritizes the human and technical 
risks that will need to be addressed in carrying out human 
exploration beyond low Earth orbit and the research and 
development activities required to address those risks. The 
plan shall address the role of the International Space Sta-
tion in exploration risk mitigation and include a detailed 
description of the specific steps being taken to utilize the 
International Space Station for that purpose. 
(b) REPORT.—The Administrator shall transmit to 
the Committee on Science and Technology of the House 
of Representatives and the Committee on Commerce, 
Science, and Transportation of the Senate the plan de-
scribed in subsection (a) not later than one year after the 
date of enactment of this Act. 
SEC. 406. EXPLORATION CREW RESCUE. 
In order to maximize the ability to rescue astronauts 
whose space vehicles have become disabled, the Adminis-
trator shall enter into discussions with the appropriate 
representatives of spacefaring nations who have or plan 
to have crew transportation systems capable of orbital
flight or flight beyond low Earth orbit for the purpose of 
agreeing on a common docking system standard. 
SEC. 407. PARTICIPATORY EXPLORATION. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Administrator shall develop 
a technology plan to enable dissemination of information 
to the public to allow the public to experience missions 
to the Moon, Mars, or other bodies within our solar system 
by leveraging advanced exploration technologies. The plan 
shall identify opportunities to leverage technologies in 
NASA’s Constellation systems that deliver a rich, multi- 
media experience to the public, and that facilitate partici-
pation by the public, the private sector, nongovernmental 
organizations, and international partners. Technologies 
for collecting high-definition video, 3-dimensional images, 
and scientific data, along with the means to rapidly deliver 
this content through extended high bandwidth communica-
tions networks shall be considered as part of this plan. 
It shall include a review of high bandwidth radio and laser 
communications, high-definition video, stereo imagery, 3- 
dimensional scene cameras, and Internet routers in space, 
from orbit, and on the lunar surface. The plan shall also 
consider secondary cargo capability for technology valida-
tion and science mission opportunities. In addition, the 
plan shall identify opportunities to develop and dem-
onstrate these technologies on the International Space
Station and robotic missions to the Moon, Mars, and other 
solar system bodies. As part of the technology plan, the 
Administrator shall examine the feasibility of having 
NASA enter into contracts with appropriate public, pri-
vate sector, and international partners to broadcast elec-
tronically, including via the Internet, images and multi-
media records delivered from its missions in space to the 
public and shall identify issues associated with such con-
tracts. In any such contracts, NASA would be required 
to adhere to a transparent bidding process to award con-
tracts, pursuant to United States law. 
(b) REPORT.—Not later than 270 days after the date 
of enactment of this Act, the Administrator shall submit 
the plan to the Committee on Science and Technology of 
the House of Representatives and the Committee on Com-
merce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate. 
SEC. 408. SCIENCE AND EXPLORATION. 
It is the sense of Congress that NASA’s scientific and 
human exploration activities are synergistic, i.e. science 
enables exploration and human exploration enables 
science. The Congress encourages the Administrator to co-
ordinate, where practical, NASA’s science and exploration 
activities with the goal of maximizing the success of 
human exploration initiatives and furthering our under-
standing of the Universe that we explore.
SEC. 409. CONGRESSIONAL BUDGET OFFICE REPORT UP-
DATE. 
Not later than 6 months after the date of enactment 
of this Act, the Congressional Budget Office shall update 
its report from 2004 on the budgetary analysis of NASA’s 
Vision for the Nation’s Space Exploration Program, in-
cluding new estimates for Project Constellation, NASA’s 
new generation of spacecraft designed for human 
spaceflight that will replace the Space Shuttle program. 
TITLE V—SPACE SCIENCE 
SEC. 501. TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT. 
The Administrator shall establish a cross-Directorate 
long-term technology development program for space and 
Earth science within the Science Mission Directorate for 
the development of new technology. The program shall be 
independent of the flight projects under development. 
NASA shall have a goal of funding the cross-Directorate 
technology development program at a level of 5 percent 
of the total Science Mission Directorate annual budget. 
The program shall be structured to include competitively 
awarded grants and contracts. 
SEC. 502. PROVISION FOR FUTURE SERVICING OF OBSERV-
ATORY-CLASS SCIENTIFIC SPACECRAFT. 
The Administrator shall take all necessary steps to 
ensure that provision is made in the design and construc-
tion of all future observatory-class scientific spacecraft in-
tended to be deployed in Earth orbit or at a Lagrangian 
point in space for robotic or human servicing and repair. 
SEC. 503. MARS EXPLORATION. 
Congress reaffirms its support for a systematic, inte-
grated program of exploration of the Martian surface to 
examine the planet whose surface is most like Earth’s, to 
search for evidence of past or present life, and to examine 
Mars for future habitability and as a long-term goal for 
future human exploration. To the extent affordable and 
practical, the program should pursue the goal of launches 
at every Mars launch opportunity, leading to an eventual 
robotic sample return. 
SEC. 504. IMPORTANCE OF A BALANCED SCIENCE PRO-
GRAM. 
It is the sense of Congress that a balanced and ade-
quately funded set of activities, consisting of NASA’s re-
search and analysis grants programs, technology develop-
ment, small, medium-sized, and large space science mis-
sions, and suborbital research activities, contributes to a 
robust and productive science program and serves as a 
catalyst for innovation. It is further the sense of Congress 
that suborbital flight activities, including the use of sound-
ing rockets, aircraft, and high-altitude balloons, and sub-
orbital reusable launch vehicles, offer valuable opportuni-
ties to advance science, train the next generation of sci-
entists and engineers, and provide opportunities for par-
ticipants in the programs to acquire skills in systems engi-
neering and systems integration that are critical to main-
taining the Nation’s leadership in space programs. The 
Congress believes that it is in the national interest to ex-
pand the size of NASA’s suborbital research program. 
SEC. 505. RESTORATION OF RADIOISOTOPE THERMO-
ELECTRIC GENERATOR MATERIAL PRODUC-
TION. 
(a) PLAN.—The Director of OSTP shall develop a 
plan for restarting and sustaining the domestic production 
of radioisotope thermoelectric generator material for deep 
space and other space science missions. 
(b) REPORT.—The plan developed under subsection 
(a) shall be transmitted to Congress not later than 270 
days after the date of enactment of this Act. 
SEC. 506. ASSESSMENT OF IMPEDIMENTS TO INTERAGENCY 
COOPERATION 
ON 
SPACE 
AND 
EARTH 
SCIENCE MISSIONS. 
(a) ASSESSMENT.—The Administrator shall enter 
into an arrangement with the National Academies to as-
sess impediments to the successful conduct of interagency 
cooperation on space and Earth science missions, to pro-
vide lessons learned and best practices, and to recommend
steps to help facilitate successful interagency collabora-
tions on space and Earth science missions. 
(b) REPORT.—The report of the assessment carried 
out under subsection (a) shall be transmitted to the Com-
mittee on Science and Technology of the House of Rep-
resentatives and the Committee on Commerce, Science, 
and Transportation of the Senate not later than 15 
months after the date of enactment of this Act. 
SEC. 507. ASSESSMENT OF COST GROWTH. 
(a) STUDY.—The Administrator shall enter into an 
arrangement for an independent external assessment to 
identify the primary causes of cost growth in the large, 
medium-sized, and small space and Earth science space-
craft mission classes, and make recommendations as to 
what changes, if any, should be made to contain costs and 
ensure frequent mission opportunities in NASA’s science 
spacecraft mission programs. 
(b) REPORT.—The report of the assessment con-
ducted under subsection (a) shall be submitted to Con-
gress not later than 15 months after the date of enactment 
of this Act. 
SEC. 508. OUTER PLANETS EXPLORATION. 
It is the sense of Congress that the outer solar system 
planets and their satellites can offer important knowledge 
about the formation and evolution of the solar system, the
nature and diversity of these solar system bodies, and the 
potential for conditions conducive to life beyond Earth. 
NASA should move forward with plans for an Outer Plan-
ets flagship mission to the Europa-Jupiter system or the 
Titan-Saturn system as soon as practicable within a bal-
anced Planetary Science program. 
TITLE VI—SPACE OPERATIONS 
Subtitle A—International Space 
Station 
SEC. 601. UTILIZATION. 
The Administrator shall take all necessary steps to 
ensure that the International Space Station remains a via-
ble and productive facility capable of potential United 
States utilization through at least 2020 and shall take no 
steps that would preclude its continued operation and uti-
lization by the United States after 2016. 
SEC. 602. RESEARCH MANAGEMENT PLAN. 
(a) RESEARCH MANAGEMENT PLAN.—The Adminis-
trator shall develop a research management plan for the 
International Space Station. The plan shall include a proc-
ess for selecting and prioritizing research activities (in-
cluding fundamental, applied, commercial, and other re-
search) for flight on the International Space Station. This 
plan shall be used to prioritize resources such as crew 
time, racks and equipment, and United States access to
international research facilities and equipment. The plan 
shall also identify the organization to be responsible for 
managing United States research on the International 
Space Station, including a description of the relationship 
of the management institution with NASA (e.g., internal 
NASA office, contract, cooperative agreement, or grant), 
the estimated length of time for the arrangement, and the 
budget required to support the management institution. 
The plan shall be developed in consultation with other 
Federal agencies, academia, industry, and other relevant 
stakeholders. The plan shall be transmitted to Congress 
not later than 12 months after the date of enactment of 
this Act. 
(b) ACCESS TO NATIONAL LABORATORY.—The Ad-
ministrator shall— 
(1) establish a process by which to support 
International Space Station National Laboratory 
users in identifying their requirements for transpor-
tation of research supplies to and from the Inter-
national Space Station, and for communicating those 
requirements to NASA and International Space Sta-
tion transportation services providers; and 
(2) develop an estimate of the transportation 
requirements needed to support users of the Inter-
national Space Station National Laboratory and de-