funding needs over the next 10 years that will allow the 
United States to continue its lead in commercial aviation. 
(b) SPECIFIC AREAS OF RESEARCH REQUIRED.—
The plan shall include research on—
(1) enabling commercial aircraft to achieve 
noise levels on takeoff and on airport approach and 
landing that do not exceed ambient noise levels in 
the absence of flight operations in the vicinity of air-
ports from which such commercial aircraft would 
normally operate; 
(2) enabling commercial aircraft to achieve sig-
nificant improvement in fuel efficiency, including 
specific fuel consumption, lift-to-drag ratio, and 
structural weight fraction, compared to aircraft in 
commercial service as of the date of enactment of 
this Act; 
(3) enabling commercial aircraft to reduce emis-
sions for nitrogen oxides to less than 5 grams per 
kilogram of fuel burned and to significantly reduce 
carbon dioxide emissions; 
(4) technologies that will result in rotorcraft 
that, when compared to rotorcraft operating as of 
the date of enactment of this Act, will exhibit—
(A) an 80 percent reduction in noise levels 
on takeoff and on approach and landing as per-
ceived by a human observer; 
(B) a 10 percent reduction in vibration; 
(C) a 30 percent reduction in empty 
weight; 
(D) a predicted accident rate equivalent to 
that of fixed-wing aircraft in commercial serv-
ice; 
(E) the capability for zero-ceiling, zero-visi-
bility operations; and 
(F) operating noise levels that meet the 
conditions and noise limitations imposed by the 
Administrator of the Federal Aviation Adminis-
tration under section 40128 of title 49, United 
States Code, for overflights of national parks; 
(5) the development of a supersonic civil trans-
port with—
(A) an operating speed of at least Mach 
1.6; 
(B) a range of at least 4,000 nautical 
miles; 
(C) a payload of at least 150 passengers; 
(D) a lift-to-drag ratio of at least 9.0;
(E) noise levels on takeoff and on airport 
approach and landing that meet community 
noise standards in place at airports from which 
such commercial supersonic aircraft would nor-
mally operate at the time the aircraft would 
enter commercial service; 
(F) an N-shaped signature sonic boom 
peak overpressure of less than 1.0 pounds per 
square foot; 
(G) nitrogen oxide emissions of less than 
15 grams per kilogram of fuel burned; and 
(H) water vapor emissions for strato-
spheric flight of no greater than 1,400 grams 
per kilogram of fuel burned; and 
(6) other technologies which would improve 
United States aeronautics, including powered lift. 
(c) PUBLIC-PRIVATE
PARTICIPATION; COORDINA-
TION.—In developing the plan, the Administrator shall 
consult with representatives of the United States aviation 
and aerospace industry and with the Office of Aerospace 
and Aviation Liaison of the Department of Transpor-
tation. 
(d) DOT TO COORDINATE RESEARCH.—Any re-
search undertaken pursuant to the plan shall be coordi-
nated with the Office of Aerospace and Aviation Liaison 
of the Department of Transportation. 
(e) AUTHORIZATION
OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 
are authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary of 
Transportation $500,000 for each of fiscal years 2004 and 
2005 to carry out this section. 
SEC. 402. ASSESSMENT OF NASA RESEARCH PLAN. 
(a) ASSESSMENT.—In order to ensure that the 
United States retains needed capabilities in fundamental 
aerodynamics and other areas of fundamental aeronautics 
research, the Administrator of the National Aeronautics 
and Space Administration shall enter into an arrangement 
with the National Research Council for an assessment of 
the Aeronautics Research Plan developed under section 
401 and the United States future requirements for funda-
mental aeronautics research and needs for a skilled re-
search workforce and research facilities commensurate 
with those requirements. The assessment shall include—
(1) an identification of any projected gaps; and 
(2) recommendations for what steps should be 
taken by the United States to eliminate those gaps. 
(b) REPORT.—The Administrator shall transmit the 
assessment described in subsection (a), along with the Ad-
ministration’s response to the assessment, to the Com-
mittee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the
Senate and to the Committee on Science of the House of 
Representatives not later than 1 year after the date of 
enactment of this Act. 
(c) AUTHORIZATION
OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 
are authorized to be appropriated to the Administrator 
$500,000 for fiscal year 2004 to carry out this section. 
SEC. 403. STUDY OF MARKETS ENABLED BY ENVIRON-
MENTAL TECHNOLOGIES FOR FUTURE AIR-
CRAFT. 
(a) OBJECTIVE.—The Administrator of the National 
Aeronautics and Space Administration shall conduct a 
study to identify and quantify new markets that would be 
created, as well as existing markets that would be ex-
panded, by the incorporation of the technologies developed 
pursuant to section 401 into future commercial aircraft. 
As part of the study, the Administrator shall identify 
whether any of the performance characteristics specified 
in section 401(a) would need to be made more stringent 
in order to create new markets or expand existing mar-
kets. The Administrator shall seek input from at least the 
aircraft manufacturing industry, academia, and the air-
lines in carrying out the study. 
(b) REPORT.—A report containing the results of the 
study shall be provided to the Committee on Science of 
the House of Representatives and to the Committee on
Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate 
within 18 months after the date of enactment of this Act. 
(c) AUTHORIZATION
OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 
are authorized to be appropriated to the Administrator of 
the National Aeronautics and Space Administration 
$500,000 to carry out this section.
SEC. 404. VEHICLE-ENABLING TECHNOLOGY PROGRAM. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Administrator of the Na-
tional Aeronautics and Space Administration shall—
(1) redesignate the Administration’s vehicle sys-
tems program as the vehicle-enabling technologies 
program; and 
(2) broaden the scope of the program—
(A) to include cooperative efforts with 
aviation airframe, engine, avionics, and aircraft 
systems manufacturers to develop technologies 
that—
(i) will enable manufacturers to de-
sign, produce, and gain Federal Aviation 
Administration certification of innovative 
technologies that bring new capabilities to 
aircraft types currently being produced; 
and