SEC. 404. SPACE SHUTTLE TRANSITION. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Administrator is strongly en-
couraged to pursue the goal of retiring the Space Shuttle 
in 2010 and initiating flight operations of the Crew Explo-
ration Vehicle. However, in view of the detrimental effects 
of a gap in human access to space by the United States, 
the Administrator may not retire all of the Space Shuttle 
orbiters until a replacement human-rated spacecraft sys-
tem that can take humans into Earth orbit and return 
them safely has entered operational service, unless the Ad-
ministrator determines that the Space Shuttle is unsafe 
for continued flight operations. 
(b) REPORT.—The Administrator shall transmit a re-
port to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Trans-
portation of the Senate and the Committee on Science of 
the House of Representatives containing a detailed and 
comprehensive Space Shuttle transition plan that includes 
any necessary recertification, including requirements, as-
sumptions, and milestones, in order to utilize the Space 
Shuttle orbiter beyond calendar year 2010. 
(c) CONTRACT TERMINATIONS; VENDOR REPLACE-
MENTS.—The Administrator may not terminate any con-
tracts nor replace any vendors associated with the Space 
Shuttle until 120 days after the Administrator has trans-
mitted the report required by subsection (b).
SEC. 405. HUMAN EXPLORATION PRIORITIES. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—In view of the limited resources 
likely to be available for human exploration over the re-
mainder of the decade, the Administrator shall—
(1) construct an architecture and implementa-
tion plan for NASA’s human exploration program 
that is not critically dependent on the achievement 
of milestones by fixed dates; and 
(2) determine the relative priority of each of the 
potential elements of NASA’s implementation plan 
for its human exploration program in case funding 
shortfalls or cost growth necessitate the adjustment 
of NASA’s implementation plan. 
(b) PRIORITIES.—Development of a Crew Explo-
ration Vehicle with a robust crew escape system, develop-
ment of a launch system for the Crew Exploration Vehicle, 
and definition of an overall architecture and prioritized 
implementation plan shall be the highest priorities of the 
human exploration program over the period governed by 
this Act. 
(c) REPORT.—Not later than 180 days after the date 
of enactment of this Act, the Administrator shall transmit 
to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transpor-
tation of the Senate and the Committee on Science of the 
House of Representatives—
(1) an exploration architecture and prioritized 
implementation plan and schedule for NASA’s 
human exploration program; 
(2) the requirements, cost estimates, and sched-
ules for the Crew Exploration Vehicle and its associ-
ated launch vehicle; and 
(3) cost estimates for each of the elements of 
the prioritized implementation plan and sensitivity 
analyses of the cost impacts of schedule adjust-
ments. 
SEC. 406. DEVELOPMENT OF EXPANDED PERMANENT 
HUMAN 
PRESENCE 
BEYOND 
LOW-EARTH 
ORBIT. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—As part of the programs author-
ized under the National Aeronautics and Space Act of 
1958 (42 U.S.C. 2451 et seq.), the Administrator shall 
establish a program with the goal of developing a perma-
nently sustained human presence on the Moon, in tandem 
with an extensive precursor program, to support scientific 
pursuits, and as a stepping-stone to future exploration of 
Mars. The Administrator is further authorized to develop 
and conduct commercial and international collaborations 
in pursuit of these goals, as appropriate. 
(b) REQUIREMENTS.—In carrying out this section, 
the Administrator shall—
(1) implement an effective exploration tech-
nology program that is focused around the key needs 
to support lunar human and robotic operations, in-
cluding—
(A) not later than 180 days after the date 
of enactment of this Act, providing to the Com-
mittee on Science of the House of Representa-
tives and the Committee on Commerce, Science, 
and Transportation of the Senate an Explo-
ration Critical Technologies List that will in-
clude those technology areas identified to re-
quire significant advancements in order for 
NASA to achieve the Exploration Vision as ar-
ticulated by the President and contained in 
NASA’s Strategic Plan for Lunar and Mars ex-
ploration; and 
(B) to ensure that the capabilities inherent 
within the United States research universities 
and United States nonaerospace industries are 
actively sought and stimulated in support of ex-
ploration, not later than 180 days after the 
date of enactment of this Act, submitting to the 
Committee on Science of the House of Rep-
resentatives and the Committee on Commerce, 
Science, and Transportation of the Senate a
plan for establishing a program of university 
led university and industry partnerships in each 
of the areas identified in the Exploration Crit-
ical Technologies List provided under subpara-
graph (A); 
(2) as part of NASA’s annual budget submis-
sion, submit to the Congress the detailed mission, 
schedule, and budget for key lunar mission-enabling 
technology areas, including areas for possible innova-
tive governmental and commercial activities and 
partnerships; 
(3) as part of NASA’s annual budget submis-
sion, submit to the Congress a plan for NASA’s 
lunar robotic precursor and technology programs, in-
cluding current and planned technology investments 
and scientific research that support the lunar pro-
gram; and 
(4) conduct an intensive in-situ resource utiliza-
tion technology program in order to develop the ca-
pability to use space resources to increase independ-
ence from Earth, and sustain exploration beyond 
low-Earth orbit.
SEC. 407. GROUND-BASED EXPLORATION ANALOG CAPA-
BILITIES. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Administrator shall evaluate 
the costs and benefits of establishing ground-based analog 
capabilities in United States locations and elsewhere in the 
world in order to assist in the development of technologies 
and operational techniques for lunar operations, life sup-
port, and in-situ resource utilization experience and capa-
bilities. 
(b) LOCATIONS.—If the Administrator determines 
that the establishment of ground-based analog capabilities 
will help advance the United States human exploration 
program, the Administrator shall determine which loca-
tions would offer the most promise for the establishment 
of such ground-based exploration analogs. 
(c) INVOLVEMENT OF LOCAL POPULATIONS; PRI-
VATE SECTOR PARTNERS.—In carrying out this section, 
the Administrator shall involve local populations, aca-
demia, and industrial partners as much as possible to en-
sure that ground-based benefits and applications are en-
couraged and developed. 
SEC. 408. GAO ASSESSMENT OF FEASIBILITY OF MOON AND 
MARS EXPLORATION MISSIONS. 
Not later than 9 months after the date of enactment 
of this Act, the Comptroller General shall transmit to the 
Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of
the Senate and the Committee on Science of the House 
of Representatives an assessment of the feasibility of 
NASA’s planning for exploration of the Moon and Mars, 
giving special consideration to the long-term cost implica-
tions of program architecture and schedules. 
SEC. 409. UNITED STATES HUMAN-RATED LAUNCH CAPAC-
ITY ASSESSMENT. 
Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the Ad-
ministrator shall, not later than 60 days after the date 
of enactment of this Act, provide to the Committee on 
Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate and 
the Committee on Science of the House of Representa-
tives, a full description of the transportation requirements 
and systems needed to support human lunar missions, as 
well as for the ISS, including—
(1) a retention plan of skilled personnel from 
the legacy Shuttle program which will sustain the 
level of safety for that program through the final 
flight and a transition plan that will ensure that any 
NASA programs can utilize the human capital re-
sources of the Shuttle program, to the maximum ex-
tent practicable; 
(2) the implications for and impact on the Na-
tion’s aerospace industrial base;
(3) the manner in which the proposed vehicles 
contribute to a national mixed fleet launch and flight 
capacity; 
(4) support for ISS crew transportation, ISS 
utilization, and lunar exploration architecture; 
(5) for any human rated vehicle, a crew escape 
system, as well as substantial protection against or-
bital debris strikes that offers a high level of safety; 
(6) development risk areas; 
(7) the schedule and cost; 
(8) the relationship between crew and cargo ca-
pabilities; and 
(9) the potential risk reduction from the use of 
qualified hardware. 
TITLE V—OTHER PROGRAM 
AREAS 
Subtitle A—Space and Flight 
Support 
SEC. 501. SPACE COMMUNICATIONS STUDY. 
(a) STUDY.—The Administrator shall develop a plan 
for updating NASA’s space communications architecture 
for both low-Earth orbital operations and deep space ex-
ploration so that it is capable of meeting NASA’s needs 
over the next 20 years. The plan shall also include life-
cycle cost estimates, milestones, estimated performance
capabilities, and 5-year funding profiles. The plan shall 
also incorporate all appropriate findings of the Deep Space 
Network report required under section 204 of this Act. 
The plan shall also include an estimate of the amounts 
of any reimbursements NASA is likely to receive from 
other Federal agencies during the expected life of the up-
grades described in the plan. 
(b) CONSULTATIONS.—The Administrator shall con-
sult with other relevant Federal agencies in developing the 
plan under this section. 
(c) REPORT.—The Administrator shall transmit the 
plan under this section to the Committee on Commerce, 
Science, and Transportation of the Senate and the Com-
mittee on Science of the House of Representatives not 
later than February 17, 2007. 
SEC. 502. ORBITAL DEBRIS. 
The Administrator, in conjunction with the heads of 
other Federal agencies, shall take steps to develop or ac-
quire technologies that will enable NASA to decrease the 
risks associated with orbital debris. 
SEC. 503. SECONDARY PAYLOAD CAPABILITY. 
In order to help develop a cadre of experienced engi-
neers and to provide more routine and affordable access 
to space, the Administrator shall provide the capabilities 
to support secondary payloads on United States launch
vehicles, including free flyers, for satellites or scientific 
payloads weighing less than 500 kilograms. 
SEC. 504. NASA HEALTHCARE PROGRAM. 
The Administrator shall develop policies, procedures, 
and plans necessary for—
(1) the establishment of a lifetime healthcare 
program for NASA astronauts; and 
(2) the study and analysis of the healthcare 
data obtained in order to better understand the 
long-term health effects of space flight on humans. 
Subtitle B—Education 
SEC. 511. INSTITUTIONS IN NASA’S MINORITY INSTITU-
TIONS PROGRAM. 
The matter appearing under the heading ‘‘NA-
TIONAL
AERONAUTICS
AND
SPACE
ADMINISTRA-
TION—SMALL AND DISADVANTAGED BUSINESS’’ in title 
III of the Departments of Veterans Affairs and Housing 
and Urban Development, and Independent Agencies Ap-
propriations Act, 1990 (42 U.S.C. 2473b; 103 Stat. 863) 
is amended by striking ‘‘Historically Black Colleges and 
Universities and’’ and inserting ‘‘Historically Black Col-
leges and Universities that are part B institutions (as de-
fined in section 322(2) of the Higher Education Act of 
1965 (20 U.S.C. 1061(2))), Hispanic-serving institutions 
(as defined in section 502(a)(5) of that Act (20 U.S.C.
1101a(a)(5))), Tribal Colleges or Universities (as defined 
in section 316(b)(3) of that Act (20 U.S.C. 1059c(b)(3))), 
Alaskan Native-serving institutions (as defined in section 
317(b)(2) of that Act (20 U.S.C. 1059d)(b)(2))), Native 
Hawaiian-serving institutions (as defined in section 
317(b)(4) of that Act (20 U.S.C. 1059d(b)(4))), and’’. 
SEC. 512. PROGRAM TO EXPAND DISTANCE LEARNING IN 
RURAL UNDERSERVED AREAS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Administrator shall develop 
or expand programs to extend science and space edu-
cational outreach to rural communities and schools 
through video conferencing, interpretive exhibits, teacher 
education, classroom presentations, and student field 
trips. 
(b) PRIORITIES.—In carrying out subsection (a), the 
Administrator shall give priority to existing programs, in-
cluding Challenger Learning Centers—
(1) that utilize community-based partnerships 
in the field; 
(2) that build and maintain video conference 
and exhibit capacity; 
(3) that travel directly to rural communities 
and serve low-income populations; and
(4) with a special emphasis on increasing the 
number of women and minorities in the science and 
engineering professions. 
SEC. 513. CHARLES ‘‘PETE’’ CONRAD ASTRONOMY AWARDS. 
(a) SHORT TITLE.—This section may be cited as the 
‘‘Charles ‘Pete’ Conrad Astronomy Awards Act’’. 
(b) DEFINITIONS.—For the purposes of this sec-
tion—
(1) 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; 
(2) the term ‘‘Minor Planet Center’’ means the 
Minor Planet Center of the Smithsonian Astro-
physical Observatory; 
(3) the term ‘‘near-Earth asteroid’’ means an 
asteroid with a perihelion distance of less than 1.3 
Astronomical Units from the Sun; and 
(4) the term ‘‘Program’’ means the Charles 
‘‘Pete’’ Conrad Astronomy Awards Program estab-
lished under subsection (c). 
(c) PETE CONRAD ASTRONOMY AWARD PROGRAM.—
(1) IN GENERAL.—The Administrator shall es-
tablish the Charles ‘‘Pete’’ Conrad Astronomy 
Awards Program. 
(2) AWARDS.—The Administrator shall make 
awards under the Program based on the rec-
ommendations of the Minor Planet Center. 
(3) AWARD
CATEGORIES.—The Administrator 
shall make one annual award, unless there are no el-
igible discoveries or contributions, for each of the 
following categories: 
(A) The amateur astronomer or group of 
amateur astronomers who in the preceding cal-
endar year discovered the intrinsically brightest 
near-Earth asteroid among the near-Earth as-
teroids that were discovered during that year by 
amateur astronomers or groups of amateur as-
tronomers. 
(B) The amateur astronomer or group of 
amateur astronomers who made the greatest 
contribution to the Minor Planet Center’s mis-
sion of cataloguing near-Earth asteroids during 
the preceding year. 
(4) AWARD
AMOUNT.—An award under the 
Program shall be in the amount of $3,000.
(5) GUIDELINES.—(A) No individual who is not 
a citizen or permanent resident of the United States 
at the time of his discovery or contribution may re-
ceive an award under this section. 
(B) The decisions of the Administrator in mak-
ing awards under this section are final. 
SEC. 514. REVIEW OF EDUCATION PROGRAMS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Administrator shall enter 
into an arrangement with the National Research Council 
of the National Academy of Sciences to conduct a review 
and evaluation of NASA’s science, technology, engineer-
ing, and mathematics education program. The review and 
evaluation shall be documented in a report to the Adminis-
trator and shall include such recommendations as the Na-
tional Research Council determines will improve the effec-
tiveness of the program. 
(b) REVIEW.—The review and evaluation under sub-
section (a) shall include—
(1) an evaluation of the effectiveness of the 
overall program in meeting its defined goals and ob-
jectives; 
(2) an assessment of the quality and edu-
cational effectiveness of the major components of the 
program, including an evaluation of the adequacy of 
assessment metrics and data collection requirements
available for determining the effectiveness of indi-
vidual projects; 
(3) an evaluation of the funding priorities in 
the program, including a review of the funding level 
and funding trend for each major component of the 
program and an assessment of whether the resources 
made available are consistent with meeting identified 
goals and priorities; and 
(4) a determination of the extent and the effec-
tiveness of coordination and collaboration between 
NASA and other Federal agencies that sponsor 
science, technology, engineering, and mathematics 
education activities. 
(c) REPORT
TO CONGRESS.—Not later than 18 
months after the date of enactment of this Act, the Ad-
ministrator shall transmit to the Committee on Commerce, 
Science, and Transportation of the Senate and the Com-
mittee on Science of the House of Representatives the re-
port required under subsection (a). 
SEC. 515. EQUAL ACCESS TO NASA’S EDUCATION PRO-
GRAMS. 
The Administrator shall strive to ensure equal access 
for minority and economically disadvantaged students to 
NASA’s Education programs. Not later than 1 year after 
the date of enactment of this Act, and every 2 years there-
after, the Administrator shall submit a report to the Com-
mittee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the 
Senate and the Committee on Science of the House of 
Representatives describing the efforts by the Adminis-
trator to ensure equal access for minority and economi-
cally disadvantaged students under this section, and the 
results of such efforts. 
TITLE VI—COMMERCIALIZATION 
SEC. 601. COMPETITIVE PRIZE PROGRAM TO ENCOURAGE 
DEVELOPMENT OF ADVANCED SPACE AND 
AERONAUTICAL TECHNOLOGIES. 
Title III of the National Aeronautics and Space Act 
of 1958 (42 U.S.C. 2451 et seq.) is amended by inserting 
after section 313 the following: 
‘‘SEC. 314. COMPETITIVE AWARD OF PRIZES TO ENCOUR-
AGE DEVELOPMENT OF ADVANCED SPACE 
AND AERONAUTICAL TECHNOLOGIES. 
‘‘(a) PROGRAM AUTHORIZED.—
‘‘(1) IN
GENERAL.—The Administrator may 
carry out a program to award prizes to stimulate in-
novation in basic and applied research, technology 
development, and prototype demonstration that have 
the potential for application to the performance of 
the space and aeronautical activities of the Adminis-
tration.
‘‘(2) USE OF PRIZE AUTHORITY.—In carrying 
out the program, the Administrator shall seek to de-
velop and support technologies and areas that the 
Administrator determines to be providing impetus to 
the Administration’s overall exploration and science 
architecture and plans and, where practicable, utilize 
the prize winner’s technologies in fulfilling the Ad-
ministration’s missions. 
‘‘(b) PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS.—
‘‘(1) COMPETITIVE
PROCESS.—Recipients of 
prizes under the program under this section shall be 
selected through one or more competitions conducted 
by the Administrator. 
‘‘(2) ADVERTISING.—The Administrator shall 
widely advertise any competitions conducted under 
the program and shall include advertising to re-
search universities. 
‘‘(c) REGISTRATION; ASSUMPTION OF RISK.—
‘‘(1) REGISTRATION.—Each potential recipient 
of a prize in a competition under the program under 
this section shall register for the competition. 
‘‘(2) ASSUMPTION OF RISK.—In registering for 
a competition under paragraph (1), a potential re-
cipient of a prize shall assume any and all risks, and 
waive claims against the United States Government