Space Chronicles: Facing the Ultimate Frontier (46 page)

(b) Costs to Which Limitation Applies.—

(1) Development costs.—The limitation imposed by subsection (a)(1)(A) does not apply to funding for operations, research, or crew return activities subsequent to substantial completion of the International Space Station.

(2) Launch costs.—The limitation imposed by subsection (a)(1)(B) does not apply—

(A) to space shuttle launch costs in connection with operations, research, or crew return activities subsequent to substantial completion of the International Space Station;

(B) to space shuttle launch costs in connection with a launch for a mission on which at least 75 percent of the shuttle payload by mass is devoted to research; nor

(C) to any additional costs incurred in ensuring or enhancing the safety and reliability of the space shuttle.

(3) Substantial completion.—For purposes of this subsection, the International Space Station is considered to be substantially completed when the development costs comprise 5 percent or less of the total International Space Station costs for the fiscal year.

(c) Notice of Changes to Space Station Costs.—The Administrator shall provide with each annual budget request a written notice and analysis of any changes under subsection (d) to the amounts set forth in subsection (a) to the Senate Committees on Appropriations and on Commerce, Science, and Transportation and to the House of Representatives Committees on Appropriations and on Science. In addition, such notice may be provided at other times, as deemed necessary by the Administrator. The written notice shall include—

(1) an explanation of the basis for the change, including the costs associated with the change and the expected benefit to the program to be derived from the change;

(2) an analysis of the impact on the assembly schedule and annual funding estimates of not receiving the requested increases; and

(3) an explanation of the reasons that such a change was not anticipated in previous program budgets.

(d) Funding for Contingencies.—

(1) Notice required.—If funding in excess of the limitation provided for in subsection (a) is required to address the contingencies described in paragraph (2), then the Administrator shall provide the written notice required by subsection (c). In the case of funding described in paragraph (3)(A), such notice shall be required prior to obligating any of the funding. In the case of funding described in paragraph (3)(B), such notice shall be required within 15 days after making a decision to implement a change that increases the space shuttle launch costs in connection with the assembly of the International Space Station.

(2) Contingencies.—The contingencies referred to in paragraph (1) are the following:

(A) The lack of performance or the termination of participation of any of the International countries party to the Intergovernmental Agreement.

(B) The loss or failure of a United States-provided element during launch or on-orbit.

(C) On-orbit assembly problems.

(D) New technologies or training to improve safety on the International Space Station.

(E) The need to launch a space shuttle to ensure the safety of the crew or to maintain the integrity of the station.

(3) Amounts.—The total amount obligated by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration to address the contingencies described in paragraph (2) is limited to—

(A) $5,000,000,000 for the International Space Station; and

(B) $3,540,000,000 for the space shuttle launch costs in connection with the assembly of the International Space Station.

(e) Reporting and Review.—

(1) Identification of costs.—

(A) Space shuttle.—As part of the overall space shuttle program budget request for each fiscal year, the Administrator shall identify separately—

(i) the amounts of the requested funding that are to be used for completion of the assembly of the International Space Station; and

(ii) any shuttle research mission described in subsection (b)(2).

(B) International space station.—As part of the overall International Space Station budget request for each fiscal year, the Administrator shall identify the amount to be used for development of the International Space Station.

(2) Accounting for cost limitations.—As part of the annual budget request to the Congress, the Administrator shall account for the cost limitations imposed by subsection (a).

(3) Verification of accounting.—The Administrator shall arrange for a verification, by the General Accounting Office, of the accounting submitted to the Congress within 60 days after the date on which the budget request is transmitted to the Congress.

(4) Inspector general.—Within 60 days after the Administrator provides a notice and analysis to the Congress under subsection (c), the Inspector General of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration shall review the notice and analysis and report the results of the review to the committees to which the notice and analysis were provided.

RESEARCH ON INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION

(a) Study.—The Administrator [of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration] shall enter into a contract with the National Research Council and the National Academy of Public Administration to jointly conduct a study of the status of life and microgravity research as it relates to the International Space Station. The study shall include—

(1) an assessment of the United States scientific community’s readiness to use the International Space Station for life and microgravity research;

(2) an assessment of the current and projected factors limiting the United States scientific community’s ability to maximize the research potential of the International Space Station, including, but not limited to, the past and present availability of resources in the life and microgravity research accounts within the Office of Human Spaceflight and the Office of Life and Microgravity Sciences and Applications and the past, present, and projected access to space of the scientific community; and

(3) recommendations for improving the United States scientific community’s ability to maximize the research potential of the International Space Station, including an assessment of the relative costs and benefits of—

(A) dedicating an annual mission of the Space Shuttle to life and microgravity research during assembly of the International Space Station; and

(B) maintaining the schedule for assembly in place at the time of the enactment [Oct. 30, 2000].

(b) Report.—Not later than 1 year after the date of the enactment of this Act [Oct. 30, 2000], the Administrator shall transmit to the Committee on Science of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate a report on the results of the study conducted under this section.

SPACE STATION RESEARCH UTILIZATION AND
COMMERCIALIZATION MANAGEMENT

(a) Research Utilization and Commercialization Management Activities.—The Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration shall enter into an agreement with a non-government organization to conduct research utilization and commercialization management activities of the International Space Station subsequent to substantial completion as defined in section
202 (b)(3)
. The agreement may not take effect less than 120 days after the implementation plan for the agreement is submitted to the Congress under subsection (b).

(b) Implementation Plan.—Not later than September 30, 2001, the Administrator shall submit to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate and the Committee on Science of the House of Representatives an implementation plan to incorporate the use of a non-government organization for the International Space Station. The implementation plan shall include—

(1) a description of the respective roles and responsibilities of the Administration and the non-government organization;

(2) a proposed structure for the non-government organization;

(3) a statement of the resources required;

(4) a schedule for the transition of responsibilities; and

(5) a statement of the duration of the agreement.

Aero-Space Transportation Technology Integration
Pub. L. 106–391, title III, § 308, Oct. 30, 2000, 114 Stat. 1592
Codified at 42 U.S.C. § 2451 note

SEC. 2451

(a) Integration Plan.—The Administrator [of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration] shall develop a plan for the integration of research, development, and experimental demonstration activities in the aeronautics transportation technology and space transportation technology areas where appropriate. The plan shall ensure that integration is accomplished without losing unique capabilities which support the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s defined missions. The plan shall also include appropriate strategies for using aeronautics centers in integration efforts.

(b) Reports to Congress.—Not later than 90 days after the date of the enactment of this Act [Oct. 30, 2000], the Administrator shall transmit to the Congress a report containing the plan developed under subsection (a). The Administrator shall transmit to the Congress annually thereafter for 5 years a report on progress in achieving such plan, to be transmitted with the annual budget request.

Innovative Technologies for Human Space Flight
Pub. L. 106–391, title III, § 313, Oct. 30, 2000, 114 Stat. 1594
Codified at 42 U.S.C. § 2451 note

SEC. 2451:

(a) Establishment of Program.—In order to promote a ‘faster, cheaper, better’ approach to the human exploration and development of space, the Administrator [of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration] shall establish a Human Space Flight Innovative Technologies program of groundbased and space-based research and development in innovative technologies. 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)
[
114 Stat. 1581
] for any fiscal year shall be awarded through broadly distributed announcements of opportunity that solicit proposals from educational institutions, industry, nonprofit institutions, National Aeronautics and Space Administration Centers, the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, other Federal agencies, and other interested organizations, and that allow partnerships among any combination of those entities, 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 established under subsection (a).

Life in the Universe
Pub. L. 106–391, title III, § 314, Oct. 30, 2000, 114 Stat. 1595
Codified at 42 U.S.C. § 2451 note

SEC. 2451

(a) Review.—The Administrator [of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration] shall enter into appropriate arrangements with the National Academy of Sciences for the conduct 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 Aeronautics 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 Aeronautics and Space Administration’s astrobiology initiatives within the Origins program;

(2) an assessment of the direction of other initiatives carried 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 agencies, 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 communities; and

(4) recommendations for possible coordination or integration of National Aeronautics and Space Administration initiatives 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 [Oct. 30, 2000], the Administrator shall transmit to the Congress a report on the results of the review carried out under this section.

Carbon Cycle Remote Sensing Applications Research
Pub. L. 106–391, title III, § 315, Oct. 30, 2000, 114 Stat. 1595
Codified at 42 U.S.C. § 2451 note

SEC. 2451

(a) Carbon Cycle Remote Sensing Applications Research Program

(1) In general.—The Administrator [of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration] shall develop a carbon cycle remote sensing applications research program—

(A) to provide a comprehensive view of vegetation conditions;

(B) to assess and model agricultural carbon sequestration; and