[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 26 (Wednesday, March 3, 2004)]
[House]
[Pages H757-H759]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




              CHARLES ``PETE'' CONRAD ASTRONOMY AWARDS ACT

  Mr. ROHRABACHER. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass 
the

[[Page H758]]

bill (H.R. 912) to authorize the Administrator of the National 
Aeronautics and Space Administration to establish an awards program in 
honor of Charles ``Pete'' Conrad, astronaut and space scientist, for 
recognizing the discoveries made by amateur astronomers of asteroids 
with near-Earth orbit trajectories, as amended.
  The Clerk read as follows:

                                H.R. 912

       Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
     the United States of America in Congress assembled,

     SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

       This Act may be cited as the ``Charles `Pete' Conrad 
     Astronomy Awards Act''.

     SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.

       For the purposes of this Act--
       (1) the term ``Administrator'' means the Administrator of 
     the National Aeronautics and Space Administration;
       (2) 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;
       (3) the term ``Minor Planet Center'' means the Minor Planet 
     Center of the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory;
       (4) the term ``near-Earth asteroid'' means an asteroid with 
     a perihelion distance of less than 1.3 Astronomical Units 
     from the Sun; and
       (5) the term ``Program'' means the Charles ``Pete'' Conrad 
     Astronomy Awards Program established under section 3.

     SEC. 3. PETE CONRAD ASTRONOMY AWARD PROGRAM.

       (a) In General.--The Administrator shall establish the 
     Charles ``Pete'' Conrad Astronomy Awards Program.
       (b) Awards.--The Administrator shall make awards under the 
     Program based on the recommendations of the Minor Planet 
     Center.
       (c) Award Categories.--The Administrator shall make one 
     annual award, unless there are no eligible discoveries or 
     contributions, for each of the following categories:
       (1) The amateur astronomer or group of amateur astronomers 
     who in the preceding calendar year discovered the 
     intrinsically brightest near-Earth asteroid among the near-
     Earth asteroids that were discovered during that year by 
     amateur astronomers or groups of amateur astronomers.
       (2) The amateur astronomer or group of amateur astronomers 
     who made the greatest contribution to the Minor Planet 
     Center's mission of cataloguing near-Earth asteroids during 
     the preceding year.
       (d) Award Amount.--An award under the Program shall be in 
     the amount of $3,000.
       (e) Guidelines.--(1) No individual who is not a citizen or 
     permanent resident of the United States at the time of his 
     discovery or contribution may receive an award under this 
     Act.
       (2) The decisions of the Administrator in making awards 
     under this Act are final.
       (f) Authorization of Appropriations.--From sums otherwise 
     authorized to be appropriated, there are authorized to be 
     appropriated such sums as may be necessary to carry out this 
     Act.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
California (Mr. Rohrabacher) and the gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. 
Gordon) each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from California (Mr. Rohrabacher).


                             General Leave

  Mr. ROHRABACHER. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all 
Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend 
their remarks and include extraneous material on H.R. 912, as amended, 
the bill now under consideration.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from California?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. ROHRABACHER. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Mr. Speaker, as chairman of the Subcommittee on Space and Aeronautics 
of the Committee on Science, I have made the threat posed by near-Earth 
objects one of my top priorities. The hearings of our subcommittee have 
revealed that monitoring and tracking near-Earth objects, that is, 
NEOs, such as comets and asteroids, not only advance astronomy, but are 
critical in identifying the near-Earth objects that may threaten the 
Earth.
  Mr. Speaker, recent press accounts of asteroids passing close to 
Earth have raised public awareness of the possibility that one day one 
of these objects could hit the Earth with potential catastrophic 
consequences. Given the vast number of asteroids and comets that 
inhabit the Earth's neighborhood, greater efforts for tracking and 
monitoring these objects are critical.
  This is why I rise in support of the amendment to H.R. 912, the 
Charles ``Pete'' Conrad Astronomy Awards Act. This amendment does not 
alter the intent of the original bill, but clarifies what the awards 
program is and the role and responsibility of NASA and the 
Smithsonian's Minor Planet Center. We have worked with NASA, the 
Smithsonian Institution, and our colleagues across the aisle to make 
these improvements; and I thank them for all their help and support. 
H.R. 912 authorizes the NASA administrator to give one award each year 
to the amateur astronomer or to the group of amateur astronomers who 
discovered the intrinsically brightest near-Earth asteroid among the 
near-Earth asteroids discovered during that preceding year by amateur 
astronomers and another award to the amateur astronomer or group of 
amateur astronomers who made the greatest contribution during the 
preceding year to the Minor Planet Center's catalogue of known 
asteroids. The recipients of the awards in the amount of $3,000 are 
limited to U.S. citizens and, yes, also permanent residents.
  This bill is a tribute to Pete Conrad for his tremendous 
contributions to our country, to the world, and to the aerospace 
community over the last 4 decades. Pete Conrad was a pilot, an 
explorer, and an entrepreneur of the highest caliber. He commanded 
Apollo XII, and during that mission he became the third man to walk on 
the Moon. He saw space as a place to get to, to explore, and to do 
business. Space exploration and commercialization is what he did. It 
was his job to explore the Moon. He then worked to develop new 
spacecraft and space transportation systems. An interesting aside, 
analysis of an orbiting object identified by an amateur astronomer 
suggests that it is the remains of a Saturn V rocket, third stage, 
which most likely came from Pete Conrad's Apollo mission.
  So I find no better way to honor Pete Conrad than to establish an 
annual astronomers award for future asteroid discoveries in his name. 
He always wanted people to be looking up. He was a positive ``can-do'' 
American. He exemplified the American spirit, and he was often 
remembered, of course, for not only his own walk on the Moon but his 
historic description of the landing on the Moon.
  Of course, the threat of an asteroid hitting the world is a serious 
matter, and the idea of a catastrophic asteroid or comet impacting on 
the Earth has, of course, gained the attention of the media and the 
popular culture in films like ``Armageddon'' and ``Deep Impact'' of a 
few years ago, but it is vital for all of us to realize this is not 
just for the movies. This is not science fiction. We all know that the 
Earth's moon and many other planetary bodies in our solar system are 
covered with impact craters. Most people have heard of the dinosaur 
extinction theory or perhaps seen pictures of the meteor crater in 
Arizona. However remote the possibility of a near-Earth object striking 
the Earth and causing a worldwide calamity, no matter how obscure or 
how remote that is, there is a threat, a calculable threat.
  And while the asteroid that killed the dinosaurs is estimated to 
occur only once every 100 million years, smaller, yet still hazardous, 
asteroids impact the Earth much more frequently. For example, the 
destructive force of the 1908 asteroid strike in Siberia was roughly 
equal to a 10-megaton blast of TNT. The asteroid that hit South America 
in the 1930s was of similar magnitude. The asteroid that struck Central 
Asia in the 1940s was a large impact. In 1996, satellites detected a 
high-altitude burst over Greenland involving an asteroid which would 
have had the destructive force measuring 100 kilotons of TNT.
  Ironically, if we look at asteroids from the perspective of our 
national goals in space, they also offer us not just a threat but also 
unique opportunities. In terms of pure science, asteroids are 
geological time capsules from the era when our solar system was formed. 
Even better, they are orbiting mines of metals, of minerals, and other 
resources that can be possibly used to build large structures in space 
without having to carry up the material to build those structures from 
Earth. So far NASA has surveyed 600 asteroids, but this is a fraction 
of the projected total population of asteroids and near-Earth objects. 
What needs to be done now is to fully understand near-Earth objects and 
the potential threat and, yes, the potential use that they could pose 
to the world.

[[Page H759]]

  In closing, asteroids deserve a lot more attention from the 
scientific community and from the American people. The first step is 
through tracking all sizable near-Earth objects, and H.R. 912 is a 
modest step toward this goal.
  I urge my colleagues to vote for H.R. 912, which will encourage young 
people in particular to start looking into the stars and get involved 
personally in America's space program.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

                              {time}  1030

  Mr. GORDON. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I want to express my support for the bill presented by 
the gentleman from California (Chairman Rohrabacher), H.R. 912.
  I know that my good friend the gentleman from California (Mr. 
Rohrabacher) has had a long interest in Near Earth Objects and the 
potential threat they could pose to our civilization at some point in 
the future. Moreover, the Committee on Science has been active on a 
bipartisan basis since at least the early 1990s in trying to draw 
attention to this issue. At that time, former Chairman George Brown, 
Jr., held a series of hearings and drafted legislation to establish a 
NEO detection and cataloging within NASA.
  H.R. 912 recognizes that amateur astronomers also can play a 
significant role in the detection of Earth orbit crossing asteroids and 
comets and provides a constructive way to reward their efforts.
  A previous version of the bill passed the House last Congress, so I 
do not believe this legislation should be at all controversial. I urge 
the adoption by the House, and look forward to its speedy enactment.
  Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of 
the Pete Conrad Astronomy Act, and commend the Chairman of the Space 
Subcommittee for his creativity and leadership in promoting space 
exploration.
  This Act will reward individuals who through their hard work and 
dedication have made fundamental contributions to our knowledge of the 
universe. This Act will stimulate interest in space exploration--a 
field that helps keep this nation on the cutting edge of technology and 
captivates young minds. Discoveries made by amateur astronomers have 
helped with the enormous task of cataloguing the many asteroids and 
small bodies that share the solar system with us. Those amateur 
astronomers deserve to be rewarded. It is a valuable service to this 
nation and to the world, and should be encouraged. This Act will do 
both.
  I would like to thank Chairman Rohrabacher for working with me to 
address one small concern that I had when this bill went through markup 
in the Science Committee. People come from around the world to study at 
our great colleges and universities. They are often some of the best 
and brightest from their home countries. They pay high tuitions as 
international students. They often bring money into our communities. 
But the most important reason they are invited is because they bring 
diverse viewpoints and perspectives. They enrich the experience of our 
own students.
  As the bill is written, only U.S. citizens and permanent residents 
are eligible for an award. This is fair, since we are trying to 
encourage Americans to get interested in space and science. However, 
these awards also offer an opportunity to foster collaborations and 
international partnerships that will be valuable for all parties in the 
future. We have therefore agreed on report language for this bill that 
will foster collaborative efforts.
  If a group of amateur astronomers makes a great discovery, deemed 
worthy of a Pete Conrad Award, and if that group has international 
students in it--the Administrator of NASA will be able to give those 
foreign students a certificate or other token of appreciation. Although 
the monetary reward will be reserved for the Americans in the group, at 
least the foreign students will be recognized for their contributions. 
This seems only fair.
  Again, I thank the Chairman for working with me on this issue. I 
support the bill and urge my colleagues to do the same.
  Mr. GORDON. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. ROHRABACHER. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, 
and I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from California (Mr. Rohrabacher) that the House suspend the 
rules and pass the bill, H.R. 912, as amended.
  The question was taken.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds of 
those present have voted in the affirmative.
  Mr. ROHRABACHER. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.
  The yeas and nays were ordered.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX and the 
Chair's prior announcement, further proceedings on this motion will be 
postponed.

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