Congressional Record, Volume 154 Issue 97 (Thursday, June 12, 2008)

[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 97 (Thursday, June 12, 2008)]
[House]
[Pages H5365-H5390]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION AUTHORIZATION ACT OF 2008

The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to House Resolution 1257 and rule
XVIII, the Chair declares the House in the Committee of the Whole House
on the State of the Union for the consideration of the bill, H.R. 6063.

{time} 1517

In the Committee of the Whole

Accordingly, the House resolved itself into the Committee of the
Whole House on the State of the Union for the consideration of the bill
(H.R. 6063) to authorize the programs of the National Aeronautics and
Space Administration, and for other purposes, with Ms. Bordallo in the
chair.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The CHAIRMAN. Pursuant to the rule, the bill is considered read the
first time.
The gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. Gordon) and the gentleman from
Texas (Mr. Hall) each will control 30 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Tennessee.
Mr. GORDON of Tennessee. I yield myself such time as I may consume.
(Mr. GORDON of Tennessee asked and was given permission to revise and
extend his remarks.)
Mr. GORDON of Tennessee. Madam Chairman, today I am asking my
colleagues in the House to ensure this country's leadership in space
and aeronautics program by passing H.R. 6063, the NASA Authorization
Act of 2008.
First, I want to thank and commend Chairman Udall of the Subcommittee
on Space and Aeronautics on his leadership in introducing this bill and
for taking a clear bipartisan approach to the development of H.R. 6063.
I was pleased to be original cosponsor, but I was even more pleased
that ranking minority member of our Committee on Science and
Technology, Mr. Hall of Texas, and ranking minority member of our
Subcommittee on Space and Aeronautics, Mr. Feeney of Florida, were also
original cosponsors.
Madam Chairman, their actions show that the importance of NASA's
future in space and aeronautics is truly a bipartisan concern. And I
want to thank them for their full support.
In that regard, I also would like to thank Ed Feddeman, Ken Monroe,
Katy Crooks, and Lee Arnold of the minority staff for their help on
this legislation. I also want to thank and acknowledge the hard work of
our majority staff involved in the development of the bill, Space and
Aeronautics Subcommittee staff director Dick Obermann, Allen Li, Pam
Whitney, Devin Bryant, and John Piazza.
This bill passed the subcommittee and the full committee unanimously.
And I think that record is in no small part due to the hard work that
both sides of the aisle put into this legislation.
Madam Chairman, as we look to the transition to the new
administration next year, it's important that Congress send a strong
message on the best future course for our Nation's space and
aeronautics program. The bipartisan consensus we have reached on H.R.
6063 signals that Congress believes a balanced NASA program of science,
aeronautics, and human spaceflight, and exploration is important and
worthy of the Nation's support. Yet I want to emphasize that H.R. 6063
takes a fiscally-responsible approach to providing this support.
The baseline authorization represents a 2.8 percent increase, which
is inflationary at best, over the level of the authorization of fiscal
year 2008. The bill also includes a special funding augmentation to
accelerate the development of the crew exploration vehicle and thus
minimize the human spaceflight gap that will make us dependent on the
Russians to get our astronauts to and from the International Space
Station until the CEV is operational.
I don't think any of us wants to or looks forward to the day when we
must rely on another Nation to launch U.S. astronauts into space, but
that is what we face. I want to minimize that dependency as much as
possible.
However, even including that augmentation, the total funding
authorization will only get us back to NASA's fiscal year 1992 funding
level in terms of purchasing power.
H.R. 6063's baseline authorization also reflects the importance of
NASA to the Nation's innovation agenda. NASA science and technology
activities contribute much to our national competitiveness initiative,
and I think we need to recognize NASA's role in that regard. NASA was
included in last year's America COMPETES Act, but we didn't include an
authorization then since we knew we would be reauthorizing NASA this
year.
H.R. 6063 does that providing by providing a baseline authorization
for NASA that includes a rate of increase over the fiscal year 2008
appropriated level that is consistent with the rate of increase
proposed for agencies included under the America COMPETES Act.
Madam Chairman, this bill includes many provisions that are critical
to ensuring the future strength of our Nation, including both the
future health of our aviation system and our ability to better
understand and respond to climate change and other challenges facing
the earth's system.
It isn't always recognized that NASA counts for some three-fifths of
the Nation's climate research funding. And it's a critical part of the
Nation's climate research efforts. In addition, H.R. 6063 demonstrates
that a properly structured human spaceflight and exploration program
can provide benefits of technological, scientific, and geopolitical
significance that are worthy of our Nation's investment.
This bill also includes provisions that will ensure a productive
return on the Nation's investment in developing and

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assembling an international space station and encourages the use of the
commercial services to transport cargo and eventually crew to the
station. We need to ensure that NASA has sufficient resources for all
of these and other important tasks that the Nation has asked to carry
out, and I believe this bill does that.
Madam Chairman, the United States has been a global leader in
technology and innovation for decades. However, an esteemed committee
of the National Academies raised a deep concern in its groundbreaking
report, Rise Above the Gathering Storm, stating ``that the scientific
and technical building blocks critical to our economic leadership are
eroding at a time when many other nations are gathering strength.''
With China, India, and other global players committed to building
robust aeronautics and space programs, that it is incumbent upon the
United States to rise to the challenge.
This year is the fiftieth anniversary of the dawn of the space age
and the fiftieth anniversary of the creation of NASA. NASA has been one
of the crown jewels of the Nation's R&D enterprise over the past 50
years. I want to ensure that it remains so for the next 50, and I
believe this bill will help turn that into a reality.
Madam Chairman, this bill has been endorsed by a host of
organizations ranging from the American Association of Universities to
the National Association of Manufacturers. I urge my colleagues to
support H.R. 6063 to ensure America's continued leadership and
accomplishments in space and aeronautics over the next 50 years.
Madam Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. HALL of Texas. Madam Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may
consume and make sure that I can reserve enough for those that will
follow me.
Madam Chairman, H.R. 6063, sponsored by my good friend Mark Udall,
authorizes the National Aeronautics and Space Administration for fiscal
year 2009. As our chairman has very adequately stated, it's a product
of very close bipartisan consultation and cooperation led by Chairman
Udall and by Chairman Gordon.
Representative Tom Feeney, ranking member of the Space and
Aeronautics Subcommittee, and I are original cosponsors of this bill,
and it builds a 1-year authorization. The intent of the bill is to keep
NASA on its current path towards completing the International Space
Station, retiring the Space Shuttle, maintaining a balanced set of
science and aeronautics research programs, and developing a new launch
system capable of taking humans beyond the low earth orbit, a feat the
Shuttle cannot do.
The bill is also meant to reaffirm Congress's unwavering support for
NASA so as to remove any doubt the next administration might have about
Congress's commitment to NASA's program and to NASA's policies.
By being a 1-year bill, it also is designed, I think, to not tie the
hands of the next administration to a long-term strategy. To the
contrary, H.R. 6063 is designed to give the next President an
opportunity to work with the next Congress to fashion a long-term
strategy that is consistent with the administration's desires as well
as the wishes of Congress.
H.R. 6063 contains a number of important provisions. It authorizes
$19.2 billion for NASA for fiscal year 2009 and provides an additional
$1 billion to accelerate development of the new Constellation crew
vehicle launch system. It emphasizes that NASA should maintain a strong
and balanced array of science, aeronautics, and human spaceflight
programs and also directs NASA to fly out its full manifest of Shuttle
missions, including those dedicated to flying spare parts to the
International Space Station, as well as adding a flight to take the
Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer to the ISS as we originally committed to do
so some years ago. This experiment was stricken from the Shuttle
manifest following the Columbia tragedy, but I think given the huge
sunk investment in AMS, we ought to make good on our original
commitments to fly this expensive instrument to the ISS.
H.R. 6063 directs NASA to continue the important task of developing
the Constellation system which will provide our country with a modern,
more robust and safer manned spaceflight capability that will enable
our astronauts to fly out of low earth orbit, an ability we haven't had
since the retirement of Apollo over 30 years ago.
As most of you are aware, once the Shuttle is retired at the end of
this decade, our country will have to buy seats from the Russians for
as long as maybe 5 years even to assure U.S. presence on the
International Space Station. Our payments for rides on Soyuz spacecraft
have not yet been negotiated, but it's going to be expensive. NASA
estimates it will cost more than $2 billion, and sadly, we're making
these purchases at a time when NASA will be laying off thousands of
engineers and technicians from the Shuttle program in an effort to
minimize our reliance on the Russians.
As I mentioned a moment ago, this bill authorizes an additional $1
billion to speed up the development of the new Constellation system.
This initial investment is more than justified.
This bill also includes a number of provisions to encourage NASA
working with the private sector to foster development of a domestic
cargo launch capability primarily designed to take supplies to the
space station. In addition, 6063 includes language directing NASA to
solicit for commercial crew launch capability.
Turning to other parts of NASA, let me quickly say H.R. 6063 embraces
a number of recommendations that were put forth by the witnesses from
government, from industry, from academia, and testified, all of them
testified in hearings before our committee over the previous 18 months.
These are sensible provisions designed to strengthen aeronautic space
science and earth science research programs, encourage technology, risk
reduction policies and activities, foster efficient technology,
transfer from NASA to other Federal agencies under the private sector,
detect and mitigate the threat of near-earth objects, and research and
monitor the effects of space weather on satellites.

{time} 1530

This list is not exhaustive, but I wanted to mention these few
examples to emphasize to all Members the breadth of this bill and how
it improves upon many of NASA's activities and programs.
So as we stand here today, the space shuttle is in orbit, wrapping up
another assembly mission to the International Space Station. May I add
that the spouse of one of our Members, Representative Giffords of
Arizona, is currently commanding this mission.
NASA has had two other recent success activities. Just 15 days ago,
the Phoenix Mars Lander successfully completed a soft landing on the
red planet's surface and is in the early stages of searching for
evidence of ice and organic compounds. And yesterday, NASA successfully
launched a gamma-ray large area space telescope onboard a Delta II
rocket.
These are but three of the most current NASA accomplishments. There
are many, many other great achievements in aeronautics, space science,
and Earth science research that I could talk about, but time doesn't
permit. Suffice it to say that NASA is one of the most exciting and
innovative Federal agencies, and it serves as a huge inspiration to our
young people to take a serious interest in math and science education.
Before closing, I want to point out that during development of this
bill, the subcommittee Democratic staff have been very open and
forthright, sharing early ideas and drafts of the bill with our
Republican staff. It has been a close and productive partnership, and I
want to especially praise the work and hard work of my good, personal
friend Dick Obermann. And I certainly want to thank our chairman,
Chairman Bart Gordon.
Madam Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. GORDON of Tennessee. Madam Chairman, first let me say very
sincerely say that there is no Member of Congress that has had greater
interest than Mr. Hall in NASA. As a Texan and a proud American, he has
taken particular interest in the safety of the astronauts, as well as
trying to reap the maximum amount of health benefits from the
investment that we've made. He has played just an enormously
constructive role, and I thank him for that.

[[Page H5367]]

We also thank Mr. Udall, the chairman of the Space and Aeronautics
Subcommittee, for working in a bipartisan way. He had a number of
really thoughtful hearings. He's put together a bill that came out of
his subcommittee unanimously, and because he did such a good job there,
it was unanimous out of the full committee. So I thank my friend from
Colorado.
I yield to the gentleman from Colorado (Mr. Udall) 5 minutes.
(Mr. UDALL of Colorado asked and was given permission to revise and
extend his remarks.)
Mr. UDALL of Colorado. I thank the gentleman for yielding.
Madam Chairman, earlier this year, I introduced the NASA
Authorization Act of 2008, a bill to reauthorize the programs of the
National Aeronautics and Space Administration for the fiscal year 2009.
Today, I rise to urge my colleagues in the House of Representatives to
pass this bill and send it on to the Senate.
The bill passed the Committee on Science and Technology and the
Subcommittee on Space and Aeronautics with unanimous support, as our
chairman pointed out. It represents a strong, bipartisan effort to
ensure our continued leadership in space and aeronautics and to ensure
that NASA's programs contribute to our science, technology,
engineering, and mathematics education efforts, to our Nation's
Innovation Agenda, and to practical benefits for our citizens.
I, too, want to thank Science and Technology Committee Chairman Bart
Gordon, Ranking Member Ralph Hall, and my fellow ranking member on the
Space and Aeronautics Subcommittee, Tom Feeney from Florida, for being
original cosponsors, as well as providing thoughtful input into this
bill.
I would also like to thank the excellent staff on both the majority
and minority side for their outstanding work on this bill. On my staff,
my dedicated and tireless staff member, Wendy Adams, Richard Obermann,
Pam Whitney, Allen Li, and Devin Bryant, as well as John Piazza have
all been instrumental in moving this bill forward.
I want to particularly point out the great contribution--I think the
chairman would agree with me--of Dick Obermann. We benefit in the
committee, the Nation benefits and this House of Representatives
benefits from Dick's insights, his knowledge, and the relationships
he's built. Anyone in the NASA orbit knows Dick Obermann's many, many
contributions. So I want to particularly point out his great
contributions to the committee and to NASA.
On the minority side, I want to thank Ed Feddeman, Ken Monroe, and
Lee Arnold as well. They have been very helpful in the work on this
piece of legislation.
Madam Chairman, the bill sets fiscally responsible policies and
provisions for a balanced set of science, aeronautics, and human
spaceflight programs.
The baseline funding level authorized for NASA in fiscal year 2009,
$19.21 billion, represents simply an inflation increase of about 2.8
percent over the NASA Authorization Act of 2005, legislation that the
President signed into law.
I don't want to go into great detail about the many provisions of the
bill but will include my longer statement for the Record.
Madam Chairman, 2008 represents the 50th anniversary of the birth of
the U.S. space program and the establishment of NASA. NASA has
accomplished a great deal in both space and aeronautical R&D over these
past five decades, and we can all take pride in what has been
accomplished. However, we cannot become complacent.
The testimony and constructive input of countless hearings,
witnesses, and outside experts and organizations that led to H.R. 6063
conveyed a consistent message: that NASA has not been given the funding
it needs to successfully carry out all of the important tasks that the
Nation has asked of it. If we fail to adequately invest in NASA now, it
is unlikely that we will see a comparable record of accomplishment over
the next five decades, at a great opportunity cost to the Nation.
I am gratified by the support that H.R. 6063 has garnered to date,
including the Chamber of Commerce, the National Association of
Manufacturers, the Aerospace Industries Association, the Association of
American Universities, the University Corporation for Atmospheric
Research, the International Federation of Professional and Technical
Engineers, and the University Space Research Association.
I urge all my colleagues to support H.R. 6063 to ensure that our
Nation remains the leader in space and aeronautics programs.
Madam Chairman, on May 15, 2008 I introduced the ``NASA Authorization
Act of 2008,'' H.R. 6063, a bill to reauthorize the programs of the
National Aeronautics and Space Administration for Fiscal Year 2009.
Today I rise to urge my colleagues in the House of Representatives to
pass this bill and send it on to the Senate.
This bill passed the Committee on Science and Technology and the
Subcommittee on Space and Aeronautics with unanimous support.
It represents a strong bipartisan effort to ensure our leadership in
space and aeronautics and to ensure that NASA's programs contribute to
our science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education
efforts, to the Nation's innovation agenda, and to practical benefits
for our citizens.
I would like to thank Science and Technology Committee Chairman Bart
Gordon, Ranking Minority Member Ralph Hall, and Space and Aeronautics
Subcommittee Ranking Minority Member Tom Feeney for being original
cosponsors of this bill.
Madam Chairman, this bill sets fiscally-responsible policies and
provisions for a balanced set of science, aeronautics, and human
spaceflight programs.
The baseline funding level authorized for NASA in FY 2009--$19.21
billion-- represents simply an inflationary increase of about 2.8
percent over the NASA Authorization Act of 2005, legislation that the
President signed into law.
H.R. 6063 also reflects the conviction that NASA is as much a
contributor to the nation's innovation agenda as any of the other
agencies included in the America COMPETES Act that was enacted into law
last year.
Thus, includes provisions and funding directed at supporting
opportunities for hands-on training of the next generation of
scientists and engineers.
In addition to the baseline authorization, H.R. 6063 contains a
directed funding augmentation intended to help accelerate the date when
the Orion Crew Exploration Vehicle and Ares Crew Launch Vehicle can
attain operational status.
A series of policy failures over a number of years have brought us to
the point where we will have an unavoidable gap in the United States'
ability to get its astronauts into space independently.
Providing the additional funding in FY 2009 can help narrow the gap
while also putting in place the space transportation system that will
help us carry out exciting and important exploration missions beyond
low Earth orbit in the decades to come.
Madam Chairman, NASA's programs are strongly relevant to addressing
the nation's needs.
In short, a properly balanced and focused NASA portfolio can pay
large dividends to our society as well as to our standing in the world,
and maximizing the value of the NASA portfolio to the nation is one of
the main goals of the NASA Authorization Act of 2008.
To that end, H.R. 6063 establishes a role for NASA in leading a
cooperative international effort on Earth observations research and
applications, especially with respect to climate change-one of the
major challenges facing our generation.
In addition, the bill includes a series of provisions to ensure that
NASA's aeronautics program gets the resources it needs to remain one of
the most relevant activities of the agency--one that impacts our
quality of life, public safety, the vitality of the economy, and our
national security.
H.R. 6063 also includes provisions to ensure that the International
Space Station--a unique orbiting R&D facility that represents a
significant investment of resources by both American citizens and those
of a host of other nations--will be utilized in as productive a manner
as possible.
The ISS is also a compelling example of the value of undertaking a
cooperative approach to space exploration. To that end, H.R. 6063 makes
clear that any human exploration initiative to return to the Moon and
venture to other destinations in the solar system should be undertaken
as a cooperative international undertaking under strong U.S.
leadership.
Madam Chairman, 2008 marks the 50th anniversary of the birth of the
U.S. space program and the establishment of NASA.
NASA has accomplished a great deal in both space and aeronautical R&D
over those past five decades, and we can all take pride in what has
been accomplished. However, we cannot become complacent.
The testimony and constructive input of countless hearing witnesses,
outside experts,

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and organizations that led to H.R. 6063 conveyed a consistent message:
that NASA has not been given the funding it needs to successfully carry
out all of the important tasks that the nation has asked of it.
If we fail to invest adequately in NASA now, it is unlikely that we
will see a comparable record of accomplishment over the next five
decades--at a great opportunity cost to the nation.
I am gratified by the support that H.R. 6063 has garnered to date,
including the Chamber of Commerce, the National Association of
Manufacturers, the Aerospace Industries Association, the American
Astronautical Society the American Institute of Aeronautics and
Astronautics, the American Meteorological Society, the American Society
of Mechanical Engineers, the Association of American Universities, the
General Aviation Manufacturers Association, the Information Technology
Association of America, the International Federation of Professional
and Technical Engineers, the Institute of Electrical and Electronic
Engineers-USA, the National Business Aviation Association, the National
Space Society, the Personal Spaceflight Federation, the Planetary
Society, the Universities Space Research Association, and the
University Corporation for Atmospheric Research.
I urge my colleagues in the House of Representatives support H.R.
6063 to ensure that our Nation remains the leader in space and
aeronautics programs.
Mr. HALL of Texas. Madam Chairman, I yield to Mr. Feeney, the
gentleman from Florida, 3 minutes.
Mr. FEENEY. I want to thank Ranking Member Hall and Chairman Gordon
and, as they pointed out, all of the staff on both sides that made
possible a bipartisan bill that got unanimous support in the committee.
I also want to suggest that terrific staff work on both sides and
transparency and openness in the process is sort of a model that this
Congress ought to try to emulate more often, and I want to thank,
again, Chairman Gordon and Chairman Udall for doing that.
By the way, this is likely to be, since he's not running for
reelection, Chairman Udall's last reauthorization as a House Member. He
has been a champion on space issues. He's been a great friend and a
delight to work with, and I know that he will continue to be a champion
for space and aeronautics. And so I really appreciated the chance to
work with you.
And following me I think at some point will be Congressman Weldon, my
neighbor to the south. We share the different assets of Kennedy Space
Center, Patrick Air Force Base, and Congressman Weldon will not be
running for office again anytime soon, at least not the House. We
appreciate Dave Weldon's leadership. He's been a terrific advocate for
space in general and Kennedy Space Center and human spaceflight in
specific.
So it's been terrific to work with two great leaders that will not be
working with us in all likelihood next year.
NASA was created in response to the Soviet Union's launch of Sputnik
in 1957. The space age had begun. Fifty years have now passed. America
is still the world's preeminent spacefaring Nation. NASA helped lead us
to that status.
Today, we build on that foundation. We have laid out a comprehensive
blueprint for sustaining a healthy and vigorous NASA during the next
administration, and as Chairman Gordon pointed out, we don't know who
the next President will be. We don't know who their next NASA
administrator will be, but the starting point for the next
administration's space program has been designed right here in the
House of Representatives, thanks to the leadership of the people that
you are hearing from.
Considerable care has been devoted to all elements of NASA's
portfolio, human spaceflight, earth and space sciences, and
aeronautics. I look forward to continued success and excellence in all
of these endeavors. Each success sustains America's technical prowess
and brings enormous prestige to the American people.
Because I represent the Kennedy Space Center, I want to particularly
note this bill's unambiguous endorsement of America's human spaceflight
program. By the way, all of our human spaceflight program has an
international component to it.
Five years ago, America was stunned by the loss of the Shuttle
Columbia. We had to re-examine our objectives for human spaceflight and
articulate a more sustainable vision for our future spacefaring. We
have done so, and this bill continues that progress by providing much-
needed stability, on a bipartisan basis, in our strategy and
architecture for human spaceflight.
The shuttle has resumed flight. We are having a successful mission as
we speak today. We will complete the International Space Station and
then strive to utilize its enormous potential. And we will also set
forth to explore beyond lower orbit, starting with the moon and then
beyond, for the future of humankind.
These are ambitious goals, but Americans are a strong, optimistic
people willing to take up and meet any challenge. And as this bill
highlights, America invites others throughout the world to join us in
this journey. It is done on behalf of all mankind.
NASA's human space exploration and satellite programs publicly
demonstrate America's spacefaring prowess. Other Nations are striving
to achieve what America has already accomplished.
In prior generations, mastery of the sea and air brought global power
and prestige. Today, such power and respect accrues to those mastering
space. This bill sustains America's prowess in space, and I urge its
passage.
Mr. GORDON of Tennessee. Madam Chairman, I recognize the gentlelady
from Florida (Ms. Wasserman Schultz) for 3 minutes.
Ms. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ. Madam Chairman, I rise to support the NASA
authorization act and to thank Chairman Gordon and Representative Udall
for their leadership and exceptional work on this bill.
On May 31, I experienced the thrill of attending the most recent
shuttle launch in Cape Canaveral, Florida. As I witnessed the intense
brightness of the rockets' afterburners and felt the rumble of the
Earth as the shuttle lifted off, I could feel the pride and strength of
American innovation and technological leadership.
I have to tell you that I was surprised at how emotional I felt
watching the shuttle hurtle towards the sky, and my heart really burst
with pride in the American spirit and our ability to move forward
generation after generation. The continuity of the space program is
critical to maintaining this leadership.
The space shuttle is scheduled to retire in just 2 years, yet a lack
of funding has delayed its replacement until at least 2015. Without
adequate funding, not only would we lose jobs, but we would be forced
to rely on Russia to access the International Space Station.
The economic return on our investment in the space program is far
greater than many realize. In fact, NASA's budget accounts for less
than six-tenths of 1 percent of the Federal budget, and yet the
benefits of space exploration are vital to our daily lives.
Our TVs, cell phones and computers, as well as the military and
weather forecasters all rely on satellite technology developed through
space exploration.
Last year, Speaker Pelosi announced ``The Speaker's Innovation
Agenda,'' an action plan to keep America as the leader in global
science and technology. This agenda includes educating a new generation
of innovators and committing to research and development.
By supporting NASA today, we are committing to innovate, to create
new opportunities and markets, to drive discovery, and to push the
boundaries and limitations that are before us.
It is vital that we instill this curiosity and drive in the next
generation. I know it was instilled in the next generation that I'm
raising because my son announced to me after he saw the shuttle launch,
he said, ``Mom, I want to be an astronaut.''
And for me, as the National Chair of the Women's High Tech Coalition
and co-chair of the Young Women's Task Force, I want to express
particular support for the Hodes amendment, which establishes a
scholarship program in honor of Christa McAuliffe, the teacher who died
in the Challenger Space Shuttle disaster.
The scholarships will go to women pursuing degrees in mathematics,
science, and engineering, and would further support women seeking
careers in fields related to NASA's mission. We really need to expand
the young women's and young girls' interest in the science and
mathematical fields.

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As leaders and legislators, we must work to harness the talent,
intellect, and entrepreneurial spirit of Americans.
I urge my colleagues to support this bill to ensure that NASA has the
resources to continue to promote American competitiveness.
Mr. HALL of Texas. Madam Chairman, I yield 3 minutes to Dr. Weldon,
the gentleman from Florida.

{time} 1545

Mr. WELDON of Florida. I thank the gentleman for yielding, and I rise
in support of the underlying bill. And I commend the gentlelady from
Florida for her inspiring words.
This bill is on the right track by extending shuttle operations,
giving NASA the option to extend shuttle operations beyond 2010. Taking
away the artificial 2010 deadline and allowing NASA to finish all the
flights currently on the manifest will give NASA more flexibility and
provide needed transportation to the International Space Station and
help lessen the severity of the gap.
However, I want to underscore that this bill does not fix the problem
established by this administration. And my hope is that the next
administration and the next Congress will fix this problem of putting
NASA and the United States in a situation where we will be dependent on
the Russians to put our astronauts into space for possibly longer than
5 years.
The Government Accountability Office recently testified before a
congressional committee indicating that there are a number of
technological challenges facing the Constellation program, the program
to replace the shuttle, and that delays in the program could occur and
could lengthen this gap beyond the 4\1/2\ to 5 years that it currently
is.
History has shown time and time again that complex technological
problems often lead to delays, and that attempts at closing gaps can
often be frustrated. Therefore, it is my opinion that the only way to
assure that we do not get a lengthening of the gap, and the only way to
make sure that we eliminate this gap is to extend shuttle operations.
Now, I was very disappointed in the Statement of Administration
Policy on this bill that whoever was responsible for drafting this
thing, they chose to dig up the canard that it is unsafe to extend
shuttle operations beyond 2010. The truth is that the last shuttle that
flies in 2010 will be the same shuttle that flies in 2011 if we extend
shuttle operations. And if we are to argue that it is unsafe to fly the
shuttle beyond 2010, you could just as easily argue that it's unsafe to
fly it today. The truth is, after the improvements that have been made
after the Columbia and the Challenger disasters, the shuttle that flies
today is the safest shuttle that we have ever flown. And yes, going
into outer space has its risks, but we choose to do so because we are a
Nation of explorers, and we feel that the risks are justified for the
benefits of space exploration.
I just also want to point out that relying on the Soyuz vehicle--
supposedly because it's safer, as the administration is implying in
their statement--is not exactly correct. We just recently saw a
situation where the returning Soyuz vehicle was thrown off course into
a dangerous ballistic reentry, exposing the astronauts on board,
including a female astronaut, Peggy Whitson, to very dangerous G
forces.
The CHAIRMAN. The time of the gentleman has expired
Mr. HALL of Texas. I yield the gentleman an additional minute.
Mr. WELDON of Florida. This bill is a step in the right direction. It
gives NASA the ability to extend shuttle operations. And I want to just
point out, there is a very important scientific mission, the Alpha
Magnetic Spectrometer mission. We spent $1.5 billion building that
piece of machinery, and NASA's current plan is to leave it on the
ground. This bill correctly calls for launching that mission, and it is
the right thing to do. To spend all that money to build that thing and
then to never launch it is just wrong.
However, I do want to underscore that the future Congress and the
next administration is going to have to wrestle with the issue of
getting the funding in the appropriation process. But I just want to
say that, based on current economic growth, over the next 5 to 7 years
1 trillion additional dollars is going to come into this U.S. Treasury.
This is a matter of priorities. The American people support our space
program. It's the right thing to do to keep the shuttle flying beyond
2010.
Mr. GORDON of Tennessee. Madam Chairman, I yield 3 minutes to another
friend and champion of the space program from Texas (Mr. Lampson).
Mr. LAMPSON. Madam Chairman, I am honored to join my colleagues from
the Science Committee to support H.R. 6063. I particularly want to
commend Chairman Gordon and Chairman Udall, and Ranking Members Hall
and Feeney, the committee staff, for all of their hard work and their
effort to make this an inclusive process. This legislation enjoys broad
support, and I believe that it provides the stability and direction
necessary to sustain NASA through this transition period.
I am proud that we will be able to provide a much needed 11 percent
increase in the funding over FY08 that will help NASA get back on
track. This inflationary increase will allow NASA to operate the
shuttle program, accelerate the development of Constellation, and
refocus its efforts on science and research without having to rob Peter
to pay Paul.
I'm also pleased that this legislation directs NASA to fly the
``contingency flights'' and to take all necessary steps to deliver the
Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer that we just heard about from our
colleague, Mr. Weldon to the International Space Station. This will
ensure the space station's viability and use for its intended purpose
as a national lab well into the next decade.
In addition to being one of the most valuable foreign policy tools
that we have, there is no doubt in my mind that research conducted on
the space station will yield great discoveries that will benefit all
Americans and all of mankind.
I would especially like to thank the chairmen and ranking members for
adopting language on issues that I have particularly championed and
believe will also help secure NASA's future. This includes the Small
Business Alliance Outreach and Technology Assistance Program (SATOP).
Building on the partnership between NASA centers, institutions of
higher learning, and industry partners, this initiative will further
the agency's mission of technology transfer in a unique way by
providing free technical assistance to small businesses who cannot
afford to have an engineer or a rocket scientist on their staff.
Solving technical problems will mean these businesses will help grow
our economy and create and retain jobs.
I have also worked to make sure that, as we face the space flight gap
and the loss of a highly skilled workforce, that we are cognizant of
the fact that we risk losing the imagination of the next generation of
scientists and engineers and diminishing their desire to serve our
Nation's space program.
Well, the fact that we are already falling behind when it comes to
awarding advanced degrees in math, science and engineering means that
we must focus on K-12 education now more than ever so that we don't
lose our technological edge.
This bill provides an 11 percent increase over FY08 funding,
including NASA's educational programs. I believe that some of this
increase should go toward continuing the EarthKAM program and expanding
NASA's participation in robotics competition. Bringing NASA directly
into classrooms across the country and encouraging hands-on learning is
a great way to spark a hopefully life-long interest in math and
science.
So as we continue with this transition from shuttle to Constellation
and a new administration in about 6 months, we must be mindful of
providing stability and support for our Nation's space program at this
critical juncture. I believe this bill provides both, and I urge my
colleagues to support it.
Mr. GORDON of Tennessee. Madam Chairman, I yield 4 minutes to the
chairman of the Technology Innovation Subcommittee, Mr. Wu of Oregon.
Mr. WU. Madam Chairman, I rise as a cosponsor in support of H.R.
6063.
When NASA was born in response to the launch of Sputnik, many
Americans were scared of what it meant for

[[Page H5370]]

Russia to have space capabilities. Congress' passage of the National
Aeronautics and Space Act of 1958 created NASA and marked the beginning
of the space race between America and Russia.
Just 11 years after NASA was created, and only 9 years after
President Kennedy threw a cap over the wall, the United States landed
the first humans on the Moon. Since then, NASA has had its share of its
successes and challenges, but in the end NASA is an example of what can
be accomplished when the President and Congress share a vision, a
common vision, and when funds are devoted toward that vision.
As Speaker Pelosi says, ``a budget is the tangible embodiment of our
values, of what is important to us and what is not.'' We are
considering this bill 50 years after the creation of NASA. We are at a
singular point in time, the space shuttle will retire soon. And while
we develop the next generation crew exploration vehicle, we will, for
the first time, rely on other countries to take Americans to space. In
the meantime, more and more countries are developing space
capabilities. To keep us in the game, this bill provides an extra $1
billion to accelerate the development of the next crew exploration
vehicle and shorten the American space flight gap.
Space has become more competitive. Where we only competed with
Russia, we will soon compete with several countries to maintain our
leadership in space. This bill includes a provision to ensure that the
United States leads an international cooperation initiative with these
countries promoting the peaceful exploration of space.
Today, NASA is funded at a much lower percentage of our GDP than when
it was first created. At a time when other countries are aggressively
investing in their space capabilities, Congress needs to send the
message that it continues to support NASA and its mission by providing
the appropriate and necessary funds. This bill does just that. And I
want to commend Mr. Udall, Chairman Gordon, and Ranking Member Hall for
a very strong bill, and I urge its passage.
Mr. HALL of Texas. Madam Chairman, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman
from California (Mr. Rohrabacher).
Mr. ROHRABACHER. First and foremost, I would like to congratulate my
colleagues for the hard work that's been put into this legislation,
Mark Udall and Bart Gordon, of course, on the majority side, and also,
of course, Tom Feeney and Ralph Hall on the minority side of this. This
is a bipartisan effort. It always has been.
Ralph Hall will be submitting my amendment for me, which will be the
second amendment up today. Let me just note that my amendment simply
suggests that NASA should put on its priority list seeking cooperation
between the United States and our European and Russian friends to try
to have an international effort to detect and deflect near-Earth
objects. What that means is, if there are asteroids or comets that
might be out there and might threaten the Earth, perhaps threatening
millions of lives, that my amendment simply says the United States
should not bear the entire burden and cost of identifying them and
tracing their trajectory to see if they threaten the Earth, but we
should be trying to recruit our friends and make it an international
effort.
I just recently came back from Berlin and Moscow, where this idea
received a very, very warm response from these other spacefaring
nations, and they're really anxious to work with us. This instructs
NASA to take advantage of that spirit of cooperation, take the burden
off the American taxpayers a little bit, and make sure this job gets
done.
I appreciate that Chairman Gordon and Ranking Member Hall have both
supported this legislation. And Ralph will be submitting it for me in a
few minutes.
Thank you very much, Bart. Thank you very much, Ralph. And I want to
thank all of you and the staff for doing such a great job in this
committee.
Mr. GORDON of Tennessee. Madam Chairman, I yield 3 minutes to the
gentlelady from Texas, a great supporter of NASA, Ms. Jackson-Lee.
(Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas asked and was given permission to revise
and extend her remarks.)
Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. Let me thank the distinguished chairman of
the committee. It's really good to be with him, in spite of holding us
over. We are still here fighting the good fight.
Chairman Gordon, thank you for your leadership and the work that
you've done, of course, with the chairman of the subcommittee, Mr.
Udall, and my very dear colleague, who has been an advocate,
Congressman Nick Lampson, who has worked closely on this issue, to the
ranking member, Mr. Hall, and of course the ranking members on the
respective committees. I rise today to enthusiastically support this
legislation dealing with NASA's authorization.
I was reflecting on the history of authorization, and the committee
should be commended. This is not a very easy task to get an
authorization bill out, and we have done so. And I'm very proud that
this Congress, this Democratic Congress has done so.
Today's legislation will allow NASA to continue to push the
boundaries of what is possible, keeping our Nation on the forefront of
innovation and exploration. After the Columbia disaster, NASA stands at
a pivotal moment in its history. It is the responsibility of this
Congress to ensure that the future of NASA is one of continued
progress. Our children depend on us to do this.
Space exploration remains part of our national destiny. Knowing the
cutting edge of technology, the research on HIV/AIDS, on stroke, on
heart disease, on cancer, all of this has occurred through NASA
exploration and the International Space Station. It inspires our
children to look at the stars and dream of what they, too, one day may
achieve.
Space exploration allows us to push the bounds of our scientific
knowledge as we carry out research projects not possible within the
constraints of the planet Earth. Just an anecdote, when I have an
annual Christmas party of 3,000 children, the astronauts that come are
more popular than Santa Claus. That should be the test for continuing
this wonderful effort to ensure that America always stands at the
forefront of innovativeness.

{time} 1600

As a Nation, we have made tremendous strides forward in the pursuit
of space exploration since President John F. Kennedy set the course for
our Nation in 1962 calling it the ``greatest adventure on which man has
ever embarked.'' Despite the setbacks of recent years, including the
tragedy that befell the Space Shuttles Columbia and Challenger, NASA
and the American people have refused to abandon the pursuit of
knowledge of our universe. On October 1, 1958, NASA began its
operation. It consisted of only about 8,000 employees and an annual
budget of $100 million, but it is now in its 50th year, and we are
going further.
President Kennedy in 1961 said, ``I believe this Nation should commit
itself to achieving the goal, before this decade is out, of landing a
man on the moon and returning him safely to Earth.''
Believe it not, we have now had men going into space, and we have
just recently had the fiftieth woman going into space. This is an
important challenge. And this legislation today provides us with an
opportunity to save the 18,000 employees and to begin to look to a
funding system that will continue our journey.
H.R. 6063 is addressing serious concerns. Between 2010, when the
space shuttle will be phased out, and 2015 when the next generation
human space flight is likely to become operational, the United States
will have no method of transportation to the space station that we have
already invested in.
The CHAIRMAN. The time of the gentlewoman has expired.
Mr. GORDON of Tennessee. I yield the gentlewoman 1 additional minute.
Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. With this legislation, we are going to
deliver important hardware, the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer, through an
additional extension. The bill also authorizes $1 billion in augmented
funding to accelerate the development of the Orion Crew Exploration
Vehicle, the successor to the space shuttle, in hopes of narrowing the
gap.
We are also allowing one more shuttle trip for the space shuttle.
This is helpful to Johnson. We don't want to

[[Page H5371]]

lose jobs. We want to support this effort. And we may want to
reconsider, as we go forward, the retiring of the space shuttle.
Let me thank the committee for supporting, as well, my small business
amendment that addresses the question of giving training, technological
training, to veterans-owned businesses, to HUB businesses, to women-
owned businesses and minority-owned businesses so they can be part of
the cutting edge of science.
I conclude simply by saying that President Kennedy set the mark. I am
glad this committee and this Congress is carrying the torch. We must
continue space exploration. It is our duty. It is our challenge. It is
our obligation as patriots. And it is for the future of our children.
On with the space. This legislation gets us there.
Madam Chairman, I rise today in strong support of H.R. 6063, the
National Aeronautics and Space Administration Authorization Act of
2008. As we mark the 50th anniversary of the establishment of the
United States space program, this legislation reaffirms the ever
growing and changing role of NASA, providing resources to carry the
agency forward with its ambitious agenda of research, exploration, and
discovery. I would like to thank Congressman Udall for introducing this
important legislation, as well as Science Committee Chairman Gordon for
his leadership in bringing this bill to the floor today.
I would also like to thank Chairman Gordon for his support of an
amendment that I am offering. My amendment modifies section 1108 of the
bill, and it states:

(1) in subsection (a), strike ``small businesses'' and
insert ``small, minority-owned, and women-owned businesses'';
and
(2) In subsection (b)(2), insert ``, giving preference to
socially and economically disadvantaged small business
concerns, small business concerns owned and controlled by
service-disabled veterans, and HUB Zone small business
concerns'' after ``to small businesses.''

My amendment clarifies that the NASA Outreach and Technology
Assistance Program will include small, minority-owned, and women-owned
businesses. It would also give preference, in selection of businesses
to participate in the program, to socially and economically
disadvantaged small business concerns, small business concerns owned
and controlled by service-disabled veterans, and HUBZone small business
concerns. I would like to thank my colleague and fellow Texan,
Congressman Lampson, for his leadership in authoring the important
section describing the NASA Outreach and Technology Assistance Program,
and for supporting my amendment.
Madam Chairman, today's legislation will allow NASA to continue to
push the boundaries of what is possible, keeping our nation on the
forefront of innovation and exploration. After the Columbia disaster,
NASA stands at a pivotal moment in its history. It is the
responsibility of this Congress to ensure that the future of NASA is
one of continued progress. Space exploration remains a part of our
national destiny. It inspires our children to look to the stars and
dream of what they too, one day, may achieve. Space exploration allows
us to push the bounds of our scientific knowledge, as we carry out
research projects not possible within the constraints of the planet
Earth. As a nation, we have made tremendous strides forward in the
pursuit of space exploration since President John F. Kennedy set the
course for our nation in 1962, calling it the ``greatest adventure on
which man has ever embarked.'' Despite the setbacks of recent years,
including the tragedy that befell the Space Shuttle Columbia, NASA and
the American people have refused to abandon the pursuit of knowledge of
our universe. On October 1, 1958, the National Aeronautics and Space
Administration began operation. At the time it consisted of only about
8,000 employees and an annual budget of $100 million. Over the next 50
years, NASA and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory have been involved in
many defining events occurred which have shaped the course of human
history and demonstrated to the world the character of the people of
the United States.
Many of us remember how inspired we were when on May 25, 1961,
President John F. Kennedy proclaimed: ``I believe this Nation should
commitment itself to achieving the goal, before this decade is out, of
landing a man on the moon and returning him safely to earth. No single
space project in this period will be more impressive to mankind, or
more important for the long-range exploration of space; and none will
be so difficult or expensive to accomplish.'' The success of the United
States space exploration program in the 20th Century augurs well for
its continued leadership in the 21st Century. This success is largely
attributable to the remarkable and indispensable partnership between
the National Aeronautics and Space Administration and its 10 space and
research centers. One of these important research centers is located in
my home city of Houston. The Johnson Space Center, which manages the
development, testing, production, and delivery of all United States
human spacecraft and all human spacecraft-related functions, is one of
the crown jewels of the Houston area.
Today, NASA is the nations' primary civil space and aeronautics
research and development agency, and its current activities employ over
18,000 Americans. Today's legislation reaffirms the fundamental
operating principles of NASA, emphasizes the importance of NASA
leadership in a range of endeavors such as Earth observations and
research, aeronautics reach and development, and an exploration
program. It authorizes $20.21 billion in NASA funding for FY 2009.
Madam Chairman, in addition to this funding, H.R. 6063 begins to
address what many of us believe is a serious problem that we will face
in the coming years. Between 2010, when the space shuttle will be
phased out, and 2015, when the next-generation human spaceflight
vehicle is likely to become operational, the United States will have no
method of transportation to the International Space Station, which we
have already invested a great deal of American resources in. This
legislation allows for an additional space shuttle flight to the
International Space Station, to deliver important hardware (the Alpha
Magnetic Spectrometer). The bill also authorizes $1 billion in
augmented funding to accelerate the development of the Orion Crew
Exploration Vehicle, the successor to the space shuttle, in hopes of
narrowing the gap.
Always on the forefront of technological innovation, NASA has been
home to countless ``firsts'' in the field of space exploration. America
has, countless times, proven itself to be a leader in innovation, and
many technologies that have become part of our everyday lives were
developed by NASA scientists. The benefits of NASA's programming and
innovation are felt far beyond scientific and academic spheres. Space
technologies provide practical, tangible benefits to society, and NASA
provides valuable opportunities to businesses in our community. I
strongly urge my colleagues to join me in support of this legislation,
and in support of the future of American innovation and exploration.
Mr. HALL of Texas. Madam Chairman, I have no further speakers.
I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. GORDON of Tennessee. In conclusion, Madam Chairman, let me once
again thank my partner and friend from Texas (Mr. Hall) for his help
and leadership in putting this bill together. Ralph, this is the 36th
bill that we have brought to this floor, all of which have been
bipartisan. All but one has been unanimous. Thank you for your help.
Mr. WILSON of Ohio. Madam Chairman, I rise today in support of H.R.
6063, the NASA Authorization Act of 2008.
Since the beginning of flight, my home State of Ohio has played a
critical role in the aerospace industry. From Wilbur and Orville Wright
and the invention of the airplane, to the first American-manned orbital
mission by Senator John Glenn, to Neil Armstrong's famous walk on the
Moon--Ohioans have been instrumental in maintaining the United States
leadership in space.
Fifty years after the creation of NASA, Ohio continues to play an
important role in the aerospace industry. Ohio's NASA Glenn facility
pioneered the use of liquid hydrogen as a rocket fuel--enabling
astronauts to reach the Moon. And today, NASA Glenn is working to build
cutting-edge vehicles that will one day send a new generation of
explorers to the Moon and Mars.
NASA's economic impact in Ohio is deep and far-reaching. Today,
Ohio's aerospace industry includes 600 companies and employs more than
66,000 Ohioans each year.
It is clear that NASA provides significant benefits to the American
people. That's why I am proud to support H.R. 6063. It is a fiscally
responsible bill that works to ensure that NASA has the resources it
needs to successfully conduct a balanced set of missions in human
spaceflight, science, and aeronautics.
This bill recognizes that NASA is an important contributor to the
Nation's innovation agenda and builds on the provisions included in
last year's ``America COMPETES Act.'' H.R. 6063 includes provisions
that will provide our Nation's next generation of engineers and
scientists with the hands-on training and education they need to
advance our space program.
Madam Chairman, on the 50th anniversary of the U.S. space program and
the establishment of NASA, I urge my colleagues in joining with me in
supporting this important bill.
Mr. CALVERT, Madam Chairman, I commend Subcommittee Chairman Udall,
Chairman Gordon and Ranking Members Hall and Feeney and their staff for
their work on this bipartisan bill. It is most appropriate that we
recommit our Federal support and investment to

[[Page H5372]]

our Nation's civilian space and aeronautics agency during this 50
anniversary year.
NASA has been the Nation's leading catalyst for innovation and
technology based on 50 years of broad public support and strong
bipartisan political leadership. The agency's work is linked to larger
issues like national security, global warming, and American
competitiveness. This valuable research is also the genesis of tens of
thousands of high-tech jobs in America and millions of dollars into our
economy.
H.R. 6063 largely follows in the tradition of the NASA Authorization
Act of 2005, the first authorization bill to endorse the Vision for
Space Exploration which chartered the agency to move beyond low-Earth
orbit.
I enthusiastically support most measures in this reauthorization
including: the reasonable increase in authorization levels which allows
the agency to maintain a balanced and robust portfolio of exploration,
science and aeronautics activities; the accelerated development of the
Orion and Ares launch systems in order to minimize U.S. reliance on
Russia for access to the International Space Station; and the full
authorization of the Commercial Orbital Transportation Services
program, as well as the funding to develop a commercial crew capability
under this program.
I am somewhat concerned about language that may inappropriately tie
the administrator's hands by requiring three shuttle flights; two
contingency and one for the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer, before the
fleet's final retirement. I understand why the committee has included
the language but I also encourage the Science Committee leadership to
work with the NASA administrator to alleviate the outstanding concerns
about NASA's ability to properly manage the shuttle fleet and the
remaining flight manifest without the mandated flexibility; especially
if under unexpected budget and safety constraints.
Overall, I am happy to lend my strong support to this
reauthorization. I believe it does a comprehensive job of providing
NASA the rules and tools to succeed in this Second Space Age. There is
not a NASA center in the 44th Congressional District of California, but
I understand the criticality of the agency's success and its impact on
our Nation's prosperity. I encourage all my colleagues to rediscover
the many ways our constituents benefit from the agency's important
work. We do not consider this legislation in a vacuum. Other nations
are actively pursuing human spaceflight and exploration. China and
India are out-producing us in engineering graduates each year many
times over. NASA, with its excellent reputation in exploration, science
and aeronautics is the one national agency which can focus and inspire
America's youth to take up the challenging work of math and science
careers.
Again, I want to thank the Science Committee leadership and their
hard-working staff for their efforts in putting together this bill. I
understand it will be important to have a solid civilian space and
aeronautics blueprint for the next Administration to follow. I
encourage my colleagues to support H.R. 6063.
Ms. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON of Texas. Madam Chairman, the National
Aeronautics and Space Administration is a strong economic driver in the
State of Texas and an important national resource.
My colleagues and I on the House Committee on Science and Technology
have worked on this legislation to reauthorize many of NASA's programs
for 1 year. This action will provide a funding bridge until next year,
and it will provide important funding for research and programs in the
areas of science, aeronautics, exploration, education, space
operations, cross-agency support programs and other activities.
NASA celebrates 50 years since its establishment. For 50 years, NASA
research has enabled scientists to continue to do groundbreaking
research in a zero-gravity environment, with untold benefits. For
example, one of the many spinoff technologies from the Hubble telescope
is the use of its Charge Coupled Device (CCD) chips for digital imaging
breast biopsies.
The resulting device images tissue more clearly and efficiently than
other technologies. The CCD chips can detect the small differences
between a malignant or benign tumor, without the need for a surgical
biopsy. This saves the patient weeks of recovery time, and the cost for
this procedure is hundreds of dollars vs. thousands for a surgical
biopsy. With over 500,000 women needing biopsies a year, the economic
benefits are tremendous, not to mention the reduction in pain,
scarring, radiation exposure, time, and money associated with surgical
biopsies. Of course, this is just one of so many examples of NASA
research that benefits society with broader applications.
H.R. 6063 authorizes $20.21 billion in funding for NASA in fiscal
year 2009. I support this legislation and urge NASA to continue its
education efforts. A well-educated technical workforce is essential to
NASA's success, and it is imperative for the agency to continue to
invest in education as well as its other activities.
Again, I want to congratulate NASA for 50 years of stellar work.
Mr. COSTELLO. Madam Chairman, I rise today in support of H.R. 6063,
which authorizes the National Aeronautics and Space Administration
(NASA) for fiscal year 2009. As a member of the Science and Technology
Committee, I am pleased that this bill has reached the floor with the
full bipartisan support of the committee. H.R. 6063 reaffirms the basic
principles that NASA is and should remain a multi-mission agency with a
balanced portfolio of programs in science, aeronautics, and human space
flight, including human and robotic exploration beyond low-Earth orbit.
This year marks the 50th anniversary of the establishment of the
National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the dawn of
the United States space program. H.R. 6063 honors this accomplishment
with an affirmation of the administration's goals of transitioning to
new space vehicles, sending astronauts to Mars and repairing the Hubble
telescope. I believe this bill makes important investments in
aeronautic research and development while continuing NASA's important
work to carry us into the next half century of space exploration. Madam
Chairman, I encourage my colleagues to support this bill.
Mr. GORDON of Tennessee. I yield back the balance of my time.
The CHAIRMAN. All time for general debate has expired.
Pursuant to the rule, the amendment in the nature of a substitute
printed in the bill shall be considered as an original bill for the
purpose of amendment under the 5-minute rule and shall be considered
read.
The text of the committee amendment is as follows:

H.R. 6063

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

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; TABLE OF CONTENTS.

(a) Short Title.--This Act may be cited as the ``National
Aeronautics and Space Administration Authorization Act of
2008''.
(b) Table of Contents.--The table of contents for this Act
is as follows:
Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents.
Sec. 2. Findings.
Sec. 3. Definitions.

TITLE I--AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS FOR FISCAL YEAR 2009

Sec. 101. Fiscal year 2009.

TITLE II--EARTH SCIENCE

Sec. 201. Goal.
Sec. 202. Governance of United States Earth observations activities.
Sec. 203. Decadal survey missions.
Sec. 204. Transitioning experimental research into operational
services.
Sec. 205. Landsat thermal infrared data continuity.
Sec. 206. Reauthorization of Glory Mission.
Sec. 207. Plan for disposition of Deep Space Climate Observatory.

TITLE III--AERONAUTICS

Sec. 301. Environmentally friendly aircraft research and development
initiative.
Sec. 302. Research alignment.
Sec. 303. Research program to determine perceived impact of sonic
booms.
Sec. 304. External review of NASA's aviation safety-related research
programs.
Sec. 305. Interagency research initiative on the impact of aviation on
the climate.
Sec. 306. Research program on design for certification.
Sec. 307. Aviation weather research.
Sec. 308. Joint Aeronautics Research and Development Advisory
Committee.
Sec. 309. Funding for research and development activities in support of
other mission directorates.
Sec. 310. University-based centers for research on aviation training.

TITLE IV--INTERNATIONAL EXPLORATION INITIATIVE

Sec. 401. Sense of Congress.
Sec. 402. Stepping stone approach to exploration.
Sec. 403. Lunar outpost.
Sec. 404. Exploration technology development.
Sec. 405. Exploration risk mitigation plan.
Sec. 406. Exploration crew rescue.
Sec. 407. Participatory exploration.
Sec. 408. Science and exploration.

TITLE V--SPACE SCIENCE

Sec. 501. Technology development.
Sec. 502. Provision for future servicing of observatory-class
scientific spacecraft.
Sec. 503. Mars exploration.
Sec. 504. Importance of a balanced science program.
Sec. 505. Restoration of radioisotope thermoelectric generator material
production.
Sec. 506. Assessment of impediments to interagency cooperation on space
and Earth science missions.
Sec. 507. Assessment of cost growth.
Sec. 508. Outer planets exploration.

TITLE VI--SPACE OPERATIONS

Subtitle A--International Space Station

Sec. 601. Utilization.
Sec. 602. Research management plan.
Sec. 603. Contingency plan for cargo resupply.

Subtitle B--Space Shuttle

Sec. 611. Flight manifest.

[[Page H5373]]

Sec. 612. Disposition of shuttle-related assets.
Sec. 613. Space Shuttle transition liaison office.

Subtitle C--Launch Services

Sec. 621. Launch services strategy.

TITLE VII--EDUCATION

Sec. 701. Response to review.
Sec. 702. External review of Explorer Schools program.

TITLE VIII--NEAR-EARTH OBJECTS

Sec. 801. In general.
Sec. 802. Findings.
Sec. 803. Requests for information.
Sec. 804. Establishment of policy.
Sec. 805. Planetary radar capability.
Sec. 806. Arecibo Observatory.

TITLE IX--COMMERCIAL INITIATIVES

Sec. 901. Sense of Congress.
Sec. 902. Commercial crew initiative.

TITLE X--REVITALIZATION OF NASA INSTITUTIONAL CAPABILITIES

Sec. 1001. Review of information security controls.
Sec. 1002. Maintenance and upgrade of Center facilities.
Sec. 1003. Assessment of NASA laboratory capabilities.

TITLE XI--OTHER PROVISIONS

Sec. 1101. Space weather.
Sec. 1102. Space traffic management.
Sec. 1103. Study of export control policies related to civil and
commercial space activities.
Sec. 1104. Astronaut health care.
Sec. 1105. National Academies decadal surveys.
Sec. 1106. Innovation prizes.
Sec. 1107. Commercial space launch range study.
Sec. 1108. NASA outreach and technology assistance program.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

The Congress finds, on this, the 50th anniversary of the
establishment of the National Aeronautics and Space
Administration, the following:
(1) NASA is and should remain a multimission agency with a
balanced and robust set of core missions in science,
aeronautics, and human space flight and exploration.
(2) Investment in NASA's programs will promote innovation
through research and development, and will improve the
competitiveness of the United States.
(3) Investment in NASA's programs, like investments in
other Federal science and technology activities, is an
investment in our future.
(4) Properly structured, NASA's activities can contribute
to an improved quality of life, economic vitality, United
States leadership in peaceful cooperation with other nations
on challenging undertakings in science and technology,
national security, and the advancement of knowledge.
(5) NASA should assume a leadership role in a cooperative
international Earth observations and research effort to
address key research issues associated with climate change
and its impacts on the Earth system.
(6) NASA should undertake a program of aeronautical
research, development, and where appropriate demonstration
activities with the overarching goals of--
(A) ensuring that the Nation's future air transportation
system can handle up to 3 times the current travel demand and
incorporate new vehicle types with no degradation in safety
or adverse environmental impact on local communities;
(B) protecting the environment;
(C) promoting the security of the Nation; and
(D) retaining the leadership of the United States in global
aviation.
(7) Human and robotic exploration of the solar system will
be a significant long term undertaking of humanity in the
21st century and beyond, and it is in the national interest
that the United States should assume a leadership role in a
cooperative international exploration initiative.
(8) Developing United States human space flight
capabilities to allow independent American access to the
International Space Station, and to explore beyond low Earth
orbit, is a strategically important national imperative, and
all prudent steps should thus be taken to bring the Orion
Crew Exploration Vehicle and Ares I Crew Launch Vehicle to
full operational capability as soon as practicable.
(9) NASA's scientific research activities have contributed
much to the advancement of knowledge, provided societal
benefits, and helped train the next generation of scientists
and engineers, and those activities should continue to be an
important priority.
(10) NASA should make a sustained commitment to a robust
long-term technology development activity. Such investments
represent the critically important ``seed corn'' on which
NASA's ability to carry out challenging and productive
missions in the future will depend.
(11) NASA, through its pursuit of challenging and relevant
activities, can provide an important stimulus to the next
generation to pursue careers in science, technology,
engineering, and mathematics.
(12) Commercial activities have substantially contributed
to the strength of both the United States space program and
the national economy, and the development of a healthy and
robust United States commercial space sector should continue
to be encouraged.
(13) It is in the national interest for the United States
to have an export control policy that protects the national
security while also enabling the United States aerospace
industry to compete effectively in the global market place
and the United States to undertake cooperative programs in
science and human space flight in an effective and efficient
manner.

SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS.

In this Act:
(1) Administrator.--The term ``Administrator'' means the
Administrator of NASA.
(2) NASA.--The term ``NASA'' means the National Aeronautics
and Space Administration.
(3) NOAA.--The term ``NOAA'' means the National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration.
(4) OSTP.--The term ``OSTP'' means the Office of Science
and Technology Policy.

TITLE I--AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS FOR FISCAL YEAR 2009

SEC. 101. FISCAL YEAR 2009.

(a) Baseline Authorization.--There are authorized to be
appropriated to NASA for fiscal year 2009 $19,210,000,000, as
follows:
(1) For Science, $4,932,200,000, of which--
(A) $1,518,000,000 shall be for Earth Science, including
$29,200,000 for suborbital activities and $2,500,000 for
carrying out section 313 of the National Aeronautics and
Space Administration Authorization Act of 2005 (Public Law
109-155);
(B) $1,483,000,000 shall be for Planetary Science,
including $486,500,000 for the Mars Exploration program,
$2,000,000 to continue planetary radar operations at the
Arecibo Observatory in support of the Near-Earth Object
program, and $5,000,000 for radioisotope material production,
to remain available until expended;
(C) $1,290,400,000 shall be for Astrophysics, including
$27,300,000 for suborbital activities;
(D) $640,800,000 shall be for Heliophysics, including
$50,000,000 for suborbital activities; and
(E) $75,000,000 shall be for Cross-Science Mission
Directorate Technology Development, to be taken on a
proportional basis from the funding subtotals under
subparagraphs (A), (B), (C), and (D).
(2) For Aeronautics, $853,400,000, of which $406,900,000
shall be for system-level research, development, and
demonstration activities related to--
(A) aviation safety;
(B) environmental impact mitigation, including noise,
energy efficiency, and emissions;
(C) support of the Next Generation Air Transportation
System initiative; and
(D) investigation of new vehicle concepts and flight
regimes.
(3) For Exploration, $3,886,000,000, of which $100,000,000
shall be for the activities under sections 902(b) and 902(d);
and $737,800,000 shall be for Advanced Capabilities,
including $106,300,000 for the Lunar Precursor Robotic
Program, $276,500,000 for International Space Station-related
research and development activities, and $355,000,000 for
research and development activities not related to the
International Space Station.
(4) For Education, $128,300,000.
(5) For Space Operations, $6,074,700,000, of which--
(A) $150,000,000 shall be for an additional Space Shuttle
flight to deliver the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer to the
International Space Station;
(B) $100,000,000 shall be to augment funding for
International Space Station Cargo Services to enhance
research utilization of the International Space Station, to
remain available until expended; and
(C) $50,000,000 shall be to augment funding for Space
Operations Mission Directorate reserves and Shuttle
Transition and Retirement activities.
(6) For Cross-Agency Support Programs, $3,299,900,000.
(7) For Inspector General, $35,500,000.
(b) Additional Authorization To Address Human Space Flight
Gap.--In addition to the sums authorized by subsection (a),
there are authorized to be appropriated for the purposes
described in subsection (a)(3) $1,000,000,000 for fiscal year
2009, to be used to accelerate the initial operational
capability of the Orion Crew Exploration Vehicle and the Ares
I Crew Launch Vehicle and associated ground support systems,
to remain available until expended.

TITLE II--EARTH SCIENCE

SEC. 201. GOAL.

The goal for NASA's Earth Science program shall be to
pursue a program of Earth observations, research, and
applications activities to better understand the Earth, how
it supports life, and how human activities affect its ability
to do so in the future. In pursuit of this goal, NASA's Earth
Science program shall ensure that securing practical benefits
for society will be an important measure of its success in
addition to securing new knowledge about the Earth system and
climate change. In further pursuit of this goal, NASA shall
assume a leadership role in developing and carrying out a
cooperative international Earth observations-based research
and applications program.

SEC. 202. GOVERNANCE OF UNITED STATES EARTH OBSERVATIONS
ACTIVITIES.

(a) Study.--The Director of the OSTP shall enter into an
arrangement with the National Academies for a study to
determine the most appropriate governance structure for
United States Earth Observations programs in order to meet
evolving United States Earth information needs and facilitate
United States participation in global Earth Observations
initiatives.
(b) Report.--The Director shall transmit the study to the
Committee on Science and Technology of the House of
Representatives and the Committee on Commerce, Science, and
Transportation of the Senate not later than 18 months after
the date of enactment of this Act, and shall provide OSTP's
plan for implementing the study's recommendations not later
than 24 months after the date of enactment of this Act.

SEC. 203. DECADAL SURVEY MISSIONS.

(a) In General.--The missions recommended in the National
Academies' decadal survey ``Earth Science and Applications
from Space'' provide the basis for a compelling and relevant
program of research and applications, and the

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Administrator should work to establish an international
cooperative effort to pursue those missions.
(b) Plan.--The Administrator shall prepare a plan for
submission to Congress not later than 270 days after the date
of enactment of this Act that shall describe how NASA intends
to implement the missions recommended as described in
subsection (a), whether by means of dedicated NASA missions,
multi-agency missions, international cooperative missions,
data sharing, or commercial data buys, or by means of long-
term technology development to determine whether specific
missions would be executable at a reasonable cost and within
a reasonable schedule.

SEC. 204. TRANSITIONING EXPERIMENTAL RESEARCH INTO
OPERATIONAL SERVICES.

(a) Sense of Congress.--It is the sense of the Congress
that experimental NASA sensors and missions that have the
potential to benefit society if transitioned into operational
monitoring systems be transitioned into operational status
whenever possible.
(b) Interagency Process.--The Director of OSTP, in
consultation with the Administrator, the Administrator of
NOAA, and other relevant stakeholders, shall develop a
process to transition, when appropriate, NASA Earth science
and space weather missions or sensors into operational
status. The process shall include coordination of annual
agency budget requests as required to execute the
transitions.
(c) Responsible Agency Official.--The Administrator and the
Administrator of NOAA shall each designate an agency official
who shall have the responsibility for and authority to lead
NASA's and NOAA's transition activities and interagency
coordination.
(d) Plan.--For each mission or sensor that is determined to
be appropriate for transition under subsection (b), NASA and
NOAA shall transmit to Congress a joint plan for conducting
the transition. The plan shall include the strategy,
milestones, and budget required to execute the transition.
The transition plan shall be transmitted to Congress not
later than 60 days after the successful completion of the
mission or sensor critical design review.

SEC. 205. LANDSAT THERMAL INFRARED DATA CONTINUITY.

(a) Plan.--In view of the importance of Landsat thermal
infrared data for both scientific research and water
management applications, the Administrator shall prepare a
plan for ensuring the continuity of Landsat thermal infrared
data or its equivalent, including allocation of costs and
responsibility for the collection and distribution of the
data, and a budget plan. As part of the plan, the
Administrator shall provide an option for developing a
thermal infrared sensor at minimum cost to be flown on the
Landsat Data Continuity Mission with minimum delay to the
schedule of the Landsat Data Continuity Mission.
(b) Deadline.--The plan shall be provided to Congress not
later than 60 days after the date of enactment of this Act.

SEC. 206. REAUTHORIZATION OF GLORY MISSION.

(a) Reauthorization.--Congress reauthorizes NASA to
continue with development of the Glory Mission, which will
examine how aerosols and solar energy affect the Earth's
climate.
(b) Baseline Report.--Pursuant to the National Aeronautics
and Space Administration Authorization Act of 2005 (Public
Law 109-155), not later than 90 days after the date of
enactment of this Act, the Administrator shall transmit a new
baseline report consistent with section 103(b)(2) of such
Act. The report shall include an analysis of the factors
contributing to cost growth and the steps taken to address
them.

SEC. 207. PLAN FOR DISPOSITION OF DEEP SPACE CLIMATE
OBSERVATORY.

(a) Plan.--NASA shall develop a plan for the Deep Space
Climate Observatory (DSCOVR), including such options as using
the parts of the spacecraft in the development and assembly
of other science missions, transferring the spacecraft to
another agency, reconfiguring the spacecraft for another
Earth science mission, establishing a public-private
partnership for the mission, and entering into an
international cooperative partnership to use the spacecraft
for its primary or other purposes. The plan shall include an
estimate of budgetary resources and schedules required to
implement each of the options.
(b) Consultation.--NASA shall consult, as necessary, with
other Federal agencies, industry, academic institutions, and
international space agencies in developing the plan.
(c) Report.--The Administrator shall transmit the plan
required under subsection (a) to the Committee on Science and
Technology of the House of Representatives and the Committee
on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate not
later than 180 days after the date of enactment of this Act.

TITLE III--AERONAUTICS

SEC. 301. ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY AIRCRAFT RESEARCH AND
DEVELOPMENT INITIATIVE.

The Administrator shall establish an initiative involving
NASA, universities, industry, and other research
organizations as appropriate, of research, development, and
demonstration, in a relevant environment, of technologies to
enable the following commercial aircraft performance
characteristics:
(1) 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 airports from
which such commercial aircraft would normally operate,
without increasing energy consumption or nitrogen oxide
emissions compared to aircraft in commercial service as of
the date of enactment of this Act.
(2) Significant reductions in greenhouse gas emissions
compared to aircraft in commercial services as of the date of
enactment of this Act.

SEC. 302. RESEARCH ALIGNMENT.

In addition to pursuing the research and development
initiative described in section 301, the Administrator shall,
to the maximum extent practicable within available funding,
align the fundamental aeronautics research program to address
high priority technology challenges of the National
Academies' Decadal Survey of Civil Aeronautics, and shall
work to increase the degree of involvement of external
organizations, and especially of universities, in the
fundamental aeronautics research program.

SEC. 303. RESEARCH PROGRAM TO DETERMINE PERCEIVED IMPACT OF
SONIC BOOMS.

(a) In General.--The ability to fly commercial aircraft
over land at supersonic speeds without adverse impacts on the
environment or on local communities would open new markets
and enable new transportation capabilities. In order to have
the basis for establishing an appropriate sonic boom standard
for such flight operations, a research program is needed to
assess the impact in a relevant environment of commercial
supersonic flight operations.
(b) Establishment.--The Administrator shall establish a
cooperative research program with industry, including the
conduct of flight demonstrations in a relevant environment,
to collect data on the perceived impact of sonic booms that
would enable the promulgation of a standard that would have
to be met for overland commercial supersonic flight
operations.

SEC. 304. EXTERNAL REVIEW OF NASA'S AVIATION SAFETY-RELATED
RESEARCH PROGRAMS.

(a) Review.--The Administrator shall enter into an
arrangement with the National Research Council for an
independent review of NASA's aviation safety-related research
programs. The review shall assess whether--
(1) the programs have well-defined, prioritized, and
appropriate research objectives;
(2) the programs are properly coordinated with the safety
research programs of the Federal Aviation Administration and
other relevant Federal agencies;
(3) the programs have allocated appropriate resources to
each of the research objectives; and
(4) suitable mechanisms exist for transitioning the
research results from the programs into operational
technologies and procedures and certification activities in a
timely manner.
(b) Report.--Not later than 14 months after the date of
enactment of this Act, the Administrator shall submit to the
Committee on Science and Technology of the House of
Representatives and the Committee on Commerce, Science, and
Transportation of the Senate a report on the results of the
review.

SEC. 305. INTERAGENCY RESEARCH INITIATIVE ON THE IMPACT OF
AVIATION ON THE CLIMATE.

(a) In General.--The Administrator, in coordination with
the United States Climate Change Science Program and other
appropriate agencies, shall establish a research initiative
to assess the impact of aviation on the climate and, if
warranted, to evaluate approaches to mitigate that impact.
(b) Research Plan.--Not later than 1 year after the date of
enactment of this Act, the participating Federal entities
shall jointly develop a plan for the research initiative that
contains objectives, proposed tasks, milestones, and a 5-year
budgetary profile.
(c) Review.--The Administrator shall enter into an
arrangement with the National Research Council for conducting
an independent review of the interagency research program
plan, and shall provide the results of that review to the
Committee on Science and Technology of the House of
Representatives and the Committee on Commerce, Science, and
Transportation of the Senate not later than 2 years after the
date of enactment of this Act.

SEC. 306. RESEARCH PROGRAM ON DESIGN FOR CERTIFICATION.

(a) Program.--Not later than 6 months after the date of
enactment of this Act, NASA, in consultation with other
appropriate agencies, shall establish a research program on
methods to improve both confidence in and the timeliness of
certification of new technologies for their introduction into
the national airspace system.
(b) Research Plan.--Not later than 1 year after the date of
enactment of this Act, as part of the activity described in
subsection (a), NASA shall develop a plan for the research
program that contains objectives, proposed tasks, milestones,
and a 5-year budgetary profile.
(c) Review.--The Administrator shall enter into an
arrangement with the National Research Council for conducting
an independent review of the research program plan, and shall
provide the results of that review to the Committee on
Science and Technology of the House of Representatives and
the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the
Senate not later than 2 years after the date of enactment of
this Act.

SEC. 307. AVIATION WEATHER RESEARCH.

The Administrator shall establish a program of
collaborative research with NOAA on convective weather
events, with the goal of significantly improving the
reliability of 2-hour to 6-hour aviation weather forecasts.

SEC. 308. JOINT AERONAUTICS RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT ADVISORY
COMMITTEE.

(a) Establishment.--A joint Aeronautics Research and
Development Advisory Committee (in this section referred to
as the ``Advisory Committee'') shall be established.
(b) Duties.--The Advisory Committee shall--
(1) make recommendations regarding the coordination of
research and development activities of NASA and the Federal
Aviation Administration;
(2) make recommendations for and monitor development and
implementation of processes for

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transitioning research and development from NASA and the
Federal Aviation Administration to external entities for
further development as appropriate;
(3) make recommendations regarding the status of the
activities of NASA and the Federal Aviation Administration's
research and development programs as they relate to the
recommendations contained in the National Research Council's
2006 report entitled ``Decadal Survey of Civil Aeronautics'',
and the recommendations contained in subsequent National
Research Council reports of a similar nature; and
(4) not later than March 15 of each year, transmit a report
to the Administrator, the Administrator of the Federal
Aviation Administration, the Committee on Science and
Technology of the House of Representatives, and the Committee
on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate on the
Advisory Committee's findings and recommendations under
paragraphs (1), (2), and (3).
(c) Membership.--The Advisory Committee shall consist of 10
members, none of whom shall be a Federal employee,
including--
(1) 5 members selected by the Administrator; and
(2) 5 members selected by the Chair of the Federal Aviation
Administration's Research, Engineering, and Development
Advisory Committee (REDAC).
(d) Selection Process.--Initial selections under subsection
(c) shall be made within 3 months after the date of enactment
of this Act. Vacancies shall be filled in the same manner as
provided in subsection (c).
(e) Chairperson.--The Advisory Committee shall select a
chairperson from among its members.
(f) Coordination.--The Advisory Committee shall coordinate
with the advisory bodies of other Federal agencies, which may
engage in related research activities.
(g) Compensation.--The members of the Advisory Committee
shall serve without compensation, but shall receive travel
expenses, including per diem in lieu of subsistence, in
accordance with sections 5702 and 5703 of title 5, United
States Code.
(h) Meetings.--The Advisory Committee shall convene, in
person or by electronic means, at least 4 times per year.
(i) Quorum.--A majority of the members serving on the
Advisory Committee shall constitute a quorum for purposes of
conducting the business of the Advisory Committee.
(j) Duration.--Section 14 of the Federal Advisory Committee
Act shall not apply to the Advisory Committee.

SEC. 309. FUNDING FOR RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT ACTIVITIES IN
SUPPORT OF OTHER MISSION DIRECTORATES.

Research and development activities performed by the
Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate with the primary
objective of assisting in the development of a flight project
in another Mission Directorate shall be funded by the Mission
Directorate seeking assistance.

SEC. 310. UNIVERSITY-BASED CENTERS FOR RESEARCH ON AVIATION
TRAINING.

Section 427(a) of the National Aeronautics and Space
Administration Authorization Act of 2005 (Public Law 109-155)
is amended by striking ``may'' and inserting ``shall''.

TITLE IV--INTERNATIONAL EXPLORATION INITIATIVE

SEC. 401. SENSE OF CONGRESS.

It is the sense of Congress that the President of the
United States should invite America's friends and allies to
participate in a long-term international initiative under the
leadership of the United States to expand human and robotic
presence into the solar system, including the exploration and
utilization of the Moon, near Earth asteroids, Lagrangian
points, and eventually Mars and its moons, among other
exploration and utilization goals.

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 program 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 development phase, the
Administrator shall seek, to the maximum 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 operable as a human-
tended facility capable of remote or autonomous 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 services 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 establish 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 Exploration
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 universities, 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 Station 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 described 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 Administrator 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 participation
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 communications
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 validation
and science mission opportunities. In addition, the plan
shall identify opportunities to develop and demonstrate these
technologies on the International Space Station and robotic
missions to the Moon, Mars, and other solar system bodies.
(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 Commerce, 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 coordinate,
where practical, NASA's science and exploration activities
with the goal of maximizing the success of human exploration
initiatives and furthering our understanding of the Universe
that we explore.

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 OBSERVATORY-CLASS
SCIENTIFIC SPACECRAFT.

The Administrator shall take all necessary steps to ensure
that provision is made in the design and construction of all
future observatory-class scientific spacecraft intended 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, integrated
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 PROGRAM.

It is the sense of Congress that a balanced and adequately
funded set of activities, consisting of NASA's research and
analysis grants

[[Page H5376]]

programs, technology development, small, medium-sized, and
large space science missions, 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 sounding rockets, aircraft,
and high-altitude balloons, offer valuable opportunities to
advance science, train the next generation of scientists and
engineers, and provide opportunities for participants in the
programs to acquire skills in systems engineering and systems
integration that are critical to maintaining the Nation's
leadership in space programs. The Congress believes that it
is in the national interest to expand the size of NASA's
suborbital research program.

SEC. 505. RESTORATION OF RADIOISOTOPE THERMOELECTRIC
GENERATOR MATERIAL PRODUCTION.

(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 assess impediments
to the successful conduct of interagency cooperation on space
and Earth science missions, to provide lessons learned and
best practices, and to recommend steps to help facilitate
successful interagency collaborations on space and Earth
science missions.
(b) Report.--The report of the assessment carried out under
subsection (a) shall be transmitted to the Committee on
Science and Technology of the House of Representatives 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 spacecraft
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 conducted under
subsection (a) shall be submitted to Congress 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 Planets flagship
mission to the Europa-Jupiter system or the Titan-Saturn
system as soon as practicable within a balanced 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 viable 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 utilization
by the United States after 2016.

SEC. 602. RESEARCH MANAGEMENT PLAN.

(a) Research Management Plan.--The Administrator shall
develop a research management plan for the International
Space Station. The plan shall include a process for selecting
and prioritizing research activities (including fundamental,
applied, commercial, and other research) 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 Administrator
shall--
(1) establish a process by which to support International
Space Station National Laboratory users in identifying their
requirements for transportation of research supplies to and
from the International Space Station, and for communicating
those requirements to NASA and International Space Station
transportation services providers; and
(2) develop an estimate of the transportation requirements
needed to support users of the International Space Station
National Laboratory and develop a plan for satisfying those
requirements by dedicating a portion of volume on NASA supply
missions to the International Space Station and missions
returning from the International Space Station to Earth.
(c) Assessment.--The Administrator shall--
(1) identify existing research equipment and racks and
support equipment that are manifested for flight;
(2) provide a detailed description of the status of
research equipment and facilities that were completed or in
development prior to being cancelled, and provide the budget
and milestones for completing and preparing the equipment for
flight on the International Space Station; and
(3) provide the results of the assessment to the Committee
on Science and Technology of the House of Representatives and
the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the
Senate not later than 18 months after the date of enactment
of this Act.
(d) Advisory Committee.--Not later than 1 year after the
date of enactment of this Act, the Administrator shall
establish an advisory panel under the Federal Advisory
Committee Act to monitor the activities and management of the
International Space Station National Laboratory.

SEC. 603. CONTINGENCY PLAN FOR CARGO RESUPPLY.

(a) In General.--The International Space Station represents
a significant investment of national resources, and it is a
facility that embodies a cooperative international approach
to the exploration and utilization of space. As such, it is
important that its continued viability and productivity be
ensured, to the maximum extent possible, after the Space
Shuttle is retired.
(b) Contingency Plan.--The Administrator shall develop a
contingency plan and arrangements, including use of
International Space Station international partner cargo
resupply capabilities, to ensure the continued viability and
productivity of the International Space Station in the event
that United States commercial cargo resupply services are not
available during any extended period after the date that the
Space Shuttle is retired. The plan shall be delivered to the
Committee on Science and Technology of the House of
Representatives and the Committee on Commerce, Science, and
Transportation of the Senate not later than one year after
the date of enactment of this Act.

Subtitle B--Space Shuttle

SEC. 611. FLIGHT MANIFEST.

(a) Baseline Manifest.--In addition to the Space Shuttle
flights listed as part of the baseline flight manifest as of
January 1, 2008, the Utilization flights ULF-4 and ULF-5
shall be considered part of the Space Shuttle baseline flight
manifest and shall be flown prior to the retirement of the
Space Shuttle.
(b) Additional Flight To Deliver the Alpha Magnetic
Spectrometer to the International Space Station.--In addition
to the flying of the baseline manifest as described in
subsection (a), the Administrator shall take all necessary
steps to fly one additional Space Shuttle flight to deliver
the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer to the International Space
Station prior to the retirement of the Space Shuttle.
(c) Space Shuttle Retirement Date.--The Space Shuttle shall
be retired following the completion of the baseline flight
manifest and the flight of the additional flight specified in
subsection (b), events that are anticipated to occur in 2010.

SEC. 612. DISPOSITION OF SHUTTLE-RELATED ASSETS.

Not later than 90 days after the date of enactment of this
Act, the Administrator shall provide a plan to Congress for
the disposition of the remaining Space Shuttle orbiters and
other Space Shuttle program-related hardware and facilities
after the retirement of the Space Shuttle fleet. The plan
shall include a process by which educational institutions and
science museums and other appropriate organizations may
acquire, through loan or disposal by the Federal Government,
Space Shuttle program-related hardware. The Administrator
shall not dispose of any Space Shuttle-related hardware prior
to the completion of the plan.

SEC. 613. SPACE SHUTTLE TRANSITION LIAISON OFFICE.

(a) Establishment.--The Administrator shall establish an
office within NASA's Office of Human Capital Management that
shall assist local communities affected by the termination of
the Space Shuttle program. The office shall offer technical
assistance and serve as a clearinghouse to assist communities
in identifying services available from other Federal
agencies.
(b) Sunset.--The Office established under subsection (a)
shall cease operations 24 months after the last Space Shuttle
flight.

Subtitle C--Launch Services

SEC. 621. LAUNCH SERVICES STRATEGY.

(a) In General.--In preparation for the award of contracts
to follow up on the current NASA Launch Services (NLS)
contracts, the Administrator shall develop a strategy for
providing domestic commercial launch services in support of
NASA's small and medium-sized Science, Space Operations, and
Exploration missions, consistent with current law and policy.
(b) Report.--The Administrator shall transmit a report to
the Committee on Science and Technology of the House of
Representatives and the Committee on Commerce, Science, and
Transportation of the Senate describing the strategy
developed under subsection (a) not later than 90 days after
the date of enactment of this Act. The report shall provide,
at a minimum--
(1) the results of the Request for Information on small to
medium-sized launch services released on April 22, 2008;
(2) an analysis of possible alternatives to maintain small
and medium-sized lift capabilities after June 30, 2010,
including the use of the Department of Defense's Evolved
Expendable Launch Vehicle (EELV);
(3) the recommended alternatives, and associated 5-year
budget plans starting in October 2010 that would enable their
implementation; and

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(4) a contingency plan in the event the recommended
alternatives described in paragraph (3) are not available
when needed.

TITLE VII--EDUCATION

SEC. 701. RESPONSE TO REVIEW.

(a) Plan.--The Administrator shall prepare a plan
identifying actions taken or planned in response to the
recommendations of the National Academies report, ``NASA's
Elementary and Secondary Education Program: Review and
Critique''. For those actions that have not been implemented,
the plan shall include a schedule and budget required to
support the actions.
(b) Report.--The plan prepared under subsection (a) shall
be transmitted to the Committee on Science and Technology of
the House of Representatives and the Committee on Commerce,
Science, and Transportation of the Senate not later than 1
year after the date of enactment of this Act.

SEC. 702. EXTERNAL REVIEW OF EXPLORER SCHOOLS PROGRAM.

(a) Review.--The Administrator shall make arrangements for
an independent external review of the Explorer Schools
program to evaluate its goals, status, plans, and
accomplishments.
(b) Report.--The report of the independent external review
shall be transmitted to the Committee on Science and
Technology of the House of Representatives and the Committee
on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate not
later than 1 year after the date of enactment of this Act.

TITLE VIII--NEAR-EARTH OBJECTS

SEC. 801. IN GENERAL.

The Congress reaffirms the policy direction established in
the National Aeronautics and Space Administration
Authorization Act of 2005 (Public Law 109-155) for NASA to
detect, track, catalogue, and characterize the physical
characteristics of near-Earth objects equal to or greater
than 140 meters in diameter. NASA's Near-Earth Object program
activities will also provide benefits to NASA's scientific
and exploration activities.

SEC. 802. FINDINGS.

Congress makes the following findings:
(1) Near-Earth objects pose a serious and credible threat
to humankind, as many scientists believe that a major
asteroid or comet was responsible for the mass extinction of
the majority of the Earth's species, including the dinosaurs,
nearly 65,000,000 years ago.
(2) Several such near-Earth objects have only been
discovered within days of the objects' closest approach to
Earth and recent discoveries of such large objects indicate
that many large near-Earth objects remain undiscovered.
(3) Asteroid and comet collisions rank as one of the most
costly natural disasters that can occur.
(4) The time needed to eliminate or mitigate the threat of
a collision of a potentially hazardous near-Earth object with
Earth is measured in decades.
(5) Unlike earthquakes and hurricanes, asteroids and comets
can provide adequate collision information, enabling the
United States to include both asteroid-collision and comet-
collision disaster recovery and disaster avoidance in its
public-safety structure.
(6) Basic information is needed for technical and policy
decisionmaking for the United States to create a
comprehensive program in order to be ready to eliminate and
mitigate the serious and credible threats to humankind posed
by potentially hazardous near-Earth asteroids and comets.
(7) As a first step to eliminate and to mitigate the risk
of such collisions, situation and decision analysis
processes, as well as procedures and system resources, must
be in place well before a collision threat becomes known.

SEC. 803. REQUESTS FOR INFORMATION.

The Administrator shall issue requests for information on--
(1) a low-cost space mission with the purpose of
rendezvousing with, attaching a tracking device, and
characterizing the Apophis asteroid, which scientists
estimate will in 2029 pass at a distance from Earth that is
closer than geostationary satellites; and
(2) a medium-sized space mission with the purpose of
detecting near-Earth objects equal to or greater than 140
meters in diameter.

SEC. 804. ESTABLISHMENT OF POLICY.

Not later than 2 years after the date of enactment of this
Act, the Director of OSTP shall--
(1) develop a policy for notifying Federal agencies and
relevant emergency response institutions of an impending
near-Earth object threat, if near term public safety is at
stake; and
(2) recommend a Federal agency or agencies to be
responsible for protecting the Nation from a near-Earth
object that is anticipated to collide with Earth and
implementing a deflection campaign, in consultation with
international bodies, should one be required.

SEC. 805. PLANETARY RADAR CAPABILITY.

The Administrator shall maintain a planetary radar that is,
at minimum, comparable to the capability provided through the
NASA Deep Space Network Goldstone facility.

SEC. 806. ARECIBO OBSERVATORY.

Congress reiterates its support for the use of the Arecibo
Observatory for NASA-funded near-Earth object-related
activities. The Administrator shall ensure the availability
of the Arecibo Observatory's planetary radar to support these
activities until the National Academies' review of NASA's
approach for the survey and deflection of near-Earth objects,
including a determination of the role of Arecibo, that was
directed to be undertaken by the Fiscal Year 2008 Omnibus
Appropriations Act, is completed.

TITLE IX--COMMERCIAL INITIATIVES

SEC. 901. SENSE OF CONGRESS.

It is the sense of Congress that a healthy and robust
commercial sector can make significant contributions to the
successful conduct of NASA's space exploration program. While
some activities are inherently governmental in nature, there
are many other activities, such as routine supply of water,
fuel, and other consumables to low Earth orbit or to
destinations beyond low Earth orbit, and provision of power
or communications services to lunar outposts, that
potentially could be carried out effectively and efficiently
by the commercial sector at some point in the future.
Congress encourages NASA to look for such service
opportunities and, to the maximum extent practicable, make
use of the commercial sector to provide those services.

SEC. 902. COMMERCIAL CREW INITIATIVE.

(a) In General.--In order to stimulate commercial use of
space, help maximize the utility and productivity of the
International Space Station, and enable a commercial means of
providing crew transfer and crew rescue services for the
International Space Station, NASA shall--
(1) make use of United States commercially provided
International Space Station crew transfer and crew rescue
services to the maximum extent practicable, if those
commercial services have demonstrated the capability to meet
NASA-specified ascent, entry, and International Space Station
proximity operations safety requirements;
(2) limit, to the maximum extent practicable, the use of
the Crew Exploration Vehicle to missions carrying astronauts
beyond low Earth orbit once commercial crew transfer and crew
rescue services that meet safety requirements become
operational;
(3) facilitate, to the maximum extent practicable, the
transfer of NASA-developed technologies to potential United
States commercial crew transfer and rescue service providers,
consistent with United States law; and
(4) issue a notice of intent, not later than 180 days after
the date of enactment of this Act, to enter into a funded,
competitively awarded Space Act Agreement with two or more
commercial entities for a Phase 1 Commercial Orbital
Transportation Services (COTS) crewed vehicle demonstration
program.
(b) COTS Crewed Vehicle Demonstration Program Authorization
of Appropriations.--There are authorized to be appropriated
to NASA for the program described in subsection (a)(4)
$50,000,000 for fiscal year 2009, to remain available until
expended.
(c) Congressional Intent.--It is the intent of Congress
that funding for the program described in subsection (a)(4)
shall not come at the expense of full funding of the amounts
authorized under section 101(a)(3), and for future fiscal
years, for Orion Crew Exploration Vehicle development, Ares I
Crew Launch Vehicle development, or International Space
Station cargo delivery.
(d) Additional Technologies Authorization of
Appropriations.--There are authorized to be appropriated to
NASA for the provision of International Space Station-
compatible docking adaptors and other relevant technologies
to be made available to the commercial crew providers
selected to service the International Space Station
$50,000,000, to remain available until expended.
(e) Crew Transfer and Crew Rescue Services Contract.--If a
commercial provider demonstrates the capability to provide
International Space Station crew transfer and crew rescue
services and to satisfy NASA ascent, entry, and International
Space Station proximity operations safety requirements, NASA
shall enter into an International Space Station crew transfer
and crew rescue services contract with that commercial
provider for a portion of NASA's anticipated International
Space Station crew transfer and crew rescue requirements from
the time the commercial provider commences operations under
contract with NASA through calendar year 2016, with an option
to extend the period of performance through calendar year
2020.

TITLE X--REVITALIZATION OF NASA INSTITUTIONAL CAPABILITIES

SEC. 1001. REVIEW OF INFORMATION SECURITY CONTROLS.

(a) Report on Controls.--Not later than one year after the
date of enactment of this Act, the Comptroller General 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 a review of
information security controls that protect NASA's information
technology resources and information from inadvertent or
deliberate misuse, fraudulent use, disclosure, modification,
or destruction. The review shall focus on networks servicing
NASA's mission directorates. In assessing these controls, the
review shall evaluate--
(1) the network's ability to limit, detect, and monitor
access to resources and information, thereby safeguarding and
protecting them from unauthorized access;
(2) the physical access to network resources; and
(3) the extent to which sensitive research and mission data
is encrypted.
(b) Restricted Report on Intrusions.--Not later than one
year after the date of enactment of this Act, and in
conjunction with the report described in subsection (a), the
Comptroller General 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 a restricted report detailing results of vulnerability
assessments conducted by the Government Accountability Office
on NASA's network resources. Intrusion attempts during such
vulnerability assessments shall be divulged to NASA senior

[[Page H5378]]

management prior to their application. The report shall put
vulnerability assessment results in the context of
unauthorized accesses or attempts during the prior two years
and the corrective actions, recent or ongoing, that NASA has
implemented in conjunction with other Federal authorities to
prevent such intrusions.

SEC. 1002. MAINTENANCE AND UPGRADE OF CENTER FACILITIES.

(a) In General.--In order to sustain healthy Centers that
are capable of carrying out NASA's missions, the
Administrator shall ensure that adequate maintenance and
upgrading of those Center facilities is performed on a
regular basis.
(b) Review.--The Administrator shall determine and
prioritize the maintenance and upgrade backlog at each of
NASA's Centers and associated facilities, and shall develop a
strategy and budget plan to reduce that maintenance and
upgrade backlog by 50 percent over the next five years.
(c) Report.--The Administrator shall deliver a report to
Congress on the results of the activities undertaken in
subsection (b) concurrently with the delivery of the fiscal
year 2011 budget request.

SEC. 1003. ASSESSMENT OF NASA LABORATORY CAPABILITIES.

(a) In General.--NASA's laboratories are a critical
component of NASA's research capabilities, and the
Administrator shall ensure that those laboratories remain
productive.
(b) Review.--The Administrator shall enter into an
arrangement for an independent external review of NASA's
laboratories, including laboratory equipment, facilities, and
support services, to determine whether they are equipped and
maintained at a level adequate to support NASA's research
activities. The assessment shall also include an assessment
of the relative quality of NASA's in-house laboratory
equipment and facilities compared to comparable laboratories
elsewhere. The results of the review shall be provided to the
Committee on Science and Technology of the House of
Representatives and the Committee on Commerce, Science, and
Transportation of the Senate not later than 18 months after
the date of enactment of this Act.

TITLE XI--OTHER PROVISIONS

SEC. 1101. SPACE WEATHER.

(a) Plan for Replacement of Advanced Composition Explorer
at L-1 Lagrangian Point.--
(1) Plan.--The Director of OSTP shall develop a plan for
sustaining space-based measurements of solar wind from the L-
1 Lagrangian point in space and for the dissemination of the
data for operational purposes. OSTP shall consult with NASA,
NOAA, and other Federal agencies, and with industry, in
developing the plan.
(2) Report.--The Director shall transmit the plan to
Congress not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of
this Act.
(b) Research Program on Space Weather and Aviation.--
(1) Establishment.--The Administrator shall, in
coordination with the National Science Foundation, NOAA, and
other relevant agencies, initiate a research program to--
(A) conduct or supervise research projects on impacts of
space weather to aviation, including impacts on
communication, navigation, avionic systems, and airline
passengers and personnel; and
(B) facilitate the transfer of technology from space
weather research programs to Federal agencies with
operational responsibilities and to the private sector.
(2) Use of grants or cooperative agreements.--The
Administrator may use grants or cooperative agreements in
carrying out this subsection.
(c) Assessment of the Impact of Space Weather on
Aviation.--
(1) Study.--The Administrator shall enter into an
arrangement with the National Research Council for a study of
the impacts of space weather on the current and future United
States aviation industry, and in particular to examine the
risks for Over-The-Pole (OTP) and Ultra-Long-Range (ULR)
operations. The study shall--
(A) examine space weather impacts on at least
communications, navigation, avionics, and human health in
flight;
(B) assess the benefits of space weather information and
services to reduce aviation costs and maintain safety;
(C) provide recommendations on how NASA, NOAA, and the
National Science Foundation can most effectively carry out
research and monitoring activities related to space weather
and aviation; and
(D) provide recommendations on how to integrate space
weather information into the Next Generation Air
Transportation System.
(2) Report.--A report containing the results of the study
shall be provided to the Committee on Science and Technology
of the House of Representatives and the Committee on
Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate not later
than 1 year after the date of enactment of this Act.

SEC. 1102. SPACE TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT.

(a) In General.--As more nations acquire the capabilities
for launching payloads into outer space, there is an
increasing need for a framework under which information
intended to promote safe access into outer space, operations
in outer space, and return from outer space to Earth free
from physical or radio-frequency interference can be shared
among those nations.
(b) Discussions.--The Administrator, in consultation with
other appropriate agencies of the Federal Government, shall
initiate discussions with the appropriate representatives of
other spacefaring nations with the goal of determining an
appropriate framework under which information intended to
promote safe access into outer space, operations in outer
space, and return from outer space to Earth free from
physical or radio-frequency interference can be shared among
those nations.

SEC. 1103. STUDY OF EXPORT CONTROL POLICIES RELATED TO CIVIL
AND COMMERCIAL SPACE ACTIVITIES.

(a) Review.--The Director of OSTP shall carry out a study
of the impact of current export control policies and
implementation directives on the United States aerospace
industry and its competitiveness in global markets, and on
the ability of United States Government agencies to carry out
cooperative activities in science and technology and human
space flight, including the impact on research carried out
under the sponsorship of those agencies.
(b) Consultation.--In carrying out the study, the Director
shall seek input from industry, academia, representatives of
the science community, all affected United States Government
agencies, and any other appropriate organizations and
individuals.
(c) Report.--The Director shall provide a report detailing
the findings and recommendations of the study to the
Committee on Science and Technology of the House of
Representatives and the Committee on Commerce, Science, and
Transportation of the Senate not later than 9 months after
the date of enactment of this Act.

SEC. 1104. ASTRONAUT HEALTH CARE.

(a) Survey.--The Administrator shall administer an
anonymous survey of astronauts and flight surgeons to
evaluate communication, relationships, and the effectiveness
of policies. The survey questions and the analysis of results
shall be evaluated by experts independent of NASA. The survey
shall be administered on at least a biennial basis.
(b) Report.--The Administrator shall transmit a report of
the results of the survey to Congress not later than 90 days
following completion of the survey.

SEC. 1105. NATIONAL ACADEMIES DECADAL SURVEYS.

(a) In General.--The Administrator shall enter into
agreements on a periodic basis with the National Academies
for independent assessments, also known as decadal surveys,
to take stock of the status and opportunities for Earth and
space science discipline fields and Aeronautics research and
to recommend priorities for research and programmatic areas
over the next decade.
(b) Independent Cost Estimates.--The agreements described
in subsection(a) shall include independent estimates of the
life cycle costs and technical readiness of missions assessed
in the decadal surveys whenever possible.
(c) Reexamination.--The Administrator shall request that
each National Academies decadal survey committee identify any
conditions or events, such as significant cost growth or
scientific or technological advances, that would warrant NASA
asking the National Academies to reexamine the priorities
that the decadal survey had established.

SEC. 1106. INNOVATION PRIZES.

(a) In General.--Prizes can play a useful role in
encouraging innovation in the development of technologies and
products that can assist NASA in its aeronautics and space
activities, and the use of such prizes by NASA should be
encouraged.
(b) Amendments.--Section 314 of the National Aeronautics
and Space Act of 1958 is amended--
(1) by amending subsection (b) to read as follows:
``(b) Topics.--In selecting topics for prize competitions,
the Administrator shall consult widely both within and
outside the Federal Government, and may empanel advisory
committees. The Administrator shall give consideration to
prize goals such as the demonstration of the ability to
provide energy to the lunar surface from space-based solar
power systems, demonstration of innovative near-Earth object
survey and deflection strategies, and innovative approaches
to improving the safety and efficiency of aviation
systems.''; and
(2) in subsection (i)(4) by striking ``$10,000,000'' and
inserting ``$50,000,000''.

SEC. 1107. COMMERCIAL SPACE LAUNCH RANGE STUDY.

(a) Study by Interagency Committee.--The Director of OSTP
shall work with other appropriate Federal agencies to
establish an interagency committee to conduct a study to--
(1) identify the issues and challenges associated with
establishing a space launch range and facilities that are
fully dedicated to commercial space missions in close
proximity to Federal launch ranges or other Federal
facilities; and
(2) develop a coordinating mechanism such that States
seeking to establish such commercial space launch ranges will
be able to effectively and efficiently interface with the
Federal Government concerning issues related to the
establishment of such commercial launch ranges in close
proximity to Federal launch ranges or other Federal
facilities.
(b) Report.--The Director shall, not later than May 31,
2010, submit to the Committee on Science and Technology 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 subsection (a).

SEC. 1108. NASA OUTREACH AND TECHNOLOGY ASSISTANCE PROGRAM.

(a) Establishment.--NASA shall contract with an
organization that has demonstrated the

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ability to partner with NASA centers, aerospace contractors,
and academic institutions to carry out a program to transfer
the knowledge and technology of the space and aeronautics
programs to small businesses in communities across the United
States. The program shall support the mission of NASA's
Innovative Partnerships Program to provide technical
assistance through joint partnerships with industry,
academia, government agencies, and national laboratories.
(b) Program Structure.--In carrying out the program
described in subsection (a), the organization shall support
the mission of NASA's Innovative Partnerships Program by
undertaking the following activities:
(1) Facilitating technology transfer to the private sector
to produce viable commercial products.
(2) Creating a network of academic institutions, aerospace
contractors, and NASA centers that will commit to donating
technical assistance to small businesses.
(3) Creating a network of economic development
organizations to increase the awareness and enhance the
effectiveness of the program nationwide.
(c) Report.--Not later than 1 year after the date of
enactment of this Act, and annually thereafter, the
Administrator shall submit a report to the Committee on
Science and Technology of the House of Representatives and
the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the
Senate describing the efforts and accomplishments of the
program established under subsection (a) in support of NASA's
Innovative Partnerships Program. As part of the report, the
Administrator shall provide--
(1) data on the number of small businesses receiving
assistance, jobs created and retained, and volunteer hours
donated by NASA, contractors, and academic institutions
nationwide;
(2) an estimate of the total dollar value of the economic
impact made by small businesses that received technical
assistance through the program; and
(3) an accounting of the use of funds appropriated for the
program.
(d) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized
to be appropriated to NASA for the program established under
subsection (a), $4,000,000 for fiscal year 2009 from the
funding available for the Innovative Partnerships Program, to
remain available until expended.
The CHAIRMAN. No amendment to the committee amendment is in order
except those printed in House Report 110-707. Each amendment may be
offered only in the order printed in the report, by a Member designated
in the report, shall be considered read, shall be debatable for the
time specified in the report, equally divided and controlled by the
proponent and an opponent of the amendment, shall not be subject to
amendment, and shall not be subject to a demand for division of the
question.

Amendment No. 1 Offered by Mr. Gordon of Tennessee

The CHAIRMAN. It is now in order to consider amendment No. 1 printed
in House Report 110-707.
Mr. GORDON of Tennessee. Madam Chairman, I yield myself such time as
I may consume.
The CHAIRMAN. Does the gentleman offer an amendment?
Mr. GORDON of Tennessee. Yes, I do, Madam Chairman.
The CHAIRMAN. The Clerk will designate the amendment.
The text of the amendment is as follows:

Amendment No. 1 offered by Mr. Gordon of Tennessee:
In section 303, add at the end the following new
subsection:
(c) Coordination.--The Administrator shall ensure that
sonic boom research is coordinated as appropriate with the
Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration, and as
appropriate make use of the expertise of the Partnership for
Air Transportation Noise and Emissions Reduction Center of
Excellence sponsored by NASA and the Federal Aviation
Administration.
Amend section 305 to read as follows:

SEC. 305. INTERAGENCY RESEARCH INITIATIVE ON THE IMPACT OF
AVIATION ON THE CLIMATE.

(a) In General.--The Administrator of the Federal Aviation
Administration, in coordination with NASA and the United
States Climate Change Science Program, shall establish a
research initiative to assess the impact of aviation on the
climate and, if warranted, to evaluate approaches to mitigate
that impact.
(b) Research Plan.--Not later than one year after the date
of enactment of this Act, the participating Federal entities
shall jointly develop a plan for the research program that
contains the objectives, proposed tasks, milestones, and 5-
year budgetary profile.
Amend section 306 to read as follows (and amend the table
of contents accordingly):

SEC. 306. RESEARCH ON DESIGN FOR CERTIFICATION.

(a) Establishment of Program.--Not later than 6 months
after the date of enactment of this Act, the Federal Aviation
Administration, in consultation with other agencies as
appropriate, shall establish a research program on methods to
improve both confidence in and the timeliness of
certification of new technologies for their introduction into
the national airspace system.
(b) Research Plan.--Not later than 1 year after the date of
enactment of this Act, as part of the activity described in
subsection (a), the Federal Aviation Administration shall
develop a plan for the research program that contains the
objectives, proposed tasks, milestones, and five-year
budgetary profile.
(c) Review.--The Administrator of the Federal Aviation
Administration shall have the National Research Council
conduct an independent review of the research program plan
and provide the results of that review to the Committee on
Science and Technology and the Committee on Transportation
and Infrastructure of the House of Representatives and the
Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the
Senate not later than 18 months after the date of enactment
of this Act.
In section 504, strike ``and high-altitude balloons,'' and
insert ``high-altitude balloons, and suborbital reusable
launch vehicles,''.
In title VII, add at the end the following new section (and
amend the table of contents accordingly):

SEC. 703. SENSE OF CONGRESS.

It is the sense of Congress that NASA's educational
programs are important sources of inspiration and hands-on
learning for the next generation of engineers and scientists
and should be supported. In that regard, programs such as
EarthKAM, which brings NASA directly into American classrooms
by enabling students to talk directly with Astronauts aboard
International Space Station and take photographs of Earth
from space, and NASA involvement in robotics competitions for
students of all levels, are particularly worthy undertakings
and NASA should support them and look for additional
opportunities to engage students through NASA's space and
aeronautics activities.
In section 901, insert ``It is further the sense of
Congress that United States entrepreneurial space companies
have the potential to develop and deliver innovative
technology solutions at affordable costs. NASA is encouraged
to use United States entrepreneurial space companies to
conduct appropriate research and development activities. NASA
is further encouraged to seek ways to ensure that firms that
rely on fixed-price proposals are not disadvantaged when NASA
seeks to procure technology development.'' after ``provide
those services.''.
In title XI, add at the end the following new sections (and
amend the table of contents accordingly):

SEC. 1109. REDUCTION-IN-FORCE MORATORIUM.

NASA shall not initiate or implement a reduction-in-force,
or conduct any other involuntary separations of permanent,
non-Senior Executive Service, civil servant employees except
for cause on charges of misconduct, delinquency, or
inefficiency prior to December 31, 2010.

SEC. 1110. LIMIT ON THE USE OF TERM POSITIONS.

NASA shall limit the percentage of employees in term
positions, excluding students and cooperatives, within NASA
to less than or equal to ten percent of the total number of
non-Senior Executive Service, civil servant employees in
fiscal year 2009.

SEC. 1111. TEMPORARY CONTINUATION OF COVERAGE OF HEALTH
BENEFITS.

(a) Section 8905a (d) of title 5, United States Code, is
amended by adding at the end the following new paragraph:
``(6)(A) If the basis for continued coverage under this
section is, as a result of the termination of the Space
Shuttle Program, an involuntary separation from a position
due to a reduction-in-force or declination of a directed
reassignment or transfer of function, or a voluntary
separation from a surplus position in the National
Aeronautics and Space Administration--
``(i) the individual shall be liable for not more than the
employee contributions referred to in paragraph (1)(A)(i);
and
``(ii) the National Aeronautics and Space Administration
shall pay the remaining portion of the amount required under
paragraph (1) (A).
``(B) This paragraph shall only apply with respect to
individuals whose continued coverage is based on a separation
occurring on or after the date of enactment of this paragraph
and before December 31, 2010.
``(C) For purposes of this paragraph, ``surplus position''
means a position which is--
``(i) identified in pre-reduction-in-force planning as no
longer required, and which is expected to be eliminated under
formal reduction-in-force procedures as a result of the
termination of the Space Shuttle Program; or
``(ii) encumbered by an employee who has received official
certification from the National Aeronautics and Space
Administration consistent with the Administration's career
transition assistance program regulations that the position
is being abolished as a result of the termination of the
Space Shuttle Program.''.
(b) Paragraph (1)(A) of such subsection (d) is amended by
striking ``(4) and (5)'' and inserting ``(4), (5), and (6)''.

[[Page H5380]]

Madam Chairman this is a bipartisan manager's amendment that has been
developed in close collaboration with the Science and Technology
Committee minority leadership.
It provides several aeronautics-related provisions in the bill to
conform them to provisions that were included in last year's House-
passed FAA reauthorization bill.
It also includes a provision in section 303 related to coordination
with the FAA on sonic boom research, which will help ensure that NASA's
research results can help inform any future FAA rulemaking.
The amendment also encourages the potential scientific utility of
emerging commercial, reusable launch vehicles by citing them as
potential options for suborbital scientific research once they become
available.
The amendment also includes language provisions by Mr. Lampson on the
value of NASA's EarthKAM and robotics competitions for aspiring
students.
Both of these activities were great ways to inspire students to learn
about math, science and technology by providing exciting learning
experiences. And I want to commend Mr. Lampson for his initiative in
this area.
The amendment also expands section 901 to include a sense of Congress
urging NASA's use of entrepreneurial companies to conduct corporate
R&D.
Innovative ideas and products have repeatedly come out of these small
entrepreneurial companies, and this amendment encourages NASA to seek
ways to ensure such firms are not disadvantaged when the agency seeks
to procure technology development.
Finally, the manager's amendment includes several important NASA
workforce-related provisions, including an extension of the RIF
moratorium, a limit on the use of certain positions in fiscal year
2009, and temporary continuation of health care benefits.
We have worked with NASA, the IFPTE union, and Chairman Davis'
subcommittee on Federal Workforce to come up with a reasonable set of
provisions.
The workforce provisions included in the manager's amendment are
acceptable to all parties, and I believe they will help strengthen and
protect the NASA workforce.
In sum, I believe the manager's amendment will make a good deal even
better. And I urge Members to support it.
I reserve the balance of my time.
The CHAIRMAN. The Chair now recognizes Mr. Hall from Texas.
Mr. HALL of Texas. Madam Chairman, I rise to claim the time, and I am
going to encourage my colleagues to support this amendment. But first I
want to yield 3 minutes to Mr. Feeney, the gentleman from Florida.
Mr. FEENEY. I thank Ranking Member Hall, and I thank Chairman Gordon
for this amendment. I did want to take a moment or two to point out a
very important aspect of this manager's amendment. It directs the White
House Office of Science and Technology to establish an interagency
committee to study issues related to locating a commercial space launch
range in close proximity to a Federal launch range.
In order to have viable commercial launch operations in the United
States, effective coordination and cooperation must exist between
potential commercial ranges and existing Federal ranges. Federal
agencies have to endeavor to assist and not choke off commercial space
ranges. The interagency committee will focus on these agencies and the
importance of this issue.
Let me say that for the last 50 years, space has been really a
bipolar world. Either you were a part of the former Soviet orbit and
space power, or you were part of the American-led free nations in space
power.
Today it is a very different world. I just recently came back from
the first ever global space summit in Beijing, China, where over 15
nations were represented, some six or seven major spacefaring powers.
It is not just people that have to come ask the United States to get
permission to get commercial opportunities in space today. There are
some 50 different international agreements, many of which don't even
involve the United States of America.
In some ways, our competitors are beating us to the punch in
commercial launch opportunities. It is not just bad for business. Let
me say, for example, the Chinese have launched over 33 satellites from
other countries. They are doing this to help countries we would
consider troublesome, for example, Venezuela or Nigeria. They are also
using it to buy influence with our friends, like Japan or Brazil.
America cannot shoot itself in the foot in developing and maintaining
our historic leadership in commercial opportunities any more than we
can give up predominance in the civilian side of human space
exploration.
And so this manager's amendment contains a very important aspect. I
sincerely applaud the chairman and others, including John Culberson,
for advocating for this specific piece of the manager's amendment.
Mr. GORDON of Tennessee. I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from
Colorado, the chairman of the subcommittee.
Mr. UDALL of Colorado. I thank the gentleman for yielding.
I rise in support of the manager's amendment. We have all worked
together to fashion a constructive amendment. And I believe it includes
a number of useful provisions that enhance the bill. Chairman Gordon
already described them. So I am not going to restate them. But I want
to note in particular that the workforce provisions included in the
amendment have been under consideration for some time. We wanted to
make sure however that we had the concurrence of all the stakeholders
before we added any of these provisions. That has been done. The
provisions will strengthen and protect the NASA workforce. I would ask
the Members to support this amendment. It is a good amendment. It
deserves the support of the body.
Mr. FEENEY. I am claiming time, without objection, for the minority
side. We have no further speakers and would urge support and adoption
of the manager's amendment.
I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. GORDON of Tennessee. Madam Chairman, I yield the remainder of my
time to my friend from Ohio (Mr. Kucinich).
The CHAIRMAN. The gentleman from Ohio is recognized for 1 minute.
Mr. KUCINICH. Madam Chairman, I rise in strong support of the
manager's amendment and the underlying bill that reauthorizes the
National Aeronautics and Space Administration. I want to thank the
chairman of the Federal Workforce Subcommittee for working with me on
three critical provisions that are included in this amendment. I also
want to thank the chairman of the Science and Technology Committee and
the Space and Aeronautics Subcommittee for putting together yet another
bill that protects NASA and for working with me on this amendment.
The most important provision in this amendment is an extension of the
ban on layoffs until at least 2011. Since announcing the ambitious
vision for space exploration, the administration underfunded NASA. But
Congress has consistently, and I might point out, in a bipartisan way,
rejected these destructive cuts and layoffs. I am particularly proud of
the way our own Ohio delegation has worked together on this.
Layoffs undermine not only workers' lives and the mission of the
agency but also the regional economy. According to the researchers at
Cleveland State University, NASA Glenn in Brook Park generated a demand
for products and services of $955 million and was responsible for over
6,000 jobs in northeast Ohio in 2006.
Over the last few years, NASA has hired nearly three-quarters of its
new science and engineering employees as short-term employees, thereby
denying them full Civil Service protections. The 10 percent cap on
short-term positions in this amendment will help NASA compete for the
best and brightest in the field.
The third provision would temporarily extend health care benefits for
employees in transition. The sudden loss of health care coverage is a
major factor currently discouraging employees from taking a buy-out.
The provision would be helpful in fostering a respectful workforce
transition plan during this time of change for NASA.
This amendment and the underlying bill keep NASA healthy by
supporting its employees. All across this country,

[[Page H5381]]

from one end of the country to the other, there are NASA employees who
are performing a valuable service, who are helping us to create the
jobs of the future and enabling America to fulfill its vision to keep
reaching.
Mr. OBERSTAR. Madam Chairman, I rise in support of the Manager's
Amendment to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration
Authorization Act of 2008 (NASA Reauthorization), offered by the
gentleman from Tennessee, Representative Bart Gordon, Chairman of the
Committee on Science and Technology. I commend Chairman Gordon for his
work on this important bill, which provides approximately $20 billion
in funding authorization for fiscal year 2009, including approximately
$853 million for aeronautical research, which is vital to commercial
aviation.
The Manager's Amendment includes two revisions to the base
authorization bill to reflect previous agreements between the
Transportation and Infrastructure Committee and the Science Committee
on provisions that were part of H.R. 2881, The FAA Reauthorization Act
of 2007, which passed the House on September 20, 2007. The Manager's
Amendment revises Section 305 of the bill, to require the Federal
Aviation Administration (FAA) Administrator, in coordination with NASA
and the United States Climate Change Science Program to establish a
research initiative to assess the impact of aviation on the climate and
to evaluate mitigation approaches. In addition, this section, as
amended, requires, within one year of the date of enactment, the
participating federal agencies to develop a plan for a research program
dedicated to aviation's impact on the climate.
The Manager's Amendment also amends Section 306 of the bill to
require the FAA, in consultation with other agencies, to establish a
research program on ways to improve the confidence in and timeliness of
certification of new technologies for introduction into the National
Airspace System. In addition, this section, as amended, requires the
FAA to develop a research plan, and to contract with the National
Research Council to conduct an independent review of the research
program plan, with a subsequent report to the committees of
jurisdiction, including the Committee on Transportation and
Infrastructure.
Madam Chairman, I support H.R. 6063, as amended by the Manager's
Amendment, and urge my colleagues to do so as well.
The CHAIRMAN. The question is on the amendment offered by the
gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. Gordon).
The amendment was agreed to.

Amendment No. 2 Offered by Mr. Feeney

The CHAIRMAN. It is now in order to consider amendment No. 2 printed
in House Report 110-707.
Mr. FEENEY. Madam Chairman, I have an amendment under the name of Mr.
Rohrabacher at the desk.
The CHAIRMAN. The Clerk will designate the amendment.
The text of the amendment is as follows:

Amendment No. 2 offered by Mr. Feeney:
In title VIII, add at the end the following new section
(and amend the table of contents accordingly):

SEC. 807. INTERNATIONAL RESOURCES.

It is the sense of Congress that, since an estimated 25,000
asteroids of concern have yet to be discovered and monitored,
the United States should seek to obtain commitments for
cooperation from other nations with significant resources for
contributing to a thorough and timely search for such objects
and an identification of their characteristics.

The CHAIRMAN. Pursuant to House Resolution 1257, the gentleman from
Florida (Mr. Feeney) and a Member opposed each will control 5 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Florida.

{time} 1615

Mr. FEENEY. Madam Chairman, on behalf of this amendment, as
Congressman Rohrabacher explained earlier, this amendment is a sense of
the Congress provision stating the U.S. should seek to obtain
commitments for cooperation from other nations in the search for near-
Earth objects.
Mr. Rohrabacher has been an ardent advocate in our committee for the
potential threat posed by asteroids and comets having orbits that bring
them close to Earth and the devastation they could create should one of
them impact us.
By the way, I have sat through hearings, along with Congressman Udall
and others, and we have incredibly sophisticated technology and
capabilities one day to protect Earth if we know we are going to be
targeted by an asteroid or comet, for example. In fact, the testimony
was that some 99 percent of the resources today globally to prepare for
this eventuality are American tax dollars. It seems seeking cooperation
on behalf of all humankind only makes sense.
Our committee held a highly informative set of hearings on near-Earth
objects late last fall. It is clear to me that the entire world
community needs to be much more vigilant in finding, tracking and
characterizing near-Earth objects and developing deflection
capabilities and technologies.
I urge support for this amendment.
Mr. GORDON of Tennessee. Will the gentleman yield?
Mr. FEENEY. I will be glad to.
Mr. GORDON of Tennessee. Let me just quickly add that our colleague
and friend to both of us, Mr. Rohrabacher, has long been an advocate
for the detection and monitoring of near-Earth objects. I don't know
that anybody has done any more on that. I certainly commend this
constructive amendment.
Mr. FEENEY. Reclaiming my time just to close on behalf of Mr.
Rohrabacher's amendment, he is a great advocate, but I felt more
comfortable after I heard from a bevy of the world's best
astrophysicists that this is not only a real threat, but a real
potential way to solve a threat to humankind.
With that, I would urge my colleagues to support the Rohrabacher
amendment.
Mr. ROHRABACHER. Madam Chairman, my amendment offered by Mr. Feeney
encourages NASA to seek increased international cooperation to find and
characterize all natural bodies in outer space over 140 meters in size
that pass close to the Earth, referred to as near-Earth objects.
Estimates of the total numbers of such objects vary from 25,000 to
100,000. This threat to the Earth is a worldwide matter of potentially
catastrophic proportions should a collision with Earth occur, and the
responsibility of dealing with it should not fall entirely on the
United States or NASA, in particular.
The motivation and timing for this amendment arises from discussions
with Russian and German government officials on furthering cooperation
with the U.S. in science and technology that occurred during a CODEL
that I attended over the Memorial Day recess.
The specific suggestion to cooperate in the effort to find and
characterize near-Earth objects was greeted with great enthusiasm by
the government officials with whom I met during the CODEL.
The initiative encouraged under my amendment is intended to provide
relief for the enormous burden being placed on NASA to find and
characterize the vast number of these objects estimated to exist. Many
countries around the world have very capable astronomical observatories
that can assist (and probably have to some extent).
In addition to telescopes, deep space radars play a critical role in
quickly authenticating any impending threats that may be indicated from
optical observations. Though the United States has the world's most
capable deep space radar, namely the Arecibo Radar, and also the
somewhat less capable Goldstone Radar, the Russian RT-70 Radar may be
able to provide some contributions as well. Furthermore, certain large
radio astronomy facilities around the world may be able to participate
by pairing with these powerful U.S. deep space radars.
Mr. FEENEY. I yield back the balance of my time.
The CHAIRMAN. Does any Member seek time in opposition?
If not, the question is on the amendment offered by the gentleman
from Florida (Mr. Feeney).
The amendment was agreed to.

Amendment No. 3 Offered by Mr. Wu

The CHAIRMAN. It is now in order to consider amendment No. 3 printed
in House Report 110-707.
Mr. WU. Madam Chairman, I offer an amendment.
The CHAIRMAN. The Clerk will designate the amendment.
The text of the amendment is as follows:

Amendment No. 3 offered by Mr. Wu:
In section 401, insert at the end the following: ``When
appropriate, the United States should lead confidence
building measures that advance the long-term initiative for
international cooperation.''.

The CHAIRMAN. Pursuant to House Resolution 1257, the gentleman from
Oregon (Mr. Wu) and a Member opposed each will control 5 minutes.

[[Page H5382]]

The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Oregon.
Mr. WU. Madam Chairman, I rise in support of my amendment to build
international trust and confidence in human space flight.
For decades, the United States and Russia were the only countries
that had viable human space programs. In recent years, a number of
countries have entered space or have expressed their intent to do so.
This amendment recognizes the new playing field in space and includes a
sense of Congress that the President of the United States should invite
other spacefaring nations and soon-to-be spacefaring nations to
participate in a long-term international initiative under our
leadership.
My amendment would add a sentence to this sense of Congress that the
United States should engage in confidence-building measures that
advance this long-term initiative. With more countries in space, we
need to ensure that space will not be used for hostile purposes.
I commend Chairman Udall for proposing a long-term international
initiative that will work toward that end. Confidence-building measures
will encourage short-term actions that advance the long-term initiative
for international cooperation in space. The United States and Russia
engaged in confidence-building measures when Apollo 18 and Soyuz 19
connected in space. My amendment encourages similar actions between the
United States and other members of the international space community.
Actions like these will encourage the peaceful exploration of space.
I urge adoption of the amendment.
I reserve the balance of my time.
The CHAIRMAN. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Florida.
Mr. FEENEY. Thank you, Madam Chairman.
I do not rise in opposition to the amendment. I should say I have no
objection to the amendment. I have read it very carefully, and I
appreciate the language ``when appropriate.'' Of course, it would be
the United States that determined, in my view, when international
confidence-building measures would be appropriate.
I should say there are times when, for example, sharing sensitive
technologies with certain countries may be inappropriate, if we don't
have confidence what they may use those technologies for or what their
long-term intentions are. On the other hand, there are things we ought
to clearly explore sharing with every spacefaring Nation; for example,
a common docking device with the Shuttle, perhaps, so any nation in the
event of emergency may be able to help rescue our astronauts.
I should also suggest, as I talked about earlier, that space is
developing. It is no longer a bipolar world. Historically, people have
out of habit and out of practicality had to rely on asking the U.S. if
they wanted to send a satellite, for example, into orbit, to see
whether or not that satellite would safely orbit the Earth without
colliding into another country's satellite. That is not true because of
any international treaty or convention. Anybody can send anything into
space. The truth is, in terms of space law, we have really sort of an
international anarchy, just as originally when we with had travel by
navy or by commerce through the seas and ultimately international air
travel.
There has to be some way to communicate ultimately in terms of
maintaining space traffic. Stopping the creation of space junk or
debris that would threaten all peacefaring uses of space would be
another example of appropriate times the U.S. should lead in
confidence-building measures to advance long-term initiatives for
international cooperation.
With that, again, I have no objection to the amendment.
I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. WU. Madam Chairman, I urge adoption of this amendment and yield
back the balance of my time.
The CHAIRMAN. The question is on the amendment offered by the
gentleman from Oregon (Mr. Wu).
The amendment was agreed to.

Amendment No. 4 Offered by Mr. Wu

The CHAIRMAN. It is now in order to consider amendment No. 4 printed
in House Report 110-707.
Mr. WU. Madam Chairman, I offer an amendment.
The CHAIRMAN. The Clerk will designate the amendment.
The text of the amendment is as follows:

Amendment No. 4 offered by Mr. Wu:
In title XI, add at the end the following new section (and
amend the table of contents accordingly):

SEC. 1109. SENSE OF CONGRESS.

It is the sense of Congress that NASA should not dilute,
distort, suppress, or impede scientific research or the
dissemination thereof.

The CHAIRMAN. Pursuant to House Resolution 1257, the gentleman from
Oregon (Mr. Wu) and a Member opposed each will control 5 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Oregon.
Mr. WU. Madam Chairman, I rise in strong support of scientific
integrity at NASA and everywhere else in this Federal Government.
Earlier this month, the Inspector General at NASA released a report
regarding allegations that NASA suppressed climate change science and
denied media access to a NASA scientist. As recent news reports have
documented, this report came from the revelation in 2006 that an
administration official had intervened in communications between
climate change scientists and the press for political purposes.
The report acknowledged that from the fall of 2004 through early
2006, the NASA Public Affairs Office managed the topic of climate
science ``in a manner that reduced, marginalized, or mischaracterized
climate change science made available to the general public through
those particular media over which the Office of Public Affairs had
control.''
The report also found that these actions were inconsistent with
NASA's mandate and purpose to allow ``the widest practical and
appropriate dissemination of information concerning NASA's activities
and results.''
My amendment expresses the sense of Congress to reiterate the
original intent of NASA's responsibilities. We are at a singular moment
in time when climate change constitutes the challenge of our
generation. Let us not fail. Let us base climate change information on
science, not ideology.
This amendment is about far more than climate change. I believe
scientific integrity should be held as a value throughout NASA and
throughout our government. The safety of astronauts who are sent to
space is dependent on sound science. We should not compromise
scientific integrity for political gain or private profit. We should
not compromise it in any situation. My amendment sends a message that
Congress rebuffs the attempts of those who would marginalize science
for the sake of ideology or politics.
I urge my colleagues to support this amendment.
I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. FEENEY. Madam Chairman, I rise in order to address the amendment,
to claim the minority time.
The CHAIRMAN. Is the gentleman opposed to the amendment?
Mr. FEENEY. For purposes of debate, I may well be opposed, yes.
The CHAIRMAN. The gentleman from Florida is recognized for 5 minutes.
Mr. FEENEY. Madam Chairman, I have carefully read the amendment, and
while I may not press my objection, I will state that the amendment, in
my view, is unnecessary, that NASA has a policy in place that goes to
the very same points expressed in the amendment, and perhaps
unintentionally this amendment implies that NASA cannot be trusted to
factually in an unbiased manner publicize research results conducted by
agency scientists.
Several years ago, NASA's Public Affairs Office was accused with
inappropriately choosing which NASA scientists participated in specific
interviews with the press. Once this interference was brought to NASA
Administrator Michael Griffin's attention, he quickly and forcefully
intervened, assuring Congress, NASA researchers and employees, and the
public that NASA will never seek to censor agency scientists.
In a letter dated March 30, 2006, and this issue has been addressed
over and over again, addressed to former Science Committee Chairman
Sherry Boehlert, Mr. Griffin stated, ``I will not tolerate any policy
or action where any NASA employee may filter, alter or

[[Page H5383]]

censor scientific findings and facts, and I want to reaffirm that NASA
has always been and will continue to be committed to open scientific
and technical inquiry and dialogue with the public.''
Mr. Griffin then formed a policy development team comprised of NASA
employees with science, legal and public affairs backgrounds to review
existing policies, identify ways to improve them, and develop agency
practices to maintain NASA's commitment for full and open discourse on
scientific, technical and safety issues. The result of their work was a
series of revisions to 14 Code of Federal Regulations, section 1213,
which guides the agency's public affairs policies, which all Americans
can visit.
Mr. Griffin then formed a policy development team comprised of NASA
employees with science, legal and public affairs backgrounds to review
existing policies, identify ways to improve them, and develop agency
practices to maintain NASA's commitment for full and open discourse on
scientific, technical and safety issues. The results of their work was
a series of revisions to 14 CFR (Code of Federal Regulations), Section
1213, which guides the agency's public affairs policies.
More recently, the NASA Office of Inspector General concluded an
investigation in response to a Congressional inquiry dating back to
2006, requesting a formal investigation about ``political
interference'' by NASA public affairs officials.
The IG's investigation found that ``. . . during the fall of 2004
through early 2006, the NASA Headquarters Office of Public Affairs
managed the topic of climate change in a manner that reduced,
marginalized, or mischaracterized climate change science made available
to the general public through those particular media over which the
Office of Public Affairs had control. We also concluded that the
climate change editorial decisions were localized within the NASA
Headquarters Office of Public Affairs; we found no credible evidence
suggesting that senior NASA or Administration officials directed the
NASA Headquarters Office of Public Affairs to minimize information
related to climate change. To the contrary, we found that once NASA
leadership within the Office of the Administrator were made aware of
the scope of the conflict between the Office of Public Affairs and
scientists working on climate change, they aggressively implemented new
policies with a view toward improved processes in editorial decision-
making relating to scientific public affairs matters.''
The IG's report also stated: ``With respect to NASA's climate change
research activities, we found no evidence indicating that NASA blocked
or interfered with the actual research activities of its climate change
scientists . . . (W)e found that NASA systematically distributed its
technical climate change research throughout the scientific community
and otherwise made it available through a variety of specialized
forums, such as scientific journals, professional conferences, and
public appearances by NASA scientists.''
Additionally, a May 2007 GAO report found ``that NASA policies are
generally clear and should help facilitate the dissemination of
research results. For example, NASA's recently revised media policy
clearly defines the roles and responsibilities for managers,
researchers, and public affairs staff; details steps in the process for
dissemination via press releases and interviews; and describes a
process to resolve disputes about agency decisions regarding press
releases.''
In closing, while I have no objection to the gentleman's (Mr. Wu)
amendment, I don't want Members to surmise that NASA science findings
are being manipulated by agency management. That is not what the NASA
IG, or GAO reports found.
Madam Chairman, I don't specifically object to the language of this
amendment, because I think it is consistent with NASA policy and
Michael Griffin's great efforts to explain to the public that he will
insist and has insisted on this policy. But I will remind all of us
that a May 2007 GAO report found ``NASA policies are generally clear
and should help facilitate the dissemination of research results. For
example, NASA's recently revised media policy clearly defines the roles
and responsibilities for managers, researchers, and public affairs
staff, details steps in the process for dissemination of press releases
and interviews, and describes a process to resolve disputes about
agency decisions regarding press releases.''
In closing, while I do not object to Mr. Wu's amendment, I don't want
Members to surmise that NASA science findings are being manipulated by
current agency management. That is not what NASA, IG, or GAO reports
found.
Again, we have no objection to the language that Mr. Wu offers.
Madam Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. WU. Madam Chairman, I yield 2 minutes to the chairman of the
Space Subcommittee, the gentleman from Colorado (Mr. Udall).
Mr. UDALL of Colorado. I thank the gentleman from Oregon for yielding
and thank him for his leadership on the committee.
I rise in support of this amendment on scientific integrity and
openness at NASA. I want to commend the gentleman from Oregon for his
action that we stay vigilant on this matter.
A few years ago, concerns were raised about political interference in
the discussion of scientific research and results by NASA scientists.
These concerns about scientific openness were and are serious, and we
need to ensure that all measures are in place to prevent such
interference.
It is true that the NASA Administrator, Dr. Griffin, took swift
action in response to the reports of political interference and NASA
revised the agency policy on the release of information of news and
media, and I want to commend Dr. Griffin on his clear commitment to
scientific openness. That said, we need to continue, Madam Chairman,
our oversight on scientific integrity to ensure that Americans continue
to have confidence in the important scientific research results that
NASA provides to all of us and to our Nation.
So I again want to thank the gentleman from Oregon for his
initiative, and I urge my colleagues to support it.

{time} 1630

Mr. WU. Madam Chairman, I would like to submit a letter from
Francesca T. Grifo, Senior Scientist and Director, Scientific Integrity
Program, Union of Concerned Scientists into the Congressional Record.

Union of Concerned Scientists,

June 11, 2008.
Hon. David Wu,
Rayburn House Office Building,
Washington, DC.
Dear Representative Wu: The Scientific Integrity Program of
the Union of Concerned Scientists supports your amendment to
H.R. 6063, the NASA Authorization Act. This amendment will
make clear that Congress intends that scientific research
developed at NASA be free of political interference, and that
NASA scientists are able to disseminate their findings
without fear of retaliation.
We know that the problem of political interference in
federal science is a widespread and serious one. Indeed, of
the nearly 3,400 federal scientists across nine agencies who
have responded to questionnaires by the Union of Concerned
Scientists, more than 1,100 scientists report that they fear
retaliation for openly expressing concerns about their
agency's mission-driven work.
Your amendment will send a signal to this Administration
and future Administrations that this state of affairs cannot
and should not continue.
Sincerely,

Francesca T. Grifo,

Senior Scientist and Director,
Scientific Integrity Program.

I think that we need to be concerned about scientific integrity at
NASA always, and we also need to be concerned about scientific
integrity at other agencies, whether it's the EPA or the FDA,
throughout the Federal Government. We intend to work on those agencies
across the spectrum to ensure that ideology does not overtake sound
science as this government moves forward towards research and the
development of sound policy.
Madam Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.
The CHAIRMAN. The question is on the amendment offered by the
gentleman from Oregon (Mr. Wu).
The amendment was agreed to.

Amendment No. 5 Offered by Mr. Lampson

The CHAIRMAN. It is now in order to consider amendment No. 5 printed
in House Report 110-707.
Mr. LAMPSON. Madam Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk.
The CHAIRMAN. The Clerk will designate the amendment.
The text of the amendment is as follows:

[[Page H5384]]

Amendment No. 5 offered by Mr. Lampson:
In title XI, add at the end the following new section (and
amend the table of contents accordingly):

SEC. 1109. EXCEPTION TO ALTERNATIVE FUEL PROCUREMENT
REQUIREMENT.

Section 526(a) of the Energy Independence and Security Act
of 2007 (42 U.S.C. 17142(a)) does not prohibit NASA from
entering into a contract to purchase a generally available
fuel that is not an alternative or synthetic fuel or
predominantly produced from a nonconventional petroleum
source, if--
(1) the contract does not specifically require the
contractor to provide an alternative or synthetic fuel or
fuel from a nonconventional petroleum source;
(2) the purpose of the contract is not to obtain an
alternative or synthetic fuel or fuel from a nonconventional
petroleum source; and
(3) the contract does not provide incentives for a refinery
upgrade or expansion to allow a refinery to use or increase
its use of fuel from a nonconventional petroleum source.

The CHAIRMAN. Pursuant to House Resolution 1257, the gentleman from
Texas (Mr. Lampson) and a Member opposed each will control 5 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Texas.
Mr. LAMPSON. Madam Chairman, I yield myself such time as I might
consume.
Today I rise in support of my amendment to the National Aeronautics
and Space Administration Authorization Act of 2008. This amendment
would clarify section 526 of the Energy Independence and Security Act,
which addresses the procurement of fuels by a Federal agency. This
amendment seeks to provide guidance for implementation of the provision
by establishing conditions by which NASA would be allowed to enter into
a contract to purchase a generally available fuel, so long as it is not
predominantly an alternative or synthetic fuel.
Because section 526 doesn't define alternative or synthetic fuel or
nonconventional petroleum sources, many stakeholders, including
refiners in southeast Texas, believe that section 526 could have
unintended consequences, preventing refiners from mixing fuel received
from nonconventional sources such as oil sands with conventionally
derived oil.
Oil sands account for about 5 percent of the total U.S. oil supply,
and it's common practice to mix it with fuel that is derived from other
sources. It's very difficult for an end user and consumer to determine
whether a fuel contains petroleum from oil sands or other
nonconventional sources.
With half of Canadian crude produced from these sources, this could
have an adverse effect on the relationship that we enjoy with our
largest supplier of oil. Additionally, most diesel fuel is mixed with
some biodiesel, which could also mean that its procurement could be
prohibited under this section. While the intention of this language may
not have been to prohibit the purchase of fuel, the small amounts from
tar sands or oil shale, section 526 is written so broadly, with no
definition provided, that it could be interpreted either way. That's
why a clarification is needed.
I know that our colleague, Congressman Gingrey, made a proposal the
other day in committee. I viewed the proposal that we have come up with
here as a compromise to that suggestion.
Adoption of this amendment will allow NASA to contract for generally
available fuels, as it always, has as long as the fuel is not
predominantly comprised of petroleum from nonconventional sources such
as Canadian oil sands with a greenhouse gas footprint that is higher
than conventional oils and fuels. This allows some wiggle room and
recognizes the complexities of the refining process while supporting
the original intent of not extending or exceeding current emission
levels.
Finally, I would like to note that when the House passed the FY09
defense authorization act last month, a similar amendment was approved
by this committee and accepted by voice vote on the floor. While that
amendment had a government-wide application, this seeks to clarify
section 526 in order to allow NASA to meet present and future energy
needs.
Madam Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. GINGREY. Madam Chairman, I rise to claim time in opposition to
the amendment.
The CHAIRMAN. The gentleman from Georgia is recognized for 5 minutes.
Mr. GINGREY. Madam Chairman, I have a number of concerns with the
amendment offered by my friend and colleague, the gentleman from Texas,
my colleague on the Science Committee.
Unfortunately, I do not believe that this amendment does anything to
alleviate the Draconian problems presented to us by section 526 of the
Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007.
Even if this amendment passes, Americans will still not be able to
increase the supply of fuels from alternative sources derived from
resources available in the United States. Oil shale, with its estimated
1.5 trillion barrels of petroleum in rock, would remain trapped there
in our southwestern States, I think five States have a lot of this oil
shale that's there for the taking. We, furthermore, will not be able to
use clean carbon captured coal-to-liquid fuel.
So the amendment intends to create an exception under section 526 for
generally available fuel not predominantly produced from a
nonconventional petroleum source, and NASA, under the amendment, will
still be able to purchase Canadian fuels that do have traces of oil
sands, as the gentleman says, that may create more of a carbon
footprint than completely conventional fuel. And this is what basically
section 526 is. As the gentleman explained, he is trying to allow an
exception so that this fuel that we purchase from Canada, a lot of
people think most of our foreign sources of fuel are from OPEC or
Venezuela, but actually, Madam Chairman, they are from Canada. Some of
this fuel does have the tar sands footprint in it.
The gentleman, and I have no objection to that, is saying let us
continue to purchase this fuel and not be restricted by 526. Yet my
opposition is this, the agency won't be able to utilize any of the
sources of fuel that may be totally derived from resources we have
readily available in the good-old USA, clean domestic alternatives,
coal, natural gas, biomass and, as I mentioned, oil shale that is
estimated to have 1.5 trillion barrels of petroleum that can be
extracted from that in our own country.
At committee markup, Science Committee and at the Rules Committee, I
offered amendments that would have removed the handcuffs placed on the
NASA administrator by section 526. I would have been happy to work with
my good friend from Texas to protect his amendment so that
implementation of it would have, indeed, a positive effect for NASA.
Unfortunately, I just don't think the amendment does much of anything.
I fear that the amendment does nothing to rectify, as I said, the
underlying problem with 526 that prevents the Federal Government, any
agency of the Federal Government, not just NASA, but also the
Department of Defense, which utilizes something like 380,000 barrels of
refined petroleum products every day, every day, and the increased cost
to the Department of Defense is $9 billion. Just the increase in the
year 2008, the increased fuel cost to NASA over the last 5 years has
been 400 percent. It has gone from $4.5 million a year to $18.3 million
a year.
Our efforts should be focused on easing the pain felt by American
taxpayers, not codifying this misguided policy, 526, that prevents us
from future innovation. Again, the gentleman's amendment, in my
opinion, does no harm, but it does very little good.
I felt compelled to stand and express my opposition--not strong
opposition to the amendment--but rather to make this point that we need
to allow the administrator of NASA to have a waiver, at least have a
waiver if, in his knowledge of innovation and what they are doing in
trying to develop alternative fuels that are available in this country,
he would not be bound by the crazy restrictions put on him and other
agencies by section 526 of this so-called Energy Independence and
Security Act of 2007 passed 17 months ago. Since that time the price of
a gallon of regular gasoline has gone up by $1.70, up to over $4.05 a
gallon.
I respectfully oppose the gentleman's amendment.
The CHAIRMAN. The time of the gentleman from Georgia has expired.
Mr. LAMPSON. I yield myself 1 minute, Madam Chairman.
I agree with much of what Mr. Gingrey has said. I want to point out

[[Page H5385]]

that the intent of the law, as passed, the Energy Independence and
Security Act, specifies that the lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions,
which are higher, oftentimes, in these oil sales, is what was intended
to be prohibited.
If we were using, or NASA were purchasing all of their fuel for their
operation, then it would not fall within the bounds of this act. But
NASA can purchase generally available fuels that may include a blend of
fuel from oil sands refined in existing commercial processes. The
purpose of the contract can't be to obtain fuels from nonconventional
petroleum sources or otherwise promote the expansion of nonconventional
fuels with high life-cycle carbon emissions. We believe that the
refiners within my district that are making many of the fuels that are
actually being purchased by NASA will use some of these nonconventional
sources of energy.
As it's blended, it can still be used by NASA so that there is some
benefit to them.
Mr. FEENEY. Would the gentleman yield for a question?
Mr. LAMPSON. I would yield for a few seconds, yes.
Mr. FEENEY. I don't know whether, candidly, I support or oppose the
amendment, because it has some very technical effects in its interplay
with other portions of Federal statutes and requirements and
regulation.
Just one of the many questions I have would be that it seems, as I
read the amendment, that it establishes different conditions on
contracting fuel versus those established in section 526. So I guess
one of my questions, maybe the most important, since we don't have a
lot of time, do the conditions in your amendment supplant the
greenhouse gas emission criteria found in 526, or do they remain in
effect, and are these conditions in addition to the 526 regulations?
Mr. LAMPSON. They remain in effect, but this just clarifies what the
intent of the legislation was and is. It's going to allow blends of
those fuels to be used by NASA until we can do the research that shows
that emissions are going to be reduced below the amount of emissions
from traditional fuels.
Mr. FEENEY. If the gentleman will yield.
Mr. LAMPSON. Am I within my 1 minute, Madam Chairman? Have I used up
my minute yet, and how much time do I have left before I say that I
will yield?
The CHAIRMAN. The gentleman is recognized for just 1 minute. The
gentleman has 1 minute remaining.
Mr. LAMPSON. Would you use your time, please?
Mr. FEENEY. If I have any. I don't know that we have any more time.
Could I ask unanimous consent that each side have an additional 2
minutes?
The CHAIRMAN. Is there objection to the request of the gentleman from
Florida?
There was no objection.
Mr. LAMPSON. I yield to the gentleman.
Mr. FEENEY. Actually if I could suggest, rather than taking up your 2
minutes, I would be grateful if you yielded, but I will yield back to
you and claim my own 2 minutes so that you can use yours since you were
gracious enough not to object.
Mr. LAMPSON. Then I will reserve my time and let the gentleman
proceed.
The CHAIRMAN. The Chair would like to clarify that it is the
gentleman from Georgia who has the 2 minutes.
Mr. GINGREY. Madam Chairman, thank you very much.
I very graciously at this time will yield to the subcommittee ranking
member of the NASA Subcommittee of Science and Technology, my good
friend from Florida (Mr. Feeney).

{time} 1645

Mr. FEENEY. I thank the gentleman.
This amendment may be very positive. The problem is that it conflicts
with other statutes and regulations. It is very complicated as we read
it.
What my friend says is a clarifying amendment actually creates a lot
more ambiguity in our minds about the interplay of these different
standards.
I talked about the interplay with 526, and I still don't know which
set of rules will govern, the set of rules in the gentleman's amendment
or section 526.
We also seem to cite a section of the Energy Independence and
Security Act, 42 U.S.C. 17142. There is currently no section 526(a) nor
a 42 U.S.C. 17142(a) in the law, and yet I believe the gentleman's
amendment cites these sections, as I read it, that do not exist in
current law.
I have a concern about the amendment's intention. Do you want to
create an exemption under 526 for generally available fuel that is not
predominantly produced from a nonconventional petroleum source, or does
it create a broader exemption for all alternative or synthetic fuels as
referenced in section 526?
So I guess I have a number of very complex questions. I wish this is
something we might have dealt with in committee where we have a number
of experts, both members and staff. While I don't know that I object,
it is because I just don't understand all of the different regulations
and statutes and the interplay, and this seems to be one more
additional attempt at dealing with whether NASA can or can't do things,
and I really have no idea whether this is in addition to, or whether it
is consistent with, or whether it may be mutually exclusive with
provisions in other portions of the law, and I wish we could spend some
time with technical staff to iron out these difficulties.
With that, having expressed concern and not necessarily opposing the
amendment because I don't really understand all of the ways it will be
enforced given other statutes and regulations.
Mr. GORDON of Tennessee. Would the gentleman yield?
Mr. FEENEY. I would be happy to yield to the chairman.
Mr. GORDON of Tennessee. Let me just suggest that this is one more
process in getting a law enacted. The Senate will pass a bill, and we
will go to conference. I am sure Mr. Lampson can answer very well here,
but this can be a continuing dialogue as we move forward.
Mr. FEENEY. We appreciate that. Having said that, on a technical
issue like this, it sure would have been great to take a more technical
look at this at the subcommittee or committee level. Having said that,
I appreciate the chairman's gracious offer to help clarify for those of
us who think more ambiguity, not less, is being created by this
amendment, and what the ultimate impact will be.
Mr. LAMPSON. Madam Chairman, I yield 1 minute to Chairman Udall.
Mr. UDALL of Colorado. Madam Chairman, I am pleased to support this
amendment.
This amendment is similar to the Boren amendment offered to the
defense authorization package recently. That amendment passed with a
voice vote on the floor.
This amendment as well seeks to clarify requirements of section 526
of the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 to allow NASA to
procure conventional fuels that contain incidental amounts of
unconventional fuels.
Section 526, Madam Chairman, is important because it establishes a
positive benchmark for future alternative fuels, that their lifecycle
greenhouse gas emissions be less than or equal to those emissions from
conventional fuels.
The amendment clarifies section 526 while retaining the standard it
sets for greenhouse gas emissions.
I want to thank the Member from Texas for bringing this important
amendment and urge all Members to support the amendment.
Mr. LAMPSON. Madam Chairman, I just recognize in closing that this is
not a complicated piece of legislation. It is one that does not stop
these fuels from being produced or the research and development on
these types of sources of energy. It allows NASA to continue to
purchase the kinds of fuels without restrictions and without putting
themselves into the jeopardy that is asked for within section 526. So
it is a simple amendment that was voice voted in the defense
authorization, and we believe it should be here as well as the bill
came out of committee.
Madam Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.
The CHAIRMAN. The question is on the amendment offered by the
gentleman from Texas (Mr. Lampson).
The question was taken; and the Chairman announced that the ayes
appeared to have it.
Mr. LAMPSON. Madam Chairman, I demand a recorded vote.

[[Page H5386]]

The CHAIRMAN. Pursuant to clause 6 of rule XVIII, further proceedings
on the amendment offered by the gentleman from Texas will be postponed.

Amendment No. 6 Offered by Mr. Arcuri

The CHAIRMAN. It is now in order to consider amendment No. 6 printed
in House Report 110-707.
Mr. ARCURI. Madam Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk.
The CHAIRMAN. The Clerk will designate the amendment.
The text of the amendment is as follows:

Amendment No. 6 offered by Mr. Arcuri:
In section 407(a), add at the end the following: ``As part
of the technology plan, the Administrator shall examine the
feasibility of having NASA enter into contracts with
appropriate public, private sector, and international
partners to broadcast electronically, including via the
Internet, images and multimedia records delivered from its
missions in space to the public and shall identify issues
associated with such contracts. In any such contracts, NASA
would be required to adhere to a transparent bidding process
to award contracts, pursuant to United States law.''.

The CHAIRMAN. Pursuant to House Resolution 1257, the gentleman from
New York (Mr. Arcuri) and a Member opposed each will control 5 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from New York.
Mr. ARCURI. Madam Chair, NASA's accomplishments over the years have
led to some of the greatest advances in human history. These scientific
discoveries have led to everything from prolonging the average life
span to improving the overall quality of life. NASA's research and
exploration has also helped to unlock some of the greatest mysteries in
the universe. The problem, however, is that too often the American
public doesn't have an opportunity to fully experience NASA's
accomplishments. It is when these accomplishments are transferred from
the Federal sector to the private sector and the general public that
the true benefits of what has been achieved can be realized.
Clearly, we don't have the ability or the financial means to shuttle
every American into space, but we can do a better job of bringing the
space experience into televisions, computers, and classrooms around the
world.
The House Science and Technology Committee, under the leadership of
Chairman Gordon and Ranking Member Hall and Chairman Udall, recognize
that point. The underlying bill includes language directing the NASA
administrator to develop a technology plan that will allow the general
public to experience missions to the Moon, Mars and other destinations
in our solar system.
My amendment aims to take this effort and expand it in a way that
leverages existing technology underway at our universities and high-
tech businesses.
Specifically, my amendment tasks NASA to examine the feasibility of
entering into contracts with appropriate public-private sector and
international partners to share images and video of space missions with
the public. The amendment promotes good government by requiring NASA to
engage in a transparent bidding process when awarding contracts as it
sees fit.
This new chapter in scientific discovery presents a valuable
opportunity to engage public and private sectors in advancing NASA's
mission for the 21st century. My upstate New York district is fast
becoming a science and technology hub. We have an opening here to work
together with colleges and universities, private research facilities,
and small and large high-tech businesses to provide NASA with the tools
it needs to better educate the public about space.
I would like to highlight that this amendment is intended to provide
NASA with an additional resource to meet its goals. This measure would
authorize NASA to conduct its own feasibility study to determine if and
how it can best use the talents of our independent innovators to
support its new international exploration initiative. This requirement
would grant NASA the flexibility it needs to create a plan that best
fits the ideas of its new program.
This amendment would also require all NASA contract decisions to be
awarded following a fair and transparent bidding process.
This amendment has the backing of the State University of New York,
the New York State section of the American Physical Society, the
American Association of Geographers and the Information Technology
Association of America. I respectfully urge all of my colleagues to
support this amendment and support the contributions that our public
and private universities and businesses make to scientific and
technological progress in this country.
I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. FEENEY. Madam Chairman, I rise, at least for purposes of debate,
to be recognized in opposition.
The CHAIRMAN. The gentleman from Florida is recognized for 5 minutes.
Mr. FEENEY. I appreciate the gentleman's amendment. I think it is
very well-intentioned. I do not intend to object to the language. I do
believe it is designed to help NASA distribute its space images and
multimedia records to the public. I share that goal; but I should say
that I think this amendment is superfluous. I think it is already
contained in the bill language itself. Now superfluity is not
necessarily an awful thing. Sometimes the best thing we do here is just
to repeat what we have already done, and it probably does very little
harm.
But I would point out that section 407 clearly instructs NASA to
develop a plan, to identify opportunities to leverage the very same
technologies Mr. Arcuri references in his amendment.
The gentleman's amendment seeks NASA to develop a plan and examine
the feasibility to ``broadcast electronically, including via the
Internet.'' The language in the bill talks about already ``rapidly
delivering the content through extended high bandwidth communications
networks.''
So I think Mr. Arcuri's concerns are already adequately addressed in
the bill. I would simply argue that they are unnecessary. Having said
that, I would not object to them being included.
I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. ARCURI. I thank the gentleman for his comments. I would just
point out what this amendment does is it attempts to get the private
sector more engaged by promoting within NASA the push to transfer not
from the public sector, not to just have this go from the public sector
to the universities, but from the public sector to the private sector,
to get the private sector more engaged and more involved in
distributing the information. So that is slightly different than what I
think the bill has because we do attempt to get the private sector more
engaged. After all, that is probably the best way, by using the market
system, to get the information out.
Madam Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. FEENEY. Madam Chairman, I appreciate and I don't dispute the
intentions that the gentleman has. I agree with that, and I believe
that the current language in the bill requires NASA to rapidly deliver
this content that you are talking about through high bandwidth
communications networks, and I think that includes universities in the
private sector, et cetera.
Having said that, because the intent of the language clearly is not
something I object to, I will not oppose the amendment.
Madam Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.
The CHAIRMAN. The question is on the amendment offered by the
gentleman from New York (Mr. Arcuri).
The amendment was agreed to.

Amendment No. 7 Offered by Mr. Wu

The CHAIRMAN. It is now in order to consider amendment No. 7 printed
in House Report 110-707.
Mr. WU. Madam Chairman, I rise on behalf of my friend and colleague,
Mr. DeFazio of Oregon, who has an amendment at the desk.
The CHAIRMAN. The Clerk will designate the amendment.
The text of the amendment is as follows:

Amendment No. 7 offered by Mr. Wu:
In title IV, add at the end the following new section (and
amend the table of contents accordingly):

SEC. 409. CONGRESSIONAL BUDGET OFFICE REPORT UPDATE.

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, including new estimates
for Project Constellation, NASA's new generation of
spacecraft designed for human spaceflight that will replace
the Space Shuttle program.

[[Page H5387]]

The CHAIRMAN. Pursuant to House Resolution 1257, the gentleman from
Oregon (Mr. Wu) and a Member opposed each will control 5 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Oregon.
Mr. WU. Again, on behalf of my good friend and colleague, Mr.
DeFazio, I am presenting this amendment.
When the President announced his new vision for the Nation's space
exploration program on January 14, 2004, he proposed a new human
exploration vehicle to return to the Moon by 2020 and to leverage these
lunar efforts to send a human mission to Mars.
After Mr. Bush unveiled his plan in 2004, a congressional
subcommittee requested that the Congressional Budget Office perform a
budgetary analysis of NASA's New Vision For Space Exploration, as this
program was titled. The report was released in September of 2004 and
concluded that NASA's long-term projections only included a 2 percent
increase for inflation.
NASA's budget has undergone radical changes since the President's
vision was announced in 2004. NASA's budget requests for aeronautics
has been reduced by over $200 million. NASA's budget requests for
science programs, including climate research, have been reduced by over
$300 million. In stark contrast during the same period, overall funding
requests for NASA have increased by over $2 billion.
Since the President first proposed his new ``vision for space
exploration,'' we have spent more than $600 billion in Iraq, over $120
billion on Hurricane Katrina, and the Federal deficit has grown by over
$2.4 trillion.
Mr. DeFazio's amendment will direct the Congressional Budget Office
to update its 2004 budgetary analysis of the President's plan. This
makes fiscal sense. It will give us a more complete picture of the
budgetary hurdles the project will face and a more accurate assessment
of its long-term costs.

{time} 1700

Congress needs to continue to analyze the project as it moves forward
and be mindful of its effect on other important NASA programs. If
anyone claims that they believe that the report will be duplicative of
previous GAO reports, the fact is that GAO hasn't done a true cost
estimate of the program, but, rather, done risk assessments of the
program. Budget and cost estimate analysis is something that the
Congressional Budget Office usually handles, not the Government
Accountability Office.
The GAO has done some high level budget analysis, but CBO will be
able to give a much more detailed report. On Mr. DeFazio's behalf, I
urge adoption of his amendment, and reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. FEENEY. Madam Chairman, I rise to claim the time in opposition,
although I am not necessarily in opposition to the amendment.
The CHAIRMAN. Without objection, the gentleman from Florida is
recognized for 5 minutes.
There was no objection.
Mr. FEENEY. I think all of us want to know the cost of every
government project. That certainly includes Constellation.
As Mr. Wu pointed out, on behalf of Mr. DeFazio, the GAO just gave us
a very comprehensive report. We had a full hearing on the matter of the
progress of the Constellation program.
I can tell you that there are some 56 annual reports that NASA has to
give to Congress, and dozens of others that it has to give to other
agencies, regulatory agencies and other governmental agencies. This is
not a request that NASA add to their 100 or 150 reports an additional
report. It's asking CBO to take an outside look. And I'm never opposed
to transparency in government, especially cost.
I should point out that the amendment singles out Project
Constellation for particular scrutiny. Project Constellation is our
follow up to the Space Shuttle Human Space Flight Program which is
clearly a top priority for NASA, and has been established in this
Congress as a top priority.
The shuttle will be retired roughly at the end of this decade.
Without Constellation, NASA will have no choice but to buy assets from
other nations if we intend to maintain access to our own international
space station.
We're going to be dependent on the Russians right now under a very
bad plan, but the only plan we have for 5 years. Without Constellation,
all hopes of accessing, through American capabilities, the
international space station or venturing the moon or other planets or
asteroids will simply disappear.
Not all of our colleagues pay as much attention as those of us that
are on the floor here today to space. I think one of our colleagues
recently suggested that the first manned lunar outpost in space be
named after Neil Armstrong, the great first American ever on the Moon.
My question, in response, was why would the Chinese, who are going to
get back to the Moon before us, give us permission to name their lunar
outpost after an American? We've got to remind our colleagues that this
is now an internationally competitive environment in more ways than
one.
Constellation is a technology-driven program that will achieve its
initial operational capability roughly in the Year 2015, hopefully
earlier. NASA has worked hard to maintain their schedule. They give us
reports every day. We had a GAO report.
Having said that, if the gentleman feels compelled to support the
DeFazio amendment, and we have one additional report on the budgetary
status, I don't have any objection to transparency in government. But
at some point you're doing so many reports that it's hard to send
people back to the moon if you're doing 150 or 200 reports for Congress
and other agencies and spending all your time filling out paperwork.
These are really bright engineers. I want to get into the business of
flying rockets and not doing more paperwork.
With that, I would yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. WU. Well, I certainly hope that Americans return to the Moon
before anyone else.
I would point out to my friend and colleague from Florida, that we
have named a number of things after Columbus, and well, he wasn't
exactly an American. So, you know, you never know how far the
generosity of spirit will go.
My good friend and colleague from Oregon (Mr. DeFazio) has, with his
usual vigor, many reasons why a Congressional Budget Office report is
appropriate under these circumstances. I have not delivered some of
those more pointed arguments, and join with the gentleman from Florida
to urge adoption of this amendment for both purposes of fiscal prudence
and in the interest of our space program in which we have such a strong
common interest.
I yield back the balance of my time.
The CHAIRMAN. The question is on the amendment offered by the
gentleman from Oregon (Mr. Wu).
The amendment was agreed to.

Amendment No. 8 Offered by Ms. Harman

The CHAIRMAN. It is now in order to consider amendment No. 8 printed
in House Report 110-707.
Ms. HARMAN. Madam Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk which you
have just identified, and I rise in support of the amendment.
The CHAIRMAN. The Clerk will designate the amendment.
The text of the amendment is as follows:

Amendment No. 8 offered by Ms. Harman:
In title XI, add at the end the following new section (and
amend the table of contents accordingly):

SEC. 1109. SENSE OF CONGRESS REGARDING THE NEED FOR A ROBUST
WORKFORCE.

It is the sense of Congress that--
(1) a robust and highly skilled workforce is critical to
the success of NASA's programs;
(2) voluntary attrition, the retirement of many senior
workers, and difficulties in recruiting could leave NASA
without access to the intellectual capital necessary to
compete with its global competitors; and
(3) NASA should work cooperatively with other agencies of
the United States Government responsible for programs related
to space and the aerospace industry to develop and implement
policies, including those with an emphasis on improving
science, technology, engineering, and mathematics education
at all levels, to sustain and expand the diverse workforce
available to NASA.

The CHAIRMAN. Pursuant to House Resolution 1257, the gentlewoman from
California (Ms. Harman) and a Member opposed each will control 5
minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from California.
Ms. HARMAN. Madam Chairman, I rise in support of the Harman-Ehlers
amendment and the underlying authorizing legislation.
Madam Chairman, I represent the heart of the aerospace industrial
base,

[[Page H5388]]

and have long called my district the ``satellite center of the
universe.''
I have always been mindful of the need for a skilled and diverse
industrial base. Simply put, rocket scientists don't grow on trees.
Earlier this year, on a visit to a major aerospace firm in my
district there was a stark reminder of the crisis facing that industry.
Following a briefing on an important satellite program, I asked if any
the employees in attendance had anything else to tell me. A 31-year old
engineer raised his hand and said, ``all my peers are gone.'' Engineers
his age, he explained, are leaving the aerospace industry for other
fields, and very few are interested in taking their place.
The problem is twofold. More than 60 percent of the aerospace
industry workers are over 45, and 26 percent of them are eligible for
retirement in 2008. And, as a Nation, we have failed to inspire our
kids, particularly girls, to go into STEM fields, science, technology,
engineering and math.
There just isn't a pool of qualified workers for NASA and others to
draw from. The result is a looming demographic cliff that leaves NASA
and the industry without the intellectual capital necessary to keep
pace with global competitors.
But the problem extends beyond NASA. The United States depends on
this industrial base to give us the capabilities on the ground, in the
air and in space that are essential to the way we wage war, collect
intelligence and protect our homeland. This looming workforce shortfall
could cripple not only NASA's ability to reach its goals, it could deal
a serious blow to our national and our economic security.
The Harman-Ehlers amendment expresses the sense of Congress that a
skilled workforce is essential to NASA's success, and that NASA should
work cooperatively with other government agencies to sustain and expand
a diverse workforce.
Madam Chairman, almost 50 years ago President Kennedy inspired a
whole generation of Americans. American talent and ingenuity put a
person on the moon in a decade. We need that kind of ambitious goal to
inspire the next generation to be scientists, engineers and astronauts.
If we fail to dream big, to ask our kids to imagine a future beyond
our humble planet, they will pursue other fields. There will be no one
to invent the technologies and programs on which NASA's success and our
national security depend. That future, Madam Chairman, is unacceptable.
I urge an ``aye'' vote for the Harman-Ehlers amendment, and would
like to thank my coauthor, Vern Ehlers, a senior member of the Science
Committee, who did seminal work in this field, is a true leader in this
field, and a valued partner.
I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. FEENEY. Madam Chairman, I rise to claim the time in opposition,
although I am not necessarily in opposition to the amendment.
The CHAIRMAN. Without objection, the gentleman from Florida is
recognized for 5 minutes.
There was no objection.
Mr. FEENEY. Madam Chairman, not only am I not in opposition, but I
wholeheartedly and enthusiastically endorse the Harman-Ehlers
amendment. And I should point out as she mentions the trouble in
getting new people into the workforce and an aging and retiring
workforce. By the way, one of those young engineers that works in the
space field is my wife, and she remains eternally young. But she's the
exception.
I've talked extensively about the competition, both civilian and
commercial, coming from China. I can tell you that I recently visited
CASC, which is the Chinese Civilian and Commercial Space Agency. They
have 160,000 employees. About half of those are dedicated to space. And
we asked the question, what the average age, because we were startled
by the engineering manager that addressed us on their program, what the
average age of the managers were in the Engineering Department. The
average age of the managers was 40. We were stunned.
We asked, what's the average age of your engineers that are doing
space work. And the answer is 30.
Madam Chairman, nothing could be more important to science and
technology.
And with that, I want to yield the balance of my time, to, as the
gentlelady said, a great advocate for science and space and technology,
and for young people getting into these fields, Mr. Ehlers.
Mr. EHLERS. As has been stated, this is a labor of love for me for
many years. But a few years ago I began noticing or realizing that we
were approaching a major inflection point that we should be worried
about.
As you heard from the principal author of this amendment, that it was
in the 1960s that John Kennedy asked for us to go to the moon, proposed
this advanced and wild notion, and that inspired a whole generation of
Americans to become involved in aerospace.
Those individuals are now retiring. And because we hired so many in
NASA at one time, they are all retiring at about the same time, which
is going to leave us bereft of talent if we don't take action.
Because of this, 2 years I introduced a bill which was passed which
established an interagency aerospace revitalization task force within
the Federal Government. I would have liked to have it be more broad,
but I couldn't persuade my colleagues to make that giant leap at that
point.
But since then that task force which involves, I believe, 17
different Government agencies has worked together. The 2008 report of
the Interagency Aerospace Revitalization Task Force was released
earlier this year. I spoke at the release. And I was astounded at the
number of people in the room. It was a local hotel. The room was
overflowing with people concerned about aerospace employment and how we
keep the aerospace effort going.
This amendment is intended to reinforce what we've talked about for
the past 2 years, but it does something very important. As I mentioned,
my bill simply addressed the interagency governmental work. But we also
have to involve universities. We have to get students excited about
aerospace again, and that's what this amendment will do. It will
require that NASA reaches out beyond Government agencies, beyond its
own boundaries and work with everyone possible to improve STEM
education in America, get the young people of today excited about the
opportunities in science, particularly in space.
So I thank the gentlewoman from California for initiating this
amendment. I believe it's going to be very, very important to the
future of NASA and for the future of our country, because if we don't
get our kids back into math and science education, we are going to
become a second-rate Nation.
Twenty years ago the nation of China and the nation of India both
decided that their economic futures lay in developing highly skilled
workers who understood mathematics and science. It worked, and they
have gone ahead with leaps and bounds, while our students are still
mired where they were 20 years ago.
At all levels, from kindergarten on up, we have it take note of that
and we have to do a much better job of teaching our children
mathematics and science, not just for the sake of NASA, although that's
very important, but for the sake of our Nation if we wish to remain
competitive with other countries.
I will reserve the balance of my time.
Ms. HARMAN. I am prepared to yield the balance of my time. I'm
inquiring whether I'm the last speaker or Mr. Ehlers is the last
speaker.
The CHAIRMAN. The gentlewoman has 2\1/2\ minutes.
Mr. EHLERS. I will be pleased to yield back the balance of my time.
Ms. HARMAN. Madam Chairman, in closing the debate on this amendment,
I would just observe that during my first two terms in Congress, in the
last century, I served on the Science Committee. It's a great
committee. And I commend the current chairman, Mr. Gordon, for enormous
leadership. He is fast and swift, and on his game. And this is probably
the most important work we will do for our children and grandchildren.
And as a grandmother of three, I want one of those children, like Mr.
Feeney's wife, to want to be an aerospace worker.

{time} 1715

I hope that one of them chooses that occupation. I hope it's there
for them.
This amendment, the Harman-Ehlers amendment, is our effort to keep
this

[[Page H5389]]

potential alive, to make sure that our best and brightest kids want to
do this work, and then that hopefully our dreams remain big and putting
a person on the moon is just a first step to surveying the heavens in
ways we can't even imagine.
So on behalf of dreamers, on behalf of an extraordinary industrial
base, much of it in California's 36th Congressional District, and on
behalf of three little grandchildren whom I love dearly, I urge an
``aye'' vote for the Harman-Ehlers amendment.
I yield back the balance of my time.
The CHAIRMAN. The question is on the amendment offered by the
gentlewoman from California (Ms. Harman).
The amendment was agreed to.

Amendment No. 9 Offered by Mr. Gordon of Tennessee

The CHAIRMAN. It is now in order to consider amendment No. 9 printed
in House Report 110-707.
Mr. GORDON of Tennessee. Madam Chairman, I rise to offer an amendment
on behalf of the gentleman from Iowa (Mr. Braley) who was required to
return to his district.
The CHAIRMAN. The Clerk will designate the amendment.
The text of the amendment is as follows:

Amendment No. 9 offered by Mr. Gordon of Tennessee:
In title II, add at the end the following new section (and
amend the table of contents accordingly):

SEC. 208. TORNADOES.

The Administrator shall ensure that NASA gives high
priority to those parts of its existing cooperative
activities with NOAA that are related to the study of
tornadoes, tornado-force winds, and other factors determined
to influence the development of tornadoes, with the goal of
improving the Nation's ability to predict tornado events.
Further, the Administrator shall examine whether there are
additional cooperative activities with NOAA that should be
undertaken in the area of tornado research.

The CHAIRMAN. Pursuant to House Resolution 1257, the gentleman from
Tennessee (Mr. Gordon) and a Member opposed each will control 5
minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Tennessee.
Mr. GORDON of Tennessee. Madam Chairman, I also support this
amendment, and I want to thank the gentleman from Iowa for his
attention to the important issue of tornado research.
Tornadoes and tornado-force winds present serious hazards to life and
property in the United States. We've already had ample and tragic
evidence in recent days of the devastation that can be wreaked by these
terrible storms. We need to do all that we can to improve our
understanding of tornadoes and learn how to better predict them.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has the lead
responsibilities for addressing tornado-prediction issues. However,
NASA has existing cooperative activities with NOAA that may contribute
to greater progress in this effort. NASA's existing cooperative
activities with NOAA on facilitating research and data sharing are
important to improving our understanding of tornadoes. I agree with Mr.
Braley that the work that NOAA and NASA are doing related to tornadoes
needs to be given a high priority.
That is the objective of this amendment. It is just common sense that
we ensure that any relevant work that NASA and NOAA are collaborating
on is given the attention and priority it needs to improve our Nation's
ability to predict tornado events.
I thank the gentleman from Iowa for his initiative for this
amendment, and I urge my colleagues to support it.
I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. FEENEY. Madam Chairman, I rise to claim the time in opposition,
although I'm not necessarily opposed.
The CHAIRMAN. Without objection, the gentleman from Florida is
recognized for 5 minutes.
There was no objection.
Mr. FEENEY. This really is an amendment that we're enthusiastic
about. NASA currently conducts weather research in cooperation with
NOAA, although through the U.S. Weather Research Program, the
gentleman's amendment emphasizes the importance of this research as we
cope with predicting and dealing with the aftermath of violent weather
systems.
It's a terrific amendment, and with that, I would urge its support.
I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. GORDON of Tennessee. Madam Chairman, I yield such time as he may
consume to the chairman of the Subcommittee on Space and Aeronautics,
the gentleman from Colorado (Mr. Udall).
Mr. UDALL of Colorado. Madam Chairman, I strongly support this
amendment.
Tornadoes cause an average of 54 fatalities and 1,500 injuries in the
United States each year. Just last month in my home State of Colorado,
tornadoes devastated the town of Windsor in Colorado destroying more
than 100 homes and causing one death. Predicting tornado intensity and
location is critical to protecting lives and property, and we must do
all we can to improve our knowledge in this important area.
I'm proud to say that the research at NOAA's Earth System Research
Laboratory in my district, the Second District in Colorado, contributes
to this better understanding and improved forecasts of tornadoes. This
amendment will further involve NASA scientists and data in this
important process.
I would urge Members to support this amendment just like the chairman
did.
Mr. LATHAM. Madam Chairman, I rise today in support of Congressman
Braley's amendment and to express my deepest sympathies to all my
fellow Iowans affected by the tornados that recently tore through Iowa.
It is my hope the intense grief felt by those suffering from the sudden
loss of a loved one will be lifted, even for a moment, by the prayers
of hope from strangers.
For those of us who have the privilege of living in America's
heartland, severe weather is nothing new. Tornados are a seasonal
reality we all live with. But, when disaster strikes and takes the
lives of our friends and neighbors--we are never prepared to witness
the power of Mother Nature and the tragedies she can leave in her wake.
Through the tears and sense of disbelief, Iowans again have pulled
together to help friends, family and strangers in need. Over the years,
I have had the misfortune of viewing many communities damaged by
storms. Earlier this week I toured the flood ravaged parts of my
district. The scenes painted by wind and water are heartbreaking, but
it never ceases to amaze me how quickly Iowans show their true mettle
by bringing hope and strength to their towns.
I know for many Members of Congress, tornados rarely, if ever, affect
your communities. When you see the astonishing videos of storms and the
aftermath, I ask that you take a moment and think about our first
responders and the people who find themselves in need. We must take
every step possible to prevent and prepare for disasters like the State
of Iowa has experienced in recent weeks. This amendment will go a long
way towards that important goal.
Our thoughts and prayers are with Iowa and I urge my colleagues to
support this amendment.
Mr. BRALEY of Iowa. Madam Chairman, I am in strong support of my
amendment that will help improve our ability to forecast deadly
tornadoes. I regret my absence today to speak and vote in favor of this
amendment. However, I have had to return to Iowa due to major flooding
in my district. I would like to thank Chairman Gordon for offering this
amendment today in my absence.
In the last three weeks, 12 people have lost their lives in Iowa due
to tornadoes. On May 25, parts of my district in northeastern Iowa were
hit by an EF-5 tornado with winds of up to 205 miles per hour. Eight
people died, and over 70 people were injured due to this tornado, which
was the strongest to hit Iowa in 32 years. Just yesterday, a tornado
ripped through a Boy Scout camp in Harrison County killing 4 Boy Scouts
and injuring 48 people. My thoughts and prayers go out to the Boy
Scouts, their family members, friends and all those affected by this
devastating tornado in western Iowa. I hope that all of those injured
in the western Iowa tornado make a speedy recovery so that they can
continue on with their lives.
It is clear that the destruction caused by this tornado would have
resulted in more injuries and lives lost had it not been for the
warning sirens that went off before the tornado hit. Those warning
sirens gave most people the time needed to evacuate and take shelter.
However, this warning was, unfortunately, not enough to ensure the
safety of every person in the path of these deadly storms.
I'm offering this amendment today to ensure that NASA is actively
pursuing research opportunities to accurately predict and forecast
tornadoes. My amendment would require NASA to cooperatively work with
the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration, NOAA, on tornado
research. NOAA is actively involved in tornado research at its Storm
Prediction Center in Norman, Oklahoma, and coordination between these
agencies could

[[Page H5390]]

prove very beneficial. At the Prediction Center, NOAA is studying ways
to improve the prediction and location of tornadoes.

I believe that NASA has a lot of valuable technology and input to
offer on the study of tornadoes. However, it seems that NASA has done
very little work with NOAA on this important life saving research. My
amendment will give NASA and NOAA the opportunity to find ways to work
cooperatively on tornado research which will help us accurately predict
these deadly storms.
My amendment would also require NASA to make any existing
cooperatives with NOAA on tornado research a high priority. In the
past, NASA has proven that they have a lot to offer with tornado
research. Their past work with NOAA on the Tropical Rainfall Measuring
Mission satellite has shown us that sudden increases in lightning in
strong super-cell thunderstorms can increase the chances of a tornado
touchdown. NASA must commit more resources to this program and other
programs dealing with tornado research. Committing more resources to
already existing programs will help us accurately forecast tornado
touchdown locations.
I urge the House to adopt this amendment to give NASA a better
opportunity to offer its technology and expertise in the area of
tornado research, and to improve and provide additional resources to
its already existing tornado research programs.
Mr. GORDON of Tennessee. Madam Chairman, I yield back the balance of
my time.
The CHAIRMAN. The question is on the amendment offered by the
gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. Gordon).
The amendment was agreed to.
The CHAIRMAN. The Committee will rise informally.
The Speaker pro tempore (Mr. Yarmuth) assumed the chair.

____________________