HR3070JUL22

TheWeekInCongress.com

Week Ending July 22, 2005

H.R.3070 to reauthorize the human space flight, aeronautics, and science programs of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, and for other purposes.

BRIEF

The bill would set NASA spending for 2006 and defines NASA’s mission to carry out programs including human space flight, aeronautic research and development and scientific research.

America would return to the moon by 2010 after launching the Space Shuttle replacement, the Crew Exploration Vehicle before 2010. No Space Shuttle launches are permitted after December 31, 2010.

Setting sights on Mars as the next destination for astronauts, NASA will be studying the impact of long duration space travel.

The NASA administrator is required to develop space policy into 2020 and study the viability of contracting the operation of any of NASA’s centers to the private sector. He is also required to produce a plan for space communications and low Earth orbit and deep space exploration and a Joint Dark Energy Mission.

Limitations on spending for the International Space Station would be repealed as would be the authority to launch a mission on a foreign launch vehicle unless it is part of the Space Transportation Policy of President Bush (December 21, 2004).

After recent fiddling with an actual asteroid in space the Administrator is directed to implement a Near-Earth object survey to detect, track, catalogue and characterize the physical characteristics of near-Earth asteroids or comets equal to or greater than 100 meters in diameter so to asses their threat to Earth.

Sponsor: Representative Ken Calvert (R-CA-44^th)

Vote: Passed House 383 to 14 (RC 415) (July 22, 2005) Republicans voting 'Yea' 207, voting 'Nay' 2/Democrats voting 'Yea' 176, voting 'Nay' 11. Independent voted 'Nay'. 37 not voting.

Cost to the taxpayers: $16,471,050,000 for 2006; $16,962,000,000 for 2007.

MORE INFORMATION

BACKGROUND AND NEED FOR THE LEGISLATION (From the Committee Report)

“NASA is at a pivotal point in its history, particularly with regard to the future of its human space flight program. For several years, the human space flight program has lacked a clear vision and concrete set of long-term goals. The tragic demise of the Space Shuttle Columbia on February 1, 2003 served as a catalyst for a thorough review of the agency's long-term goals for human space flight. This review resulted in a major policy announcement by the President on January 14, 2004 in which he proposed to send American astronauts back to the Moon and on to Mars, as well as to other destinations.

“The Congress, as a whole, has yet to fully debate the merits of the proposed policy and the balance it must strike with other key agency missions, such as aeronautics, space science, and earth science. Clearly, such a significant proposal requires close examination by the Congress. H.R. 3070 provides the legislative vehicle to examine and debate the future of NASA and to set the policies and plans at this pivotal time.

Since 2002, NASA has been operating without an authorization. The last NASA authorization bill that was enacted into law was on October 30, 2000 as Public Law 106-391, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration Act of 2000. That Act authorized funding for NASA through fiscal year 2002.”

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