§70904 — Title 51 National and Commercial Space Programs | U.S. Code

Summary

Establishes a U.S. goal to grow and broaden how the International Space Station is used and who benefits from it. The NASA Administrator must make sure the ISS is put together and run so it meets international partner agreements while the shuttle can safely let the United States do that. The station must support a variety of microgravity research (including fundamental, applied, and commercial work) and be able to hold at least six crew members unless, within 60 days after December 30, 2005, the Administrator sends 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 explaining why not and what funding or steps would be needed. The ISS must accept docking by the Crew Exploration Vehicle and automated docking of cargo or modules launched on heavy-lift or commercial rockets. It must support human diagnostic work and experiments that cannot be returned to Earth, and be run at an appropriate level of risk. The Administrator must also make sure enough on-orbit supplies, surge delivery, or prepositioned spares are available if the shuttle or follow-on crew and cargo systems are unavailable. Before changing the assembly sequence that was in effect on December 30, 2005, the Administrator must send a plan to the two committees above showing how these logistics needs will be met.

Title 51, §70904

National and Commercial Space Programs — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)It is the policy of the United States to achieve diverse and growing utilization of, and benefits from, the International Space Station.

(b)The Administrator shall ensure that the International Space Station will—

(1)be assembled and operated in a manner that fulfills international partner agreements, as long as the Administrator determines that the shuttle can safely enable the United States to do so;

(2)be used for a diverse range of microgravity research, including fundamental, applied, and commercial research, consistent with section 40904 of this title;

(3)have an ability to support a crew size of at least 6 persons, unless the Administrator transmits 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 60 days after December 30, 2005, a report explaining why such a requirement should not be met, the impact of not meeting the requirement on the International Space Station research agenda and operations and international partner agreements, and what additional funding or other steps would be required to have an ability to support a crew size of at least 6 persons;

(4)support Crew Exploration Vehicle docking and automated docking of cargo vehicles or modules launched by either heavy-lift or commercially-developed launch vehicles;

(5)support any diagnostic human research, on-orbit characterization of molecular crystal growth, cellular research, and other research that the Administration believes is necessary to conduct, but for which the Administration lacks the capacity to return the materials that need to be analyzed to Earth; and

(6)be operated at an appropriate risk level.

(c)(1)The Administrator shall ensure that the International Space Station can have available, if needed, sufficient logistics and on-orbit capabilities to support any potential period during which the space shuttle or its follow-on crew and cargo systems are unavailable, and can have available, if needed, sufficient surge delivery capability or prepositioning of spares and other supplies needed to accommodate any such hiatus.

(2)Before making any change in the International Space Station assembly sequence in effect on December 30, 2005, 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 a plan to carry out the policy described in paragraph (1).

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Historical and Revision Notes

Revised SectionSource (U.S. Code)Source (Statutes at Large) 7090442 U.S.C. 16765.Pub. L. 109–155, title V, § 505, Dec. 30, 2005, 119 Stat. 2929. In subsections (b)(3) and (c)(2), the words “Committee on Science and Technology” are substituted for “Committee on Science” on authority of Rule X(1)(o) of the Rules of the House of Representatives, adopted by House Resolution No. 6 (110th Congress, January 5, 2007). In subsections (b)(3) and (c)(2), the date “December 30, 2005” is substituted for “the date of enactment of this Act” to reflect the date of enactment of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration Authorization Act of 2005 (Public Law 109–155, 119 Stat. 2895). In subsection (c)(2) the words “Not later than 60 days after the date of enactment of this Act [December 30, 2005], and” are omitted as obsolete.

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Change of Name

Committee on Science and Technology of House of Representatives changed to Committee on Science, Space, and Technology of House of Representatives by House Resolution No. 5, One Hundred Twelfth Congress, Jan. 5, 2011.

§70904 International Space Station completion