§18404 National Space Technology Policy

Summary

The President, or someone the President picks, must create a national policy to guide U.S. space technology work through 2020. The policy must set national technology goals and spell out what each federal agency will do. It must use outside studies about U.S. technology. For NASA, the policy must list priority research areas, explain how priorities will be chosen for future years, say what facilities and staff are needed, and state the budget assumptions — and for fiscal years 2011, 2012, and 2013 those assumptions must be the authorized level for NASA’s technology program in this chapter. The policy must rest on the idea that the federal government should support R&D to keep the United States a world leader in space technologies. In making the policy, the President must consider whether NASA should focus on long‑term high‑risk work or smaller steps and how that affects the economy, how much to meet military versus commercial needs, how to coordinate with other agencies, and how to divide work among NASA, universities, and industry and the effect on the worker supply. The President must consult widely with experts and agencies, and NASA may work with the National Academy of Sciences. Not later than 1 year after October 11, 2010, the President must send the policy report to the relevant congressional committees. Within 60 days after that, the NASA Administrator must tell those committees how NASA will carry out the policy.