§30902 Charles “pete” Conrad Astronomy Awards

Summary

Creates the Charles “Pete” Conrad Astronomy Awards Program. The Administrator must set up the Program and give awards based on recommendations from the Minor Planet Center. Each year there can be two awards (one per category) unless no one is eligible that year. Each award is $3,000. Only U.S. citizens or permanent residents at the time of the discovery or contribution can win. The Administrator’s award decisions are final. Key terms (short): amateur astronomer — someone not paid by their employer for observing asteroids and not a professional astronomer; Minor Planet Center — the Minor Planet Center of the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory; near-Earth asteroid — an asteroid with perihelion less than 1.3 Astronomical Units; Program — the Charles “Pete” Conrad Astronomy Awards Program.