§70904 International Space Station Completion

Summary

Requires NASA to make the International Space Station more widely used and to give growing benefits. NASA must build and run the station so it meets international partner agreements when the space shuttle can safely let the United States do so. The station must support a wide range of microgravity research (including fundamental, applied, and commercial work) consistent with section 40904. It must be able to hold at least 6 crew members unless, within 60 days after December 30, 2005, NASA 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, how that would affect research and partner agreements, and what extra funding or steps would fix it. The station must allow docking by the Crew Exploration Vehicle and automatic docking of cargo or modules from heavy-lift or commercial rockets, support on-orbit human, molecular crystal, cellular, and other research that cannot be returned to Earth, and be run at an appropriate risk level. NASA must also keep enough on-orbit capabilities and supplies to cover any period when the shuttle or its follow-on crew and cargo systems are unavailable. It must have surge delivery ability or prepositioned spares as needed. Before changing the assembly sequence that was in effect on December 30, 2005, NASA must send those two committees a plan showing how it will meet this logistics policy.