42 U.S.C. § 18382 — Suborbital research activities
submitted 16 years ago by Pub. L. 111-267 to r/title-42-THE-PUBLIC-HEALTH-AND-WELFARE · 321 words · no verdicts yet
NASA must build a formal Suborbital Research Program using rockets, balloons, and aircraft to train future scientists and engineers. A designated NASA official will manage it and involve students and researchers. NASA must report each year on how many missions flew and how many students took part.
(a) In general. A National Academy of Sciences report found that suborbital science missions are absolutely critical for building an aerospace workforce ready to handle current and future human and robotic space exploration.
(b) Management. The Administrator* must name an officer or employee of the Science Mission Directorate to be in charge of all suborbital research there. That person must build short- and long-term strategic plans for keeping, renewing, and expanding suborbital facilities and abilities, track progress on those plans, and integrate suborbital activities and workforce development across the agency — so their combined value to the directorate, NASA*, and the nation gets recognized long-term.
(c) Establishment of Suborbital Research Program. The Administrator must set up a Suborbital Research Program in the Science Mission Directorate. It must use sounding rockets, aircraft, high-altitude balloons, suborbital reusable launch vehicles, and commercial launch vehicles, both to advance science and to train the next generation of scientists and engineers in systems engineering and integration — skills the aerospace workforce needs. The program must combine existing suborbital research with orbital missions, as the designated official decides, and it must emphasize including undergraduate and graduate students and postdoctoral researchers when announcing opportunities.
(d) Report. The Administrator must report every year to Congress's appropriate committees on how many suborbital missions flew that fiscal year, what type they were, and how many undergraduate and graduate students took part.
(e) Authorization. Congress authorizes the Administrator to spend whatever money is needed to carry out this section.
The report of the National Academy of Sciences, Revitalizing NASA’s Suborbital Program: Advancing Science, Driving Innovation and Developing Workforce, found that suborbital science missions were absolutely critical to building an aerospace workforce capable of meeting the needs of current and future human and robotic space exploration.
The Administrator* shall designate an officer or employee of the Science Mission Directorate to act as the responsible official for all Suborbital Research in the Science Mission Directorate. The designee shall be responsible for the development of short- and long term strategic plans for maintaining, renewing and extending suborbital facilities and capabilities, monitoring progress towards goals in the plans, and be responsible for integration of suborbital activities and workforce development within the agency, thereby ensuring the long term recognition of their combined value to the directorate, to NASA*, and to the Nation.
The Administrator shall establish a Suborbital Research Program within the Science Mission Directorate that shall include the use of sounding rockets, aircraft, high altitude balloons, suborbital reusable launch vehicles, and commercial launch vehicles to advance science and train the next generation of scientists and engineers in systems engineering and systems integration which are vital to maintaining critical skills in the aerospace workforce. The program shall integrate existing suborbital research programs with orbital missions at the discretion of the designated officer or employee and shall emphasize the participation of undergraduate and graduate students and post-doctoral researchers when formulating announcements of opportunity.
The Administrator shall report to the appropriate committees of Congress* on the number and type of suborbital missions conducted in each fiscal year and the number of undergraduate and graduate students participating in the missions. The report shall be made annually for each fiscal year under this section.
There are authorized to be appropriated to the Administrator such sums as may be necessary to carry out this section.
Source credit: (Pub. L. 111–267, title VIII, § 802, Oct. 11, 2010, 124 Stat. 2832.)
- 2010Enacted · Pub. L. 111-267 · 124 Stat. 2832
A history note hasn’t been published yet. The record shows enactment by Pub. L. 111-267 on 2010-10-11.
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