[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 5250 Introduced in House (IH)]
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117th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 5250
To extend the commitment of the United States to the International
Space Station, to develop advanced space suits, and to authorize a
stepping stone approach to exploration, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
September 14, 2021
Ms. Garcia of Texas introduced the following bill; which was referred
to the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To extend the commitment of the United States to the International
Space Station, to develop advanced space suits, and to authorize a
stepping stone approach to exploration, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Advancing Human Spaceflight Act of
2021''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
Congress makes the following findings:
(1) The Apollo 11 landing on July 20, 1969, marked the
first steps of a human being on the surface of another world,
representing a giant leap for all humanity and a significant
demonstration of the spaceflight capabilities of the United
States.
(2) Section 202(a) of the National Aeronautics and Space
Administration Authorization Act of 2010 (42 U.S.C. 18312(a))
establishes for the National Aeronautics and Space
Administration the long-term goals of expanding human presence
in space and establishing a thriving space economy in low-Earth
orbit and beyond.
(3) The 2017 National Security Strategy designates the
human exploration of the solar system as a strategic priority
for the United States.
(4) Establishing and ensuring the sustainability of human
space exploration of the solar system, as called for in the
Space Policy Directive-1 entitled ``Reinvigorating America's
Human Space Exploration Program'' (82 Fed. Reg. 239 (December
11, 2017)) and the National Space Exploration Campaign Report
of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration issued in
September 2018, will require carrying out human exploration and
related extravehicular activities on the surface of other
celestial bodies in a safe and cost-effective manner.
(5) The Johnson Space Center has decades of experience
working with international partners, other Federal agencies,
and partners in industry and academia to study, develop, and
carry out the human spaceflight priorities of the United
States.
SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS.
In this Act:
(1) Administration.--The term ``Administration'' means the
National Aeronautics and Space Administration.
(2) Administrator.--The term ``Administrator'' means the
Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space
Administration.
(3) Johnson space center.--The term ``Johnson Space
Center'' means the Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center in Houston,
Texas.
(4) NASA.--The term ``NASA'' means the National Aeronautics
and Space Administration.
SEC. 4. SENSE OF CONGRESS.
It is the sense of Congress that the United States should support
efforts to establish a long-term human settlement in space.
SEC. 5. STATEMENT OF POLICY ON PERMANENT ESTABLISHMENT OF HUMAN
PRESENCE CAPABILITY IN LOW-EARTH ORBIT.
It is the policy of the United States--
(1) to continuously maintain the capability for a
continuous human presence in low-Earth orbit through and beyond
the useful life of the International Space Station; and
(2) that such capability shall--
(A) maintain the global leadership of the United
States and relationships with partners and allies;
(B) contribute to the general welfare of the United
States; and
(C) leverage commercial capabilities to promote
affordability so as not to preclude a robust portfolio
of other human space exploration activities.
SEC. 6. INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION.
(a) Continuation of International Space Station.--Section 501(a) of
the National Aeronautics and Space Administration Authorization Act of
2010 (42 U.S.C. 18351(a)) is amended by striking ``2024'' and inserting
``2030''.
(b) Continued Operations and Maintenance of United States Segment
of International Space Station.--Section 503(a) of the National
Aeronautics and Space Administration Authorization Act of 2010 (42
U.S.C. 18353(a)) is amended by striking ``2024'' and inserting
``2030''.
(c) Research Capacity Allocation and Integration of Research
Payloads.--Section 504(d) of the National Aeronautics and Space
Administration Authorization Act of 2010 (42 U.S.C. 18354(d)) is
amended--
(1) in paragraph (1), in the first sentence, by striking
``2024'' and inserting ``2030''; and
(2) in paragraph (2), in the third sentence, by striking
``2024'' and inserting ``2030''.
(d) Maintaining Use Through at Least 2030.--Section 70907 of title
51, United States Code, is amended--
(1) in the section heading, by striking ``2024'' and
inserting ``2030'';
(2) in subsection (a), by striking ``2024'' and inserting
``2030''; and
(3) in subsection (b)(3), by striking ``2024'' and
inserting ``2030''.
(e) Transition Strategy.--
(1) In general.--Not later than 300 days after the date of
the enactment of this Act, the Administrator shall submit to
the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the
Senate and the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology of
the House of Representatives a strategy that--
(A) describes the manner in which the
Administration will ensure a stepwise transition to an
eventual successor platform consistent with the ISS
Transition Principles specified in the International
Space Station Transition Report issued pursuant to
section 50111(c)(2) of title 51, United States Code, on
March 30, 2018;
(B) includes capability-driven milestones and
timelines leading to such a transition;
(C) takes into account the importance of
maintaining workforce expertise, core capabilities, and
continuity at the centers of the Administration,
including such centers that are primarily focused on
human spaceflight;
(D) considers how any transition described in
subparagraph (A) affects international and commercial
partnerships;
(E) presents opportunities for future engagement
with--
(i) international partners;
(ii) countries with growing spaceflight
capabilities, if such engagement is not
precluded by other provisions of law;
(iii) the scientific community, including
the microgravity research community;
(iv) the private sector; and
(v) other United States Government users;
and
(F) promotes the continued economic development of
low-Earth orbit.
(2) Implementation plan.--The strategy required by
paragraph (1) shall include an implementation plan describing
the manner in which the Administration plans to carry out such
strategy.
(3) Report.--Not less frequently than biennially, the
Administrator shall submit to the Committee on Commerce,
Science, and Transportation of the Senate and the Committee on
Science, Space, and Technology of the House of Representatives
a report on the implementation of the strategy required by
paragraph (1).
SEC. 7. ADVANCED SPACE SUITS.
(a) Findings.--Congress makes the following findings:
(1) Space suits and associated extravehicular activity
technologies (in this section referred to as ``EVA
technologies'') are critical space exploration technologies.
(2) The civil service workforce of the Administration at
the Johnson Space Center has unique capabilities to integrate,
design, and validate space suits and associated EVA
technologies.
(3) Maintaining a strong core competency in the design,
development, manufacture, and operation of space suits and
related technologies allows the Administration to be an
informed purchaser of competitively awarded commercial space
suits and associated EVA technologies.
(4) The Administration should fully use the International
Space Station by 2025 to test future space suits and associated
EVA technologies to reduce risk and improve safety.
(b) Space Suits.--
(1) In general.--The Administrator shall establish a
program to develop next-generation space suits and associated
EVA technologies.
(2) Support for program.--The Director of the Johnson Space
Center shall support the program established under paragraph
(1).
(3) Accommodation of diverse astronaut corps.--The
Administrator shall ensure that space suits developed and
manufactured after the date of the enactment of this Act
accommodate a wide range of sizes of astronauts so as to meet
the needs of the diverse NASA astronaut corps.
(4) Agreements with private entities.--In carrying out this
subsection, the Administrator may--
(A) enter into 1 or more agreements with 1 or more
industry-proven space suit design, development, and
manufacturing suppliers; and
(B) leverage--
(i) prior and existing investments in
advanced space suit technologies; and
(ii) existing capabilities at NASA centers.
SEC. 8. HUMAN SPACE FACILITIES IN AND BEYOND LOW-EARTH ORBIT.
(a) Human Space Facility Defined.--In this section, the term
``human space facility'' means a structure for use in or beyond low-
Earth orbit that supports, or has the potential to support, human life.
(b) Sense of Congress.--It is the sense of Congress that human
space facilities play a significant role in the long-term pursuit by
the Administration of the exploration goals under section 202(a) of the
National Aeronautics and Space Administration Authorization Act of 2010
(42 U.S.C. 18312(a)).
(c) Report on Crewed and Uncrewed Human Space Facilities.--
(1) In general.--Not later than 180 days after the date of
the enactment of this Act, the Administrator shall submit to
the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the
Senate and the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology of
the House of Representatives a report on the potential
development of 1 or more human space facilities.
(2) Contents.--With respect to the potential development of
each human space facility referred to in paragraph (1), the
report required under such paragraph shall include a
description of the following:
(A) The capacity of the human space facility to
advance, enable, or complement human exploration of the
solar system, including human exploration of the
atmosphere and the surface of celestial bodies.
(B) The role of the human space facility as a
staging, logistics, and operations hub in exploration
architecture.
(C) The capacity of the human space facility to
support the research, development, testing, validation,
operation, and launch of space exploration systems and
technologies.
(D) Opportunities and strategies for commercial
operation or public-private partnerships with respect
to the human space facility that protect taxpayer
interests and foster competition.
(E) The role of the human space facility in
encouraging further crewed and uncrewed exploration
investments.
(F) The manner in which the development and
maintenance of the International Space Station would
reduce the cost of, and time necessary for, the
development of the human space facility.
(d) Cislunar Space Exploration Activities.--The Administrator shall
establish an outpost in orbit around the Moon that--
(1) demonstrates technologies, systems, and operational
concepts directly applicable to the space vehicle that will be
used to transport humans to Mars;
(2) has the capability for periodic human habitation; and
(3) can function as a point of departure, return, or
staging for Administration or nongovernmental or international
partner missions to multiple locations on the lunar surface or
other destinations.
SEC. 9. STEPPING STONE APPROACH TO EXPLORATION.
(a) In General.--Section 70504 of title 51, United States Code, is
amended to read as follows:
``Sec. 70504. Stepping stone approach to exploration
``(a) In General.--The Administrator, in sustainable steps, may
conduct missions to intermediate destinations, such as the Moon, in
accordance with section 20302(b), and on a timetable determined by the
availability of funding, in order to achieve the objective of human
exploration of Mars specified in section 202(b)(5) of the National
Aeronautics and Space Administration Authorization Act of 2010 (42
U.S.C. 18312(b)(5)), if the Administrator--
``(1) determines that each such mission demonstrates or
advances a technology or operational concept that will enable
human missions to Mars; and
``(2) incorporates each such mission into the human
exploration roadmap under section 432 of the National
Aeronautics and Space Administration Transition Authorization
Act of 2017 (Public Law 2 115-10; 51 U.S.C. 20302 note).''.
SEC. 10. REPORT ON RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT RELATING TO LIFE-SUSTAINING
TECHNICAL SYSTEMS AND PLAN FOR ACHIEVING POWER SUPPLY.
Not later than 1 year after the date of the enactment of this Act,
the Administrator shall submit to the Committee on Commerce, Science,
and Transportation of the Senate and the Committee on Science, Space,
and Technology of the House of Representatives--
(1) a report on the research and development of the
Administration relating to technical systems for the self-
sufficient sustainment of life in and beyond low-Earth orbit;
and
(2) a plan for achieving a power supply on the Moon that
includes--
(A) a consideration of the resources necessary to
accomplish such plan in the subsequent--
(i) 1 to 3 years;
(ii) 3 to 5 years; and
(iii) 5 to 10 years;
(B) collaboration and input from industry and the
Department of Energy, specifically the Advanced
Research Projects Agency-Energy;
(C) the use of a variety of types of energy,
including solar and nuclear; and
(D) a detailed description of the resources
necessary for the Administration to build a lunar power
facility with human-tended maintenance requirements
during the subsequent 10-year period.
SEC. 11. TECHNICAL AMENDMENTS RELATING TO ARTEMIS MISSIONS.
(a) Section 421 of the National Aeronautics and Space
Administration Authorization Act of 2017 (Public 5 Law 115-10; 51
U.S.C. 20301 note) is amended--
(1) in subsection (c)(3)--
(A) by striking ``EM-1'' and inserting ``Artemis
I'';
(B) by striking ``EM-2'' and inserting ``Artemis
II''; and
(C) by striking ``EM-3'' and inserting ``Artemis
III''; and
(2) in subsection (f)(3), by striking ``EM-3'' and
inserting ``Artemis III''.
(b) Section 432(b) of the National Aeronautics and Space
Administration Authorization Act of 2017 (Public 17 Law 115-10; 51
U.S.C. 20302 note) is amended--
(1) in paragraph (3)(D)--
(A) by striking ``EM-1'' and inserting ``Artemis
I''; and
(B) by striking ``EM-2'' and inserting ``Artemis
II''; and
(2) in paragraph (4)(C), by striking ``EM-3'' and inserting
``Artemis III''.
SEC. 12. MISSIONS OF NATIONAL NEED.
(a) Sense of Congress.--It is the Sense of Congress that--
(1) while certain space missions, such as asteroid
detection or space debris mitigation or removal missions, may
not provide the highest-value science, as determined by the
National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine
decadal surveys, such missions provide tremendous value to the
United States and the world; and
(2) the current organizational and funding structure of
NASA has not prioritized the funding of missions of national
need.
(b) Study.--
(1) In general.--The Director of the Office of Science and
Technology Policy shall conduct a study on the manner in which
NASA funds missions of national need.
(2) Matters to be included.--The study conducted under
paragraph (1) shall include the following:
(A) An identification and assessment of the types
of missions or technology development programs that
constitute missions of national need.
(B) An assessment of the manner in which such
missions are currently funded and managed by NASA.
(C) An analysis of the options for funding missions
of national need, including--
(i) structural changes required to allow
NASA to fund such missions; and
(ii) an assessment of the capacity of other
Federal agencies to make funds available for
such missions.
(c) Report to Congress.--Not later than 1 year after the date of
the enactment of this Act, the Director of the Office of Science and
Technology Policy shall submit to the appropriate committees of
Congress a report on the results of the study conducted under
subsection (b), including recommendations for funding missions of
national need.
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