July 19, 2010

Committee Releases Legislative Text of NASA Reauthorization Bill

(Washington, DC) – Today, Committee on Science and Technology Chairman Bart Gordon (D-TN) is releasing the legislative text of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration Authorization Act of 2010. The bill is co-sponsored by Subcommittee on Space and Aeronautics Chairwoman Gabrielle Giffords (D-AZ), Ranking Member Ralph Hall (R-TX), and Subcommittee on Space and Aeronautics Ranking Member Pete Olson (R-TX).

Furthermore, the Chairman has also announced the Committee intends to notice a mark up for Thursday, July 22^nd at 10:00 AM in 2318 Rayburn House Office Building to consider this legislation.

“This is a bipartisan bill that embraces many of the president’s goals for our space program while also ensuring that we have an executable and fiscally responsible plan,” stated Gordon.

The overall funding for NASA in the legislation is at the president’s requested level for each of the fiscal years 2011-15. It provides for a balanced set of NASA activities in science, aeronautics, and human space flight and exploration. It funds science and aeronautics above the president’s proposed levels; it authorizes a new Space Technology program to develop innovative and transformational technologies and funds it at the president’s requested level; it provides more than $4.9 billion in funding for commercial crew- and commercial cargo-related initiatives; it extends the International Space Station program to at least 2020 and adds funding for ISS research and for a ground- and space-based life and physical sciences microgravity research program; it funds the Space Shuttle program at the president’s requested level and adds funds to aid the Shuttle workforce and affected communities with the post-Shuttle transition; it funds NASA’s education programs at the president’s requested level and seeks to enhance the contribution of NASA’s existing programs to STEM goals; and it restructures NASA’s exploration program to allow it to continue to make meaningful progress under a constrained budget, directing NASA to develop a crew transportation system that will both minimize the post-Shuttle human space flight “gap” and directly support the expeditious development of a heavy lift launch vehicle and capsule to enable challenging crewed missions beyond low Earth orbit.

“For too long, the tasks NASA has been asked to undertake haven’t been matched to available resources. We are facing tough economic times that demand tough choices. We can’t do it all. This bill makes those choices and provides the nation with a credible, sustainable, and worthy space and aeronautics program,” concluded Gordon.

For more information on the Committee’s work on NASA, visit the Committee’s website.

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