TITLE 42 - US CODE - SUBCHAPTER V - HUMAN SPACE FLIGHT

42 USC 16761 - Space Shuttle follow-on

(a) Policy statement 
It is the policy of the United States to possess the capability for human access to space on a continuous basis.
(b) Progress report 
Not later than 180 days after December 30, 2005, and annually thereafter, the Administrator shall transmit a report to the Committee on Science of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate describing the progress being made toward developing the Crew Exploration Vehicle and the Crew Launch Vehicle and the estimated time before they will demonstrate crewed, orbital spaceflight.
(c) Compliance report 
If, 1 year before the final planned flight of the Space Shuttle orbiter, the United States has not demonstrated a replacement human space flight system, and the United States cannot uphold the policy described in subsection (a), the Administrator shall transmit a report to the Committee on Science of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate describing
(1) strategic risks to the United States associated with the failure to uphold the policy described in subsection (a);
(2) the estimated length of time during which the United States will not have its own human access to space;
(3) what steps will be taken to shorten that length of time; and
(4) what other means will be used to allow human access to space during that time.

42 USC 16762 - Transition

(a) In general 
The Administrator shall, to the fullest extent possible consistent with a successful development program, use the personnel, capabilities, assets, and infrastructure of the Space Shuttle program in developing the Crew Exploration Vehicle, Crew Launch Vehicle, and a heavy-lift launch vehicle.
(b) Plan 
Not later than 180 days after December 30, 2005, the Administrator shall transmit to the Committee on Science of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate a plan describing how NASA will proceed with its human space flight programs, which, at a minimum, shall describe
(1) how NASA will deploy personnel from, and use the facilities of, the Space Shuttle program to ensure that the Space Shuttle operates as safely as possible through its final flight and to ensure that personnel and facilities from the Space Shuttle program are used in NASAs exploration programs in accordance with subsection (a);
(2) the planned number of flights the Space Shuttle will make before its retirement;
(3) the means, other than the Space Shuttle and the Crew Exploration Vehicle, including commercial vehicles, that may be used to ferry crew and cargo to and from the ISS;
(4) the intended purpose of lunar missions and the architecture for those missions; and
(5) the extent to which the Crew Exploration Vehicle will allow for the escape of the crew in an emergency.
(c) Personnel 
The Administrator shall consult with other appropriate Federal agencies and with NASA contractors and employees to develop a transition plan for any Federal and contractor personnel engaged in the Space Shuttle program who can no longer be retained because of the retirement of the Space Shuttle. The plan shall include actions to assist Federal and contractor personnel in taking advantage of training, retraining, job placement and relocation programs, and any other actions that NASA will take to assist the employees. The plan shall also describe how the Administrator will ensure that NASA and its contractors will have an appropriate complement of employees to allow for the safest possible use of the Space Shuttle through its final flight. The Administrator shall transmit the plan to the Committee on Science of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate not later than March 31, 2006.

42 USC 16763 - Requirements

The Administrator shall
(1) construct an architecture and implementation plan for NASAs human exploration program that is not critically dependent on the achievement of milestones by fixed dates;
(2) implement an exploration technology development program to enable lunar human and robotic operations consistent with section 16611 (b)(2) of this title, including surface power to use on the Moon and other locations;
(3) conduct an in-situ resource utilization technology program to develop the capability to use space resources to increase independence from Earth, and sustain exploration beyond low-Earth orbit; and
(4) pursue aggressively automated rendezvous and docking capabilities that can support the ISS and other mission requirements.

42 USC 16764 - Ground-based analog capabilities

(a) In general 
The Administrator may establish a ground-based analog capability in remote United States locations in order to assist in the development of lunar operations, life support, and in-situ resource utilization experience and capabilities.
(b) Environmental characteristics 
The Administrator shall select locations for the activities described in subsection (a) that
(1) are regularly accessible;
(2) have significant temperature extremes and range; and
(3) have access to energy and natural resources (including geothermal, permafrost, volcanic, or other potential resources).
(c) Involvement of local populations; private sector partners 
In carrying out this section, the Administrator shall involve local populations, academia, and industrial partners as much as possible to ensure that ground-based benefits and applications are encouraged and developed.

42 USC 16765 - ISS completion

(a) Policy 
It is the policy of the United States to achieve diverse and growing utilization of, and benefits from, the ISS.
(b) Elements, capabilities, and configuration criteria 
The Administrator shall ensure that the ISS will
(1) be assembled and operated in a manner that fulfills international partner agreements, as long as the Administrator determines that the Shuttle can safely enable the United States to do so;
(2) be used for a diverse range of microgravity research, including fundamental, applied, and commercial research, consistent with section 16655 of this title;
(3) have an ability to support a crew size of at least 6 persons, unless the Administrator transmits to the Committee on Science of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate not later than 60 days after December 30, 2005, a report explaining why such a requirement should not be met, the impact of not meeting the requirement on the ISS research agenda and operations and international partner agreements, and what additional funding or other steps would be required to have an ability to support crew size[1] of at least 6 persons;
(4) support Crew Exploration Vehicle docking and automated docking of cargo vehicles or modules launched by either heavy-lift or commercially-developed launch vehicles;
(5) support any diagnostic human research, on-orbit characterization of molecular crystal growth, cellular research, and other research that NASA believes is necessary to conduct, but for which NASA lacks the capacity to return the materials that need to be analyzed to Earth; and
(6) be operated at an appropriate risk level.
(c) Contingencies 

(1) Policy 
The Administrator shall ensure that the ISS can have available, if needed, sufficient logistics and on-orbit capabilities to support any potential period during which the Space Shuttle or its follow-on crew and cargo systems are unavailable, and can have available, if needed, sufficient surge delivery capability or prepositioning of spares and other supplies needed to accommodate any such hiatus.
(2) Plan 
Not later than 60 days after December 30, 2005, and before making any change in the ISS assembly sequence in effect on December 30, 2005, the Administrator shall transmit to the Committee on Science of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate a plan to carry out the policy described in paragraph (1).
[1] So in original. Probably should be “a crew size”.

42 USC 16766 - ISS research

The Administrator shall
(1) carry out a program of microgravity research consistent with section 16655 of this title;
(2) consider the need for a life sciences centrifuge and any associated holding facilities; and
(3) not later than 90 days after December 30, 2005, transmit to the Committee on Science of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate the research plan for NASA utilization of the ISS and the proposed final configuration of the ISS, which shall include an identification of microgravity research that can be performed in ground-based facilities and then validated in space and an assessment of the impact of having or not having a life science centrifuge aboard the ISS.

42 USC 16767 - National laboratory designation

(a) Designation 
To further the policy described in section 16761 (a) of this title, the United States segment of the ISS is hereby designated a national laboratory.
(b) Management 

(1) Partnerships 
The Administrator shall seek to increase the utilization of the ISS by other Federal entities and the private sector through partnerships, cost-sharing agreements, and other arrangements that would supplement NASA funding of the ISS.
(2) Contracting 
The Administrator may enter into a contract with a nongovernmental entity to operate the ISS national laboratory, subject to all applicable Federal laws and regulations.
(c) Plan 
Not later than 1 year after December 30, 2005, the Administrator shall transmit to the Committee on Science of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate a plan describing how the national laboratory will be operated. At a minimum, the plan shall describe
(1) any changes in the research plan transmitted under section 16766 (3) of this title and any other changes in the operation of the ISS resulting from the designation;
(2) any ground-based NASA operations or buildings that will be considered part of the national laboratory;
(3) the management structure for the laboratory, including the rationale for contracting or not contracting with a nongovernmental entity to operate the ISS national laboratory;
(4) the workforce that will be considered employees of the national laboratory;
(5) how NASA will seek the participation of other parties described in subsection (b)(1); and
(6) a schedule for implementing any changes in ISS operations, utilization, or management described in the plan.
(d) United States segment defined 
In this section the term United States segment of the ISS means those elements of the ISS manufactured
(1) by the United States; or
(2) for the United States by other nations in exchange for funds or launch services.