The National Aeronautics and Space Administration
Authorization Act of 2014 (H.R. 4412) is a
bill that would authorize the appropriation
of $17.6 billion in fiscal year 2014 to the
National Aeronautics and Space Administration
(NASA).
NASA would use the funding for human exploration
of space, the Space Launch System, the Orion
multipurpose crew vehicle, the commercial
crew program, the International Space Station
(ISS), and various technological and educational
projects.The bill was introduced and passed
in the United States House of Representatives
during the 113th United States Congress.
== Background ==
NASA is the agency of the United States government
that is responsible for the nation's civilian
space program and for aeronautics and aerospace
research.
President Dwight D. Eisenhower established
the National Aeronautics and Space Administration
(NASA) in 1958 with a distinctly civilian
(rather than military) orientation encouraging
peaceful applications in space science.
The new agency became operational on October
1, 1958.
Since that time, most U.S. space exploration
efforts have been led by NASA, including the
Apollo moon-landing missions, the Skylab space
station, and later the Space Shuttle.
Currently, NASA is supporting the International
Space Station and is overseeing the development
of the Orion Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle, the
Space Launch System and Commercial Crew vehicles.
The agency is also responsible for the Launch
Services Program (LSP) which provides oversight
of launch operations and countdown management
for unmanned NASA launches.
NASA science is focused on better understanding
Earth through the Earth Observing System,
advancing heliophysics through the efforts
of the Science Mission Directorate's Heliophysics
Research Program, exploring bodies throughout
the Solar System with advanced robotic missions
such as New Horizons, and researching astrophysics
topics, such as the Big Bang, through the
Great Observatories and associated programs.
NASA shares data with various national and
international organizations such as from the
Greenhouse Gases Observing Satellite.
== Provisions of the bill ==
This summary is based largely on the summary
provided by the Congressional Research Service,
a public domain source.The National Aeronautics
and Space Administration Authorization Act
of 2014 would authorize appropriations for
FY2014 for the National Aeronautics and Space
Administration (NASA).The bill would authorize
programs, activities, and reports respecting
NASA, including those with regard to human
exploration of space, the Space Launch System,
the Orion multipurpose crew vehicle, the commercial
crew program, the International Space Station
(ISS), radioisotope thermoelectric generators,
extrasolar planet exploration, the James Webb
Space Telescope, the Wide-Field Infrared Survey
Telescope, Near-Earth objects, space weather,
the Deep Space Climate Observatory, land imaging
remote sensing data, aeronautics research,
science, technology, engineering, and mathematics
(STEM) education, project and program reserves,
and orbital debris mitigation.The bill would
reaffirm the importance of the Aerospace Safety
Advisory Panel.The bill would direct the NASA
Administrator to utilize the International
Space Station and commercial services for
Science Mission Directorate and Space Technology
Demonstration missions in low-Earth orbit
wherever it is practical and cost effective
to do so.The bill would establish a space
technology program.The bill would direct the
Administrator to: (1) enter into an arrangement
with the National Academies for a review of
the National Space Grant College and Fellowship
Program, and (2) revise the NASA Supplement
to the Federal Acquisition Regulation to address
the detection and avoidance of counterfeit
electronic parts.
=== Funding details ===
$3 billion is authorized to be spent on the
International Space Station.
$658 million is authorized to be spent on
the James Webb Space Telescope.
== Congressional Budget Office report ==
This summary is based largely on the summary
provided by the Congressional Budget Office,
as ordered reported by the House Committee
on Science, Space, and Technology on April
29, 2014.
This is a public domain source.H.R. 4412 would
authorize the appropriation of about $17.6
billion for 2014 for activities of the National
Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).
The amount appropriated to NASA for 2014 is
also about $17.6 billion.
For the purpose of this estimate, the Congressional
Budget Office (CBO) assumes that no further
appropriations will be provided to NASA for
fiscal year 2014 and we therefore estimate
that no additional discretionary costs would
result from enacting H.R. 4412.The CBO estimates
that enacting H.R. 4412 would increase direct
spending by adding about $600 million over
the 2015-2024 period to outlays for certain
NASA contracts.
Because the legislation would increase direct
spending, pay-as-you-go procedures apply.
Enacting the legislation would not affect
revenues.H.R. 4412 contains no intergovernmental
or private-sector mandates as defined in the
Unfunded Mandates Reform Act.
== Procedural history ==
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration
Authorization Act of 2014 was introduced into
the United States House of Representatives
on April 7, 2014 by Rep. Steven M. Palazzo
(R, MS-4).
It was referred to the United States House
Committee on Science, Space and Technology
and the United States House Science Subcommittee
on Space.
On June 5, 2014 it was reported (amended)
alongside Report 113-470.
The House voted on June 9, 2014 in Roll Call
vote 272 to pass the bill 401-2.
== Debate and discussion ==
Rep. Lamar Smith (R-TX), the Chairman of the
House Science, Space and Technology Committee,
supported the bill, saying that "this bill
provides the necessary funds to push us into
the Cosmos and beyond."Rep. Steven Palazzo
(R-MS), who introduced the bill, said that
"American leadership in space depends on our
ability to put people and sound policy ahead
of politics."Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX)
praised the bipartisan nature of the bill,
arguing that it had been significantly improved
over earlier partisan drafts from 2013.The
bill included a provision that stops NASA
from spending any money on the Asteroid Redirect
Mission, instead requiring NASA to report
to Congress about expected costs and schedule
for that mission.
== See also ==
List of bills in the 113th United States Congress
