NASA

3 min read NASA Announces Teams for 2024 Student Launch Challenge NASA has announced the 70 teams representing 24 states and Puerto Rico selected to compete in the 2024 Student Launch Challenge. The annual competition – one of NASA’s nine Artemis Student Challenges – requires middle/high school and college/university students to design, build, and fly a high-powered amateur rocket and scientific payload. Students from the AIAA Orange Country Section team of Irvine, California, display their rocket to news media and the public during Rocket Fair – an annual showcase event of NASA’s Student Launch competition April 2023.NASA The nine-month-long challenge will culminate with on-site events April 10-14, 2024, with final launches April 13 at Bragg Farms in Toney, Alabama, just minutes north of NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. Teams are not required to travel for their final launch, having the option to launch from a qualified location in their hometown. Details are outlined in the Student Launch Handbook. Each year NASA implements a new payload challenge to reflect relevant missions. This year’s payload challenge is inspired by the Artemis missions, which seek to land the first woman and first person of color on the Moon. Students will design a SAIL (STEMnaut Atmosphere Independent Lander) payload. It must deploy mid-air, safely return to the ground without using a parachute, and be reusable to launch the same day without repairs or modifications. The payload will contain a crew of four STEMnauts, non-living objects representing astronauts. Students will choose metrics to determine the endurance of the lander, considering acceptable descent and landing parameters. Student teams and attendees of NASA’s 2023 Student Launch competition observe a rocket take flight near NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, April 2023.NASA University/college teams are required to meet the 2024 payload requirements set by NASA, but middle/high school teams have the option to tackle the same challenge or design their own payload experiment. Student teams will undergo detailed reviews by NASA personnel to ensure the safety and feasibility of their rocket and payload designs. All teams must declare their rocket’s targeted altitude for final launch day during a preliminary design review. The team closest to their target will win the Altitude Award, just one of multiple awards presented to deserving teams at the end of the competition. Other awards include overall winner, vehicle design, experiment design, social media presence, and more. In addition to the engineering and science side of the competition, students must also participate in outreach efforts such as engaging with local schools and maintaining effective social media accounts. Student Launch is an all-encompassing challenge and aims to prepare the next generation for the professional world of space exploration. The competition is managed by Marshall’s Office of STEM Engagement (OSTEM). Additional funding and support are provided by NASA’s OSTEM via the Next Gen STEM project, NASA’s Space Operations Mission Directorate, Northrup Grumman, National Space Club Huntsville, American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, National Association of Rocketry, Relativity Space, and Bastion Technologies. For more information about Student Launch, visit: https://www.nasa.gov/stem/studentlaunch/home/index.html For more information about other NASA challenges, please visit: https://stem.nasa.gov/artemis/ Christopher Blair Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, Ala. 256.544.0034 christopher.e.blair@nasa.gov View the full article

NASA Ames’ Contributions to OSIRIS-REx by Gianine Figliozzi Extraterrestrial rocks and dust – material scooped up from an asteroid – were delivered to Earth on Sept. 24, 2023. A safe landing in the Utah desert for the spacecraft carrying this bounty marked the end of a seven-year journey for NASA’s OSIRIS-REx – short for the Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, and Security-Regolith Explorer – and the start of two intensive years of sample analysis activities for mission scientists on Earth. Over the coming decades, scientists around the world will study the rocks and dust collected from the asteroid Bennu to learn about the formation of the solar system and the delivery of organic molecules to early Earth. Artist’s conception of NASA’s OSIRIS-REx about to land on asteroid Bennu.Credit: NASA Bennu is also one of the most potentially hazardous asteroids for Earth impact, although the chances of impact in the 22nd century are only one in 1,750. Understanding the physical and chemical properties of asteroids like Bennu will be critical, should humanity need to mitigate impact hazards in the future. Teams at NASA Ames have played critical roles in preparing the mission for success and will continue to work on the OSIRIS-REx samples once they arrive. They helped design ways for the mission to collect high-quality samples, preserve them in pristine form, and develop a plan for the scientific community to study the essentially irreplaceable asteroid material. Ames experts also advised the mission on its thermal protection system – notably the heat shield that will protect the sample return capsule from the blistering heat of passing through Earth’s atmosphere. Read on for more details of Ames’ contributions to OSIRIS-REx. Preparing for an Asteroid Sample: From Canister to Curation Ames researcher Scott Sandford has been involved with OSIRIS-REx since the earliest days of the mission. A major area of his work was in the design and testing of the air filter system on the sample return canister that has housed the precious asteroid material during its journey to Earth and will protect it from contamination when it lands on the surface. The canister’s air filter was tested in Sandford’s lab before the mission launched. It will keep earthly contaminants out of the sample and, if the asteroid material is releasing any gases, the filter will trap them. If that’s happening, scientists could identify some components of Bennu. Sandford will coordinate a group of scientists in labs around the world to analyze the air filter after its return to Earth. Sandford also leads the effort to analyze many components of the sample return capsule, both to assess potential sources of contamination in the samples and to assess the performance of the capsule. Sandford’s sample curation work helped plan how the unique material from Bennu will be used. Three-quarters of it will be made available for study over the coming decades, while the remaining 25% may be distributed to researchers in efficient ways that let them address the mission’s scientific questions. Withstanding the Heat of Earth Entry The heat shield thermal protection system (TPS) is made of a material developed at Ames: phenolic-impregnated carbon ablator (PICA). PICA was first flown on NASA’s Stardust mission, which also delivered extraterrestrial material to Earth – from a comet. The Stardust sample return capsule was nearly identical to that of OSIRIS-REx, so the latter mission was able to use the Earth-entry, descent, and landing systems successfully demonstrated by the earlier mission. Reusing many features of the Stardust capsule design, adjusted for the specific needs of the mission to Bennu, allowed OSIRIS-REx to reduce costs and the thermal protection team to leverage what they had learned from Stardust. The OSIRIS-REx spacecraft’s heat shield is made of a material developed at Ames: phenolic-impregnated carbon ablator (PICA). In this photo, PICA is undergoing testing in Ames’ arc jet facility, which simulates atmospheric re-entry conditions, to confirm thermal protection performance for the heat shield’s design.Credit: NASA They then worked with mission partner Lockheed Martin Space – who designed and built the spacecraft and capsule – to integrate the air filter and PICA elements onto the mission. Ames helped qualify the PICA to withstand the extremely high temperatures experienced upon entering Earth’s atmosphere. They provided guidance to the mission on the PICA thickness needed to protect the samples and tested the heat shield material under simulated atmospheric re-entry conditions in Ames’ arc jet facilities to confirm thermal protection performance for the design. Ames experts in computational fluid dynamics supplied analysis that validated the aerothermal environments used in those tests. Soon after the spacecraft returns, members of Ames’ thermal protection team also plan to laser-scan the OSIRIS-REx heat shield in coordination with colleagues at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, Lockheed Martin, or both. What they learn about PICA’s performance, relative to predictions, can support future missions such as Mars Sample Return, that will return samples collected by NASA’s Mars Perseverance rover to Earth in the future. Asteroid Sample Science When the OSIRIS-REx capsule lands in the Utah desert, researcher Scott Sandford will be on the ground to help retrieve it. The chances of contaminants like soil and water entering the sample canister inside are extremely low. But, to be absolutely certain no one accidentally studies terrestrial materials thinking they are samples from Bennu, he will help collect samples from the environment where the capsule lands, for comparison with the asteroid material. Later, Sandford will perform scientific studies of the Bennu samples themselves. His study will focus on two areas. He’ll assess what, if any, spacecraft-related contaminants got into the samples, such as material coming off the heat shield as it ablated, or “burned off,” during atmospheric entry. Sandford will also probe the samples for any organic compounds. Scientists estimate that Bennu is 4.5 billion years old and contains well-preserved materials, including complex organics, from the early solar system. Finding organics could tell us something about what roles materials of the early solar system may have played in delivering organic “ingredients of life” to the early Earth. The techniques Sandford uses will allow him to search for compounds inside the Bennu samples. At Ames he’ll use infrared microspectroscopy to detect various kinds of organics in the samples that contain carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, and oxygen. He will also work with colleagues to study samples using the Advanced Light Source facility, a specialized particle accelerator that generates bright beams of X-ray light for scientific research, located at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in Berkeley, California. Both techniques provide information about the kinds of chemical bonds present in the samples’ organic compounds. HORIS: A Study of Atmospheric Entry NASA’s Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia, will manage an experiment taking advantage of the OSIRIS-REx sample arrival to study characteristics of re-entry through an atmosphere. Four aircraft and teams at three ground sites will track the capsule’s trajectory on its way to the surface, using imaging and spectroscopy instruments. Data from the project, called Hypervelocity OSIRIS-REx Reentry Imaging & Spectroscopy (HORIS), will be used to validate and develop planetary entry models. Recovery teams participate in field rehearsals in preparation for the retrieval of the asteroid sample return capsule from NASA’s OSIRIS-REx mission, Tuesday, July 18, 2023, at the Department of Defense’s Utah Test and Training Range. NASA Ames researcher Scott Sandford, second from left, who has been involved with OSIRIS-REx since the earliest days of the mission, will participate in retrieval of the capsule when it lands in the desert on Sep. 24 and, later, will perform scientific studies of the samples from asteroid Bennu.Credit: NASA Ames/Keegan Barber NASA’s Earth Science Project Office (ESPO), based at Ames, will provide operational and shipping support to two international ground teams by setting up work sites at three different locations in northern Nevada.  NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, provides overall mission management, systems engineering, and the safety and mission assurance for OSIRIS-REx. Dante Lauretta of the University of Arizona, Tucson, is the principal investigator. The university leads the science team and the mission’s science observation planning and data processing. Lockheed Martin Space in Littleton, Colorado, built the spacecraft and provides flight operations. Goddard and KinetX Aerospace are responsible for navigating the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft. Curation for OSIRIS-REx, including processing the sample when it arrives on Earth, will take place at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston. International partnerships on this mission include the OSIRIS-REx Laser Altimeter instrument from CSA (the Canadian Space Agency) and asteroid sample science collaboration with JAXA’s (the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) Hayabusa2 mission. OSIRIS-REx is the third mission in NASA’s New Frontiers Program, managed by NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, for the agency’s Science Mission Directorate in Washington. Congratulations to the 2023 Ames Honor Awards Recipients The honorees will be recognized at the center’s annual Ames Honor Awards ceremony to be held in person on Nov. 1, in the Syvertson Auditorium (N201) at 11 a.m. PDT. Employees are invited to attend as we celebrate, recognize, and honor the achievements of our colleagues. Thank you to everyone who submitted a nomination for this prestigious award, and congratulations to the deserving recipients Recipients of the 2023 Ames Honor Awards: Administrative Assistant Support/Secretary Lyn C. Bartlett Administrative Professional Erin K. Contreras Trincy D. Lewis Vanessa R. Westmoreland Best First Paper Dahlia D. Pham Evan T. Kawamura Contractor Employee Sonja M. Caldwell, KBR Athena Chan, Science and Technology Corporation David Garcia Perez, Science and Technology Corporation Dominic Hart, MORI Associates Ignacio Gonzalo Lopez-Francos, KBR Taejin Park, Bay Area Environmental Research Institute Sasha V. Weston, Millennium Engineering & Integration Co. Louis W. Wust, InuTeq, LLC. Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Accessibility Kevin L. Jones Garrett G. Sadler Dorsa Shirazi Juan L. Torres-Perez Education and Outreach Sarah A. Conley Denise R. Snow Engineer Rodolphe De Rosee Jesse C. Fusco Scott T. Miller Group/Team Alpha Jet Atmospheric eXperiment (AJAX) Project Team BioSentinel Mission Operations Team CapiSorb Visible System ISS Payload & Experiment ICEE Facility Team NASA Ames Utility Team Starling Team TechEdSat Nano Orbit Workshop TOSS 4 and RHEL8 Migration Team VIPER MGRU Rover Team Voluntary Protection Program Recertification Team Mentor Misty D. Davies Marcie A. Smith Gloria K. Yamauchi Partnerships Sigrid Reinsch Project Management Craig D. Burkhard Kelly E. Kwan Scientist or Researcher Thomas P. Greene Special Appreciation (Non-Ames Employees) Jeffrey F. Haught, NASA Headquarters Student Avraham S. Gileadi, NIFS Intern Stephanie I. Pass, Intern Shivang M. Shelat, SJSU Research Foundation Supervisor/Manager Susie Go Lynne H. Martin Kerry Zarchi Technical Support/Professional Randal L. Hobbs Robert W. Koteskey Yonghong Shen Technician Kevin B. Gregory Face of NASA: Protocol Officer Carolina Rudisel “I never would have imagined myself here at NASA. I’m an immigrant. I was originally a Mexican citizen. I was actually born in Mexico, but my parents came over to the U.S. [and I got my green card] when I was two. … My parents originally came over on a worker visa, and so we were migrant workers [when I was] growing up. “… I try to tell folks that it’s not where you started. It’s not the mistakes you’ve made. It’s what you do with it, and you can make that change not only for yourself but [also] so others can see you making the change and [know] that anything is possible.” — Carolina Rudisel, Protocol Officer, NASA’s Ames Research Center “… It was a rough upbringing, and so I knew what my life held for me if I stayed in [my] small town. I knew that I would be stuck, as even now, looking back, some of the people I knew are still stuck. So, I decided that I would join the military because I knew that, for myself, I needed to make a radical change. And so I joined the military, and my life completely turned around. … That’s where I met my husband. We’ve been together 32 years; we’ve been married for 29 years. “… [Before I joined] the military … I was on the wrong end of the law. I was literally standing in front of a judge who had my fate in their hands. … My recruiter happened to be at my hearing, and so we did a plea bargain and I was let off with a fine. But my life could have been completely different. So I knew the radical change was absolutely necessary for my life. “… Fast forward: [I] joined the military, got out, and ended up spending most of the time overseas. I lived in Japan — as a matter of fact, both our kids together were born in Japan. [We] lived in Japan, Russia, Sri Lanka, Belgium, and our last post was London. “… I worked for the Defense Attaché Office, and my co-worker was in the Navy and she was like, ‘There’s a job in NASA in Northern California! You’re from California, right? … You should apply.’ And I [thought], ‘There is no way.’ You know, I’m a businessperson, my background is in business. I was a finance budget analyst. And so, I was like, ‘There’s no way.’ She [said], ‘You should apply. Apply, apply, apply! The worst thing they could say is no.’ And I’m like, ‘You know what? You’re right.’ I applied, came to NASA, [and] actually started off here as the secretary for the center director. Clues to Psyche Asteroid’s Metallic Nature Found in SOFIA Data When the asteroid Psyche has its first close-up with a NASA spacecraft, scientists hypothesize they will find a metal-rich asteroid. It could be part or all of the iron-rich interior of a planetesimal, an early planetary building block, that was stripped of its outer rocky shell as it repeatedly collided with other large bodies during the early formation of the solar system. New research from scientists at NASA’s Ames Research Center in California’s Silicon Valley suggests that is exactly what the agency’s Psyche mission will find. An artist’s concept depicting the metal-rich asteroid Psyche, which is located in the main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter.Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASU Led by Anicia Arredondo, the paper’s first author and a postdoctoral researcher at the Southwest Research Institute in San Antonio, Texas, and Maggie McAdam, Ames research scientist and principal investigator, the team observed Psyche in Feb. 2022 using NASA’s Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA). The now-retired observatory was a Boeing 747SP aircraft modified to carry a reflecting telescope. As a flying telescope, SOFIA collected data that was not affected by Earth’s lower atmosphere and made observations from all over the world, including over the oceans. For the first time, SOFIA was able to gather data from every part of Psyche’s surface. It also allowed the team to collect data about the materials that make up Psyche’s surface – information that could not be gathered from ground-based telescopes. The Ames team studied the way different wavelengths of light bounce off Psyche. Researchers used a mid-infrared camera, which detects wavelengths in the middle of the electromagnetic spectrum, to observe the asteroid. They measured its emissivity(the amount of energy it radiates) and porosity (how many tiny holes or spaces an object has). Both characteristics can provide clues about the materials that make up an object. The team observed that Psyche’s emissivity data was mostly flat, meaning there were no spikes or other notable features in its spectra – that is, a chart or a graph that shows the intensity of light the asteroid emits over a range of energies. Similarly flat spectra have been found in laboratory settings when mid-infrared instruments are used on metal objects. This led the researchers to conclude that Psyche is likely a metallic body. Notably, the team did not observe a spectral feature called the 10-micron plateau, which typically indicates a “fluffy” surface, like lunar regolith. Previous studies of Psyche had observed this feature, which suggests there may be differences between the surface at Psyche’s north pole, which was facing the Earth at the time of the Ames team’s study, and the surface at its south pole, which was the focus of previous studies. The team also proposed that the south pole regolith observed by other researchers could have been ejected from a collision elsewhere on Psyche’s surface. This idea is supported by past observations of Psyche, which found evidence of huge depressions and impact craters across the asteroid. “With this analysis and the previous studies of Psyche, we have reached the limit of what astronomical observations can teach us about this fascinating asteroid,” said McAdam. “Now we need to physically visit Psyche to study it up close and learn more about what appears to be a very unique planetary body.” NASA’s mission to Psyche will provide that opportunity. The spacecraft is set to launch on Oct. 12, 2023. It will arrive at the asteroid in 2029 and orbit it for at least 26 months. NASA’s Psyche spacecraft is shown in a clean room on June 26, 2023, at the Astrotech Space Operations facility near the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.Credit: NASA/Frank Michaux Psyche’s potential to answer many questions about planet formation is a key reason why it was selected for close observation by a spacecraft. Scientists believe that planets like Earth, Mars, and Mercury have metallic cores, but they are buried too far below the planets’ mantles and crusts to see or measure directly. If Psyche is confirmed to be a planetary core, it can help scientists understand what is inside the Earth and other large planetary bodies. Psyche’s size is also important for advancing scientific understanding of Earth-like planets. It is the largest M-type (metallic) asteroid in our solar system and is long enough to cover the distance from New York City to Baltimore, Maryland. This means Psyche is more likely to show differentiation, which is when the materials inside a planet separate from one another, with the heaviest materials sinking to the middle and forming cores. “Every time a new study of Psyche is published, it raises more questions,” said Arredondo, who was a postdoctoral researcher at Ames on the SOFIA mission when the Psyche observations were collected. “Our findings suggest the asteroid is very complex and likely holds many other surprises. The possibility of the unexpected is one of the most exciting parts of a mission to study an unexplored body, and we look forward to gaining a more detailed understanding of Psyche’s origins.” More about the Psyche and SOFIA missions: Arizona State University leads the Psyche mission. A division of Caltech in Pasadena, JPL is responsible for the mission’s overall management, system engineering, integration and test, and mission operations. Maxar Technologies in Palo Alto, California, provided the high-power solar electric propulsion spacecraft chassis. Psyche is the 14th mission selected as part of NASA’s Discovery Program, managed by the agency’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. NASA’s Launch Services Program, based at Kennedy, is managing the launch service. SOFIA was a joint project of NASA and the German Space Agency at DLR. DLR provided the telescope, scheduled aircraft maintenance, and other support for the mission. NASA’s Ames Research Center in California’s Silicon Valley managed the SOFIA program, science, and mission operations in cooperation with the Universities Space Research Association, headquartered in Columbia, Maryland, and the German SOFIA Institute at the University of Stuttgart. The aircraft was maintained and operated by NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center Building 703, in Palmdale, California. SOFIA achieved full operational capability in 2014 and concluded its final science flight on Sept. 29, 2022. President Biden Lands at NASA Ames, Greeted by Deputy Director President Joe Biden arrived in California’s Silicon Valley on Tuesday, Sept. 26, 2023, where he was welcomed by Dr. David Korsmeyer, acting deputy center director at NASA Ames and Santa Clara County Supervisor, District 4, Susan Ellenberg. Biden landed aboard Air Force One  at Moffett Federal Airfield, located at Ames, before departing for a campaign event in the area. President Joe Biden  arrived  in California’s Silicon Valley on Tuesday,  Sept. 26, 2023, where he was welcomed by  Dr. David Korsmeyer, acting deputy center director at NASA’s Ames Research Center and Santa Clara County Supervisor, District 4, Susan Ellenberg.Credit: NASA Ames/Dominic Hart New Simulations Shed Light on Origins of Saturn’s Rings and Icy Moons by Frank Tavares On a clear night, with a decent amateur telescope, Saturn and its series of remarkable rings can be seen from Earth’s surface. But how did those rings come to be? And what can they tell us about Saturn and its moons, one of the potential locations NASA hopes to search for life? A new series of supercomputer simulations has offered an answer to the mystery of the rings’ origins – one that involves a massive collision, back when dinosaurs still roamed the Earth. Still image from a computer simulation of an impact between two icy moons in orbit around Saturn. The collision ejects debris that could evolve into the planet’s iconic and remarkably young rings. The simulation used over 30 million particles, colored by their ice or rock material, run using the open source SWIFT simulation code.Credit: NASA/Durham University/Glasgow University/Jacob Kegerreis/Luís Teodoro According to new research by NASA and its partners, Saturn’s rings could have evolved from the debris of two icy moons that collided and shattered a few hundred million years ago. Debris that didn’t end up in the rings could also have contributed to the formation of some of Saturn’s present-day moons. “There’s so much we still don’t know about the Saturn system, including its moons that host environments that might be suitable for life,” said Jacob Kegerreis, a research scientist at NASA’s Ames Research Center in California’s Silicon Valley. “So, it’s exciting to use big simulations like these to explore in detail how they could have evolved.” NASA’s Cassini mission helped scientists understand just how young – astronomically speaking – Saturn’s rings and probably some of its moons are. And that knowledge opened up new questions about how they formed. To learn more, the research team turned to the Durham University location of the Distributed Research using Advanced Computing (DiRAC) supercomputing facility in the United Kingdom. They modeled what different collisions between precursor moons might have looked like. These simulations were conducted at a resolution more than 100 times higher than previous such studies, using the open-source simulation code, SWIFT, and giving scientists their best insights into the Saturn system’s history. Saturn’s rings today live close to the planet, within what’s known as the Roche limit – the farthest orbit where a planet’s gravitational force is powerful enough to disintegrate larger bodies of rock or ice that get any closer. Material orbiting farther out could clump together to form moons. By simulating almost 200 different versions of the impact, the team discovered that a wide range of collision scenarios could scatter the right amount of ice into Saturn’s Roche limit, where it could settle into rings. And, while alternative explanations haven’t been able to show why there would be almost no rock in Saturn’s rings – they are made almost entirely of chunks of ice – this type of collision could explain that. “This scenario naturally leads to ice-rich rings,” said Vincent Eke, Associate Professor in the Department of Physics/Institute for Computational Cosmology, at Durham University and a co-author on the paper. “When the icy progenitor moons smash into one another, the rock in the cores of the colliding bodies is dispersed less widely than the overlying ice.” Ice and rocky debris would also have hit other moons in the system, potentially causing a cascade of collisions. Such a multiplying effect could have disrupted any other precursor moons outside the rings, out of which today’s moons could have formed. But what could have set these events in motion, in the first place? Two of Saturn’s former moons could have been pushed into a collision by the usually small effects of the Sun’s gravity “adding up” to destabilize their orbits around the planet. In the right configuration of orbits, the extra pull from the Sun can have a snowballing effect – a “resonance” – that elongates and tilts the moons’ usually circular and flat orbits until their paths cross, resulting in a high-speed impact. Saturn’s moon Rhea today orbits just beyond where a moon would encounter this resonance. Like the Earth’s Moon, Saturn’s satellites migrate outward from the planet over time. So, if Rhea were ancient, it would have crossed the resonance in the recent past. However, Rhea’s orbit is very circular and flat. This suggests that it did not experience the destabilizing effects of the resonance and, instead, formed more recently. The new research aligns with evidence that Saturn’s rings formed recently, but there are still big open questions. If at least some of the icy moons of Saturn are also young, then what could that mean for the potential for life in the oceans under the surface of worlds like Enceladus? Can we unravel the full story from the planet’s original system, before the impact, through to the present day? Future research building on this work will help us learn more about this fascinating planet and the icy worlds that orbit it. View the full article

1 min read OSIRIS-REx Landing Highlighted on ‘This Week at NASA’OSIRIS-REx Landing Highlighted on ‘This Week at NASA’OSIRIS-REx Landing Highlighted on ‘This Week at NASA’ On Sept. 24, the OSIRIS-REx sample return capsule – with samples of rock and dust from asteroid Bennu – made its historic return to Earth, marking the end of NASA’s first sample return mission. The mission is featured in “This Week @ NASA,” a weekly video program broadcast on NASA-TV and posted online. The next day, the sample return capsule was flown to NASA’s Johnson Space Center, where the sample material inside it will be cared for, stored, and shared with scientists around the world. OSIRIS-REx is the third mission in NASA’s New Frontiers Program, managed by NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center for the agency’s Science Mission Directorate in Washington. Read more about Marshall’s role in OSIRIS-REx. View this and previous episodes at “This Week @NASA” on NASA’s YouTube page. View the full article

1 min read Ceremony Marks Opening of NASA Educational Display at New Orleans Airport Representatives from NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility joined elected officials and other community leaders for a ribbon-cutting ceremony marking the opening of a NASA educational display Sept. 26 at Louis Armstrong International Airport in New Orleans. From left, New Orleans Airport Director Kevin Dolliole, New Orleans Director of Economic Development Jeff Schwartz, Space Launch System Stages Element Office Resident Management Office Manager Gregg Eldridge, Congressman Carter’s District Director Demetric Mercadel, Michoud Director Lonnie Dutreix, New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell, Judge Michael Bagneris, New Orleans & Co. Executive Vice-President Alice Glenn, New Orleans Business Alliance Interim President Louis David, and GNO Inc. Senior Vice-President of Business Development Josh Fleig cut the ribbon at the NASA educational display ribbon-cutting ceremony at Louis Armstrong International Airport in New Orleans. NASA/Michael DeMocker The exhibit is a collaboration between NASA, the city of New Orleans, and regional economic development organizations to educate visitors on the role Michoud has played in the production of manned spacecraft and Michoud’s impact on economic development for the region. The exhibit is located near the airport’s baggage claim on the first floor. Michoud serves as America’s “rocket factory,” manufacturing and assembling NASA’s SLS (Space Launch System) core stages and Exploration Upper Stage, and the Orion crew module. Michoud is managed by NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center. View the full article

Astronaut Raja Chari is ready for taco night as he shows off a taco made with fresh chile peppers.NASA/Kayla Barron Taco Night on the International Space Station had a little kick to it on Nov. 26, 2021. In this image taken by NASA astronaut Kayla Barron, fellow NASA astronaut and Expedition 66 flight engineer Raja Chari smiles as he shows off a taco that includes fresh chile peppers. The peppers were harvested from inside the International Space Station’s Advanced Plant Habitat, which started growing four months prior as part of the Plant Habitat-04 experiment. Astronauts on station and a team of researchers at Kennedy worked together to check the peppers’ growth. This was one of the longest and most challenging plant experiments tried aboard the orbital lab. Starting in late 2015 and going into early 2016, astronauts grew zinnias on station – a precursor to growing longer-duration, fruit-bearing, flowering crops like peppers. Researchers spent two years evaluating more than two dozen pepper varieties from around the world. They narrowed it down and selected the NuMex ‘Española Improved’ pepper, a hybrid Hatch pepper, the generic name for several varieties of chiles from Hatch, New Mexico, and the Hatch Valley in southern New Mexico. This pepper performed well in testing and had the makings of a viable space crop. Image Credit: NASA/Kayla Barron View the full article

El astronauta Frank Rubio, de la Expedición 69 de la NASA, es visto fuera de la nave espacial Soyuz MS-23 tras aterrizar junto a los cosmonautas de Roscosmos Sergey Prokopyev y Dmitri Petelin en una zona remota cerca de la ciudad de Zhezkazgan, Kazajstán, el miércoles 27 de septiembre de 2023. El trío regresó a la Tierra tras pasar 371 días en el espacio como miembros de las Expediciones 68-69 a bordo de la Estación Espacial Internacional. Para Rubio, su misión es el vuelo espacial más largo realizado por un astronauta estadounidense en la historia.NASA/Bill Ingalls El astronauta de la NASA Frank Rubio, de regreso a la Tierra tras batir el récord del vuelo espacial individual más largo de la historia realizado por un estadounidense, participará en una rueda de prensa el viernes 13 de octubre a las 2 p.m. EDT (hora de verano del Este), en el Centro Espacial Johnson de la agencia en Houston. La conferencia de prensa (en inglés) se retransmitirá en directo por NASA Television, la aplicación de la NASA y el sitio web de la agencia. Síguelo en línea en: https://www.nasa.gov/nasatv La misión extendida de Rubio a bordo de la Estación Espacial Internacional sumó un total de 371 días en el espacio. Las misiones prolongadas brindan a la comunidad científica la oportunidad de observar mejor los efectos de los vuelos espaciales de larga duración en los astronautas, ahora que la agencia vuelve a la Luna mediante las misiones Artemis y se prepara para la exploración de Marte con seres humanos. Los medios de comunicación interesados en participar en persona en esta rueda de prensa deben ponerse en contacto con la sala de prensa de la NASA en Johnson antes de las 5 p.m. EDT del jueves 12 de octubre, llamando al 281-483-5111 o enviando un correo electrónico a: jsccommu@mail.nasa.gov. Los medios de comunicación que deseen participar virtualmente deberán ponerse en contacto con la sala de prensa a más tardar dos horas antes del comienzo del acto. La política de acreditación para medios de comunicación de la NASA está disponible en línea. También se pueden enviar preguntas a través de las redes sociales utilizando #AskNASA. Rubio despegó el 21 de septiembre de 2022 junto con los cosmonautas de Roscosmos Sergey Prokopyev y Dmitri Petelin. El trío regresó a la Tierra el 27 de septiembre. La misión de 371 días de Rubio es el vuelo espacial más largo realizado por un astronauta estadounidense, récord que hasta ahora ostentaba el astronauta de la NASA Mark Vande Hei, con 355 días. Rubio completó aproximadamente 5.936 órbitas de la Tierra y un viaje de más de 157 millones de millas durante este vuelo espacial (el primero para él), aproximadamente el equivalente a 328 viajes de ida y vuelta a la Luna. Fue testigo de la llegada de 15 naves espaciales y de la partida de tras 14 astronaves en misiones de carga tripuladas y no tripuladas. Durante su misión récord, Rubio dedicó muchas horas a actividades científicas a bordo de la estación espacial, realizando tareas variadas que iban desde investigaciones sobre la salud humana a investigaciones con plantas. Un estudio evaluó el manejo de múltiples robots autónomos desde el espacio y los retos que podría plantear el hacer funcionar remotamente a robots en órbita desde tierra. También cultivó tomates espaciales para poner a prueba técnicas de crecimiento hidropónico (a base de agua) y aeropónico (a base de aire) en lugar de tierra u otros medios de crecimiento tradicionales, con el fin de ayudar a identificar formas de producir cultivos a mayor escala para futuras misiones espaciales. Aprende más sobre las actividades de la estación espacial siguiendo las cuentas en inglés de X @space_station y @ISS_Research, o la cuenta en español @NASA_ES, así como las cuentas en inglés de Facebook e Instagram de la estación, o las cuentas en español de Facebook e Instagram de la NASA. Para más información (en inglés) sobre la Estación Espacial Internacional, su investigación y su tripulación, visita: https://www.nasa.gov/station -fin- Maria-jose Vinas Headquarters, Washington 202-358-1600 maria-jose.vinasgarcia@nasa.gov View the full article

3 min read Marshall Wins Award for Most Funds Raised During 2022 Combined Federal Campaign By Jessica Barnett NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center was recently awarded for raising more funds than any other large federal agency in the Greater Tennessee Valley Zone during the 2022 CFC (Combined Federal Campaign). The CFC serves as the federal government’s only sanctioned charity fundraiser event, with civilian, military, contract, and postal employees all encouraged to contribute to the charity of their choice during the annual campaign. Erin Richardson, center, chair of the 2022 Combined Federal Campaign at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center, holds Marshall’s award for raising more funds than any other large federal agency in the Greater Tennessee Valley Zone during the campaign. Standing with her, from left, are Marshall Associate Director, Technical, Larry Leopard and Marshall Associate Director Rae Ann Meyer. Marshall kicked off the 2022 campaign last October with a charity fair, giving potential donors a chance to learn about some of the charities that benefit from CFC donations. Erin Richardson, a materials science manager at Marshall who served as chair of the 2022 campaign, said the goal was more than just raising funds – it was about raising awareness of CFC and increasing participation in the campaign. “We ended up contributing the most out of any large agency in the Greater Tennessee Valley, which is our CFC zone,” Richardson said, adding the win came as a surprise given some of the obstacles they faced. Those obstacles included inflation and economic concerns among potential donors, balancing virtual and in-person campaigning after the pandemic, and it being the first time Richardson and many of her co-campaigners had served as CFC leaders at Marshall. Looking back on it now, she said, there were certainly some lessons learned. Richardson said she’s optimistic for the 2023 campaign, which will be chaired by Angela Lovelady, a lead budget analyst at Marshall. “Angela is a step above,” Richardson said. “She has an intense passion and heart for it, and I think she’ll be a great lead for CFC.” Marshall team members raised more funds than any other large federal agency in the Greater Tennessee Valley Zone during the 2022 Combined Federal Campaign. Overseen by the Office of Personnel Management, CFC is the official workplace giving campaign for federal employees, contractors, and retirees. NASA Marshall team members who wish to match that enthusiasm will have plenty of ways to do so when the 2023 campaign kicks off Oct. 17. Donors can contribute financially via credit or debit card payment or PayPal, with some team members able to donate a portion of their paycheck during the campaign period. Donors can also contribute their time at a participating charity, with each volunteer hour counted toward the overall fundraising goal. All campaigns start after Sept. 1 and end before mid-January of the following year. Each donation must be designated for a specific participating charity. In the Greater Tennessee Valley Zone, there are 69 charities currently listed as active CFC participants, from community health clinics and animal rescues to veteran and social justice groups. By participating in CFC each year, Marshall can show its support to the people all over the world, including the millions of U.S. taxpayers who make NASA’s mission possible, Richardson said. “We benefit so much as federal employees from taxpayers,” she said. “Some people will never get the opportunity to come through Gate 9 or see a launch or understand what we do, but we wouldn’t be able to do the job we are doing without them.” Learn more about CFC and see the list of participating charities in your community by visiting https://cfcgiving.opm.gov. Barnett, a Media Fusion employee, supports the Marshall Office of Communications. View the full article

4 min read Agency Leadership Talks NASA 2040, Artemis, Budget at Marshall Town Hall By Jessica Barnett From funding to historic achievements to the future of NASA, there was no shortage of topics for discussion during the latest Marshall Town Hall. Marshall team members joined in person and online as Acting Marshall Center Director Joseph Pelfrey, NASA Administrator Bill Nelson, Deputy Administrator Pam Melroy, Associate Administrator Bob Cabana, and Deputy Associate Administrator Casey Swails shared their goals for Marshall and the agency’s future and answered questions from the audience in Activities Building 4316 on Sept. 18. NASA Administrator Bill Nelson, far left, talks to Marshall team members during a Town Hall on Sept. 18 in Activities Building 4316. Joining him on the event stage, from left, are Marshall Acting Center Director Joseph Pelfrey, NASA Deputy Administrator Pam Melroy, NASA Associate Administrator Robert Cabana, and NASA Deputy Associate Administrator Casey Swails.NASA/Charles Beason Pelfrey kicked off the town hall by welcoming agency leaders and showering praise on the Marshall team. “It’s exciting to see the accomplishments of what we’re doing as an agency and see so many parts of that have a Marshall fingerprint,” Pelfrey said. “It’s an honor to have our leadership team here to share some of the things going on within our agency and how Marshall fits into those plans.” Nelson followed Pelfrey’s speech with another round of praise, calling Marshall team members “wizards who make the impossible possible.” “We’re going back to the Moon to learn, to live, to create, to invent, in order for us to go to Mars and beyond, to discover those far, distant cosmic shores,” Nelson said. “And Marshall is very much a part of this.” That work is being supported in part by NASA 2040, a strategic agency initiative aimed at driving meaningful changes that will allow the agency to realize its long-term vision for what leaders want the agency to be in 2040. “Personally, I think it’s NASA’s role to do really hard things that only NASA can do,” Swails said. “When we talk about 2040 and we talk about our mission strategy, how we do make sure we have an operating model that best sets us up for a future that aligns to mission goals? How do we make sure we have an institution that frankly reflects how amazing and incredible our mission is?” Cabana, right, responds to a question during the Q&A portion of the Marshall Town Hall. NASA/Charles Beason Swails then presented the plan to achieving those goals which included a seven-part list of workstreams with associated teams and leaders focused on supporting the workforce, infrastructure, and technologies critical to keeping NASA a leader in science, aeronautics, and space exploration. In addition to her speech, Swails held meetings Sept. 22 to further discuss NASA 2040. Cabana stressed the importance of such meetings and listening sessions during his portion of the town hall, encouraging Marshall team members to seize the opportunity to attend and offer feedback. Agency leaders also shared how Marshall is key to not just the initiative’s success but the success of NASA’s mission. “It’s important that we articulate and emphasize the science, technology, and impact we have,” Melroy said. “I’m personally excited, as I see the incredible science you work on here with ISS, what new discoveries we’re going to get with Artemis.” Melroy and Cabana noted Marshall’s work on nuclear propulsion, with Artemis, and with the International Space Station. “You’re not making a difference for Marshall Space Flight Center, the state of Alabama, or even the United States,” Cabana said. “You’re making a difference for humanity.” A Marshall team member poses a question to agency leaders during the Q&A portion of the Town Hall. NASA/Charles Beason Cabana provided an update on the Artemis program, telling audience members that Artemis II is still on track for its launch next year and work is underway to prepare for Artemis III’s launch in 2025. He encouraged Marshall team members to be active participants and promote an inclusive environment as the agency continues toward 2040. “What we are doing is too critical not to give it our very best and have that environment,” he said. Also critical, however, is ensuring NASA has the budget for its goals. Nelson, a former U.S. senator, said he isn’t sure what those currently in Congress will decide, but he remains confident that NASA will be just fine. He said there’s talk of NASA receiving level funding, which has caused angst among some, but that NASA’s international reach has made it favorable on both sides of the political aisle. “At the end of the day, it’s going to be all right,” Nelson said. “There will be some bumps along the way on this budget; it is a sign of the times. I wish it were not that way, but I can tell you that NASA brings people together, and NASA unites, not just in domestic politics but around the world as well.”Barnett, a Media Fusion employee, supports the Marshall Office of Communications View the full article

The following resources relevant to the International and Space Law Practice Group are available on this site. Note: The information below is updated annually, and users of this web page will need to verify the accuracy of the citations and the information contained in the web links: 1. Statutes › Acquisition of Space Science Data — 42 USC § 14713. › Iran Nonproliferation Act of 2000 — P.L.106-178, 50 U.S.C. § 1701 › Land Remote Sensing Policy — 15 U.S.C. Chapter 82. › Special Maritime & Territorial Jurisdiction of US — 18 U.S.C. § 7. › Sources of Earth Science Data — 42 USC § 14715. 2. International Agreements › United Nations Treaties regarding Outer Space → A. International Space Station Agreements: › Multilateral Intergovernmental Agreement — United States, Canada, European Space Agency, Japan, Russia (January 1998). → B. International Space Station Bilateral Agreements: › NASA-Canadian Space Agency MOU (January 1998). → › NASA-European Space Agency MOU (January 1998). → › NASA-Russian Space Agency MOU (January 1998). → › NASA-Government of Japan MOU (February 1998). → 3. Presidential Directives: National Science and Technology Council Fact Sheets › Convergence of U.S. Polar-Orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite Systems (NSTC-2, 5/05/94). → › Landsat Remote Sensing Strategy (NSTC-3, 5/05/94). → › National Space Policy (NSTC-8, 9/19/96). → 4. Relevant Regulations › International Space Station Crew Code of Conduct. — 14 CFR Part 1214, Interim Rule. → 5. Relevant NASA Policies and Management Instructions › Authority to Enter into Space Act Agreements (NPD 1050). → 6. Relevant NASA Web Sites › NASA Export Control Program › NASA Office of International and Interagency Relations View the full article

51 USC Sec. 50115 Sec. 50115. Sources of Earth science data (a) Acquisition.–The Administrator shall, to the extent possible and while satisfying the scientific or educational requirements of the Administration, and where appropriate, of other Federal agencies and scientific researchers, acquire, where cost-effective, space-based and airborne Earth remote sensing data, services, distribution, and applications from a commercial provider. (b) Treatment as Commercial Item Under Acquisition Laws.–Acquisitions by the Administrator of the data, services, distribution, and applications referred to in subsection (a) shall be carried out in accordance with applicable acquisition laws and regulations (including chapters 137 and 140 of title 10). For purposes of such law and regulations, such data, services, distribution, and applications shall be considered to be a commercial item. Nothing in this subsection shall be construed to preclude the United States from acquiring, through contracts with commercial providers, sufficient rights in data to meet the needs of the scientific and educational community or the needs of other government activities. (c) Safety Standards.–Nothing in this section shall be construed to prohibit the Federal Government from requiring compliance with applicable safety standards. (d) Administration and Execution.–This section shall be carried out as part of the Commercial Remote Sensing Program at the Stennis Space Center. -SOURCE- Pub. L. 111-314, Subtitle V, Chapter 501, Sec. 50115, Dec. 18, 2010, 124 Stat. 3398 View the full article

Sec. 7. Special maritime and territorial jurisdiction of the United States defined The term “special maritime and territorial jurisdiction of the United States”, as used in this title, includes: (1) The high seas, any other waters within the admirALTy and maritime jurisdiction of the United States and out of the jurisdiction of any particular State, and any vessel belonging in whole or in part to the United States or any citizen thereof, or to any corporation created by or under the laws of the United States, or of any State, Territory, District, or possession thereof, when such vessel is within the admirALTy and maritime jurisdiction of the United States and out of the jurisdiction of any particular State. (2) Any vessel registered, licensed, or enrolled under the laws of the United States, and being on a voyage upon the waters of any of the Great Lakes, or any of the waters connecting them, or upon the Saint Lawrence River where the same constitutes the International Boundary Line. (3) Any lands reserved or acquired for the use of the United States, and under the exclusive or concurrent jurisdiction thereof, or any place purchased or otherwise acquired by the United States by consent of the legislature of the State in which the same shall be, for the erection of a fort, magazine, arsenal, dockyard, or other needful building. (4) Any island, rock, or key containing deposits of guano, which may, at the discretion of the President, be considered as appertaining to the United States. (5) Any aircraft belonging in whole or in part to the United States, or any citizen thereof, or to any corporation created by or under the laws of the United States, or any State, Territory, district, or possession thereof, while such aircraft is in flight over the high seas, or over any other waters within the admirALTy and maritime jurisdiction of the United States and out of the jurisdiction of any particular State. (6) Any vehicle used or designed for flight or navigation in space and on the registry of the United States pursuant to the Treaty on Principles Governing the Activities of States in the Exploration and Use of Outer Space, Including the Moon and Other Celestial Bodies and the Convention on Registration of Objects Launched into Outer Space, while that vehicle is in flight, which is from the moment when all external doors are closed on Earth following embarkation until the moment when one such door is opened on Earth for disembarkation or in the case of a forced landing, until the competent authorities take over the responsibility for the vehicle and for persons and property aboard. (7) Any place outside the jurisdiction of any nation with respect to an offense by or against a national of the United States. (8) To the extent permitted by international law, any foreign vessel during a voyage having a scheduled departure from or arrival in the United States with respect to an offense committed by or against a national of the United States. (June 25, 1948, ch. 645, 62 Stat. 685; July 12, 1952, ch. 695, 66 Stat. 589; Dec. 21, 1981, Pub. L. 97-96, Sec. 6, 95 Stat. 1210; Oct. 12, 1984, Pub. L. 98-473, title II, Sec. 1210, 98 Stat. 2164; Sept. 13, 1994, Pub. L. 103-322, title XII, Sec. 120002, 108 Stat. 2021 View the full article

SUBCHAPTER I – LANDSAT Sec. 5601. Findings The Congress finds and declares the following: (1) The continuous collection and utilization of land remote sensing data from space are of major benefit in studying and understanding human impacts on the global environment, in managing the Earth’s natural resources, in carrying out national security functions, and in planning and conducting many other activities of scientific, economic, and social importance. (2) The Federal Government’s Landsat system established the United States as the world leader in land remote sensing technology. (3) The national interest of the United States lies in maintaining international leadership in satellite land remote sensing and in broadly promoting the beneficial use of remote sensing data. (4) The cost of Landsat data has impeded the use of such data for scientific purposes, such as for global environmental change research, as well as for other public sector applications. (5) Given the importance of the Landsat program to the United States, urgent actions, including expedited procurement procedures, are required to ensure data continuity. (6) Full commercialization of the Landsat program cannot be achieved within the foreseeable future, and thus should not serve as the near-term goal of national policy on land remote sensing; however, commercialization of land remote sensing should remain a long-term goal of United States policy. (7) Despite the success and importance of the Landsat system, funding and organizational uncertainties over the past several years have placed its future in doubt and have jeopardized United States leadership in land remote sensing. (8) Recognizing the importance of the Landsat program in helping to meet national and commercial objectives, the President approved, on February 11, 1992, a National Space Policy Directive which was developed by the National Space Council and commits the United States to ensuring the continuity of Landsat coverage into the 21st century. (9) Because Landsat data are particularly important for national security purposes and global environmental change research, management responsibilities for the program should be transferred from the Department of Commerce to an integrated program management involving the Department of Defense and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. (10) Regardless of management responsibilities for the Landsat program, the Nation’s broad civilian, national security, commercial, and foreign policy interests in remote sensing will best be served by ensuring that Landsat remains an unclassified program that operates according to the principles of open skies and nondiscriminatory access. (11) Technological advances aimed at reducing the size and weight of satellite systems hold the potential for dramatic reductions in the cost, and substantial improvements in the capabilities, of future land remote sensing systems, but such technological advances have not been demonstrated for land remote sensing and therefore cannot be relied upon as the sole means of achieving data continuity for the Landsat program. (12) A technology demonstration program involving advanced remote sensing technologies could serve a vital role in determining the design of a follow-on spacecraft to Landsat 7, while also helping to determine whether such a spacecraft should be funded by the United States Government, by the private sector, or by an international consortium. (13) To maximize the value of the Landsat program to the American public, unenhanced Landsat 4 through 6 data should be made available, at a minimum, to United States Government agencies, to global environmental change researchers, and to other researchers who are financially supported by the United States Government, at the cost of fulfilling user requests, and unenhanced Landsat 7 data should be made available to all users at the cost of fulfilling user requests. (14) To stimulate development of the commercial market for unenhanced data and value-added services, the United States Government should adopt a data policy for Landsat 7 which allows competition within the private sector for distribution of unenhanced data and value-added services. (15) Development of the remote sensing market and the provision of commercial value-added services based on remote sensing data should remain exclusively the function of the private sector. (16) It is in the best interest of the United States to maintain a permanent, comprehensive Government archive of global Landsat and other land remote sensing data for long-term monitoring and study of the changing global environment. (Pub. L. 102-555, Sec. 2, Oct. 28, 1992, 106 Stat. 4163.) Land Remote Sensing Policy Act of 1992 Short Title: Section 1 of Pub. L. 102-555 provided that: “This Act [enacting this chapter and repealing chapter 68 (Sec. 4201 et seq.) of this title] may be cited as the `Land Remote Sensing Policy Act of 1992′.” Sec. 5602. Definitions In this chapter, the following definitions apply: (1) The term ”Administrator” means the Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. (2) The term ”cost of fulfilling user requests” means the incremental costs associated with providing product generation, reproduction, and distribution of unenhanced data in response to user requests and shall not include any acquisition, amortization, or depreciation of capital assets originally paid for by the United States Government or other costs not specifically attributable to fulfilling user requests. (3) The term ”data continuity” means the continued acquisition and availability of unenhanced data which are, from the point of view of the user (A) sufficiently consistent (in terms of acquisition geometry, coverage characteristics, and spectral characteristics) with previous Landsat data to allow comparisons for global and regional change detection and characterization; and (B) compatible with such data and with methods used to receive and process such data. (4) The term ”data preprocessing” may include – (A) rectification of system and sensor distortions in land remote sensing data as it is received directly from the satellite in preparation for delivery to a user; (B) registration of such data with respect to features of the Earth; and (C) calibration of spectral response with respect to such data, but does not include conclusions, manipulations, or calculations derived from such data, or a combination of such data with other data. (5) The term ”land remote sensing” means the collection of data which can be processed into imagery of surface features of the Earth from an unclassified satellite or satellites, other than an operational United States Government weather satellite. (6) The term ”Landsat Program Management” means the integrated program management structure – (A) established by, and responsible to, the Administrator and the Secretary of Defense pursuant to section 5611(a) of this title; and (B) consisting of appropriate officers and employees of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the Department of Defense, and any other United States Government agencies the President designates as responsible for the Landsat program. (7) The term ”Landsat system” means Landsats 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6, and any follow-on land remote sensing system operated and owned by the United States Government, along with any related ground equipment, systems, and facilities owned by the United States Government. (8) The term ”Landsat 6 contractor” means the private sector entity which was awarded the contract for spacecraft construction, operations, and data marketing rights for the Landsat 6 spacecraft. (9) The term ”Landsat 7” means the follow-on satellite to Landsat 6. (10) The term ”National Satellite Land Remote Sensing Data Archive” means the archive established by the Secretary of the Interior pursuant to the archival responsibilities defined in section 5652 of this title. (11) The term ”noncommercial purposes” refers to those activities undertaken by individuals or entities on the condition, upon receipt of unenhanced data, that – (A) such data shall not be used in connection with any bid for a commercial contract, development of a commercial product, or any other non-United States Government activity that is expected, or has the potential, to be profitmaking; (B) the results of such activities are disclosed in a timely and complete fashion in the open technical literature or other method of public release, except when such disclosure by the United States Government or its contractors would adversely affect the national security or foreign policy of the United States or violate a provision of law or regulation; and (C) such data shall not be distributed in competition with unenhanced data provided by the Landsat 6 contractor. (12) The term ”Secretary” means the Secretary of Commerce. (13) The term ”unenhanced data” means land remote sensing signals or imagery products that are unprocessed or subject only to data preprocessing. (14) The term ”United States Government and its affiliated users” means – (A) United States Government agencies; (B) researchers involved with the United States Global Change Research Program and its international counterpart programs; and (C) other researchers and international entities that have signed with the United States Government a cooperative agreement involving the use of Landsat data for noncommercial purposes. (Pub. L. 102-555, Sec. 3, Oct. 28, 1992, 106 Stat. 4164.) Sec. 5611. Landsat Program Management (a) Establishment The Administrator and the Secretary of Defense shall be responsible for management of the Landsat program. Such responsibility shall be carried out by establishing an integrated program management structure for the Landsat system. (b) Management plan The Administrator, the Secretary of Defense, and any other United States Government official the President designates as responsible for part of the Landsat program, shall establish, through a management plan, the roles, responsibilities, and funding expectations for the Landsat Program (FOOTNOTE 1) of the appropriate United States Government agencies. The management plan shall – (FOOTNOTE 1) So in original. Probably should not be capitalized. (1) specify that the fundamental goal of the Landsat Program Management is the continuity of unenhanced Landsat data through the acquisition and operation of a Landsat 7 satellite as quickly as practicable which is, at a minimum, functionally equivalent to the Landsat 6 satellite, with the addition of a tracking and data relay satellite communications capability; (2) include a baseline funding profile that – (A) is mutually acceptable to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration and the Department of Defense for the period covering the development and operation of Landsat 7; and (B) provides for total funding responsibility of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration and the Department of Defense, respectively, to be approximately equal to the funding responsibility of the other as spread across the development and operational life of Landsat 7; (3) specify that any improvements over the Landsat 6 functional equivalent capability for Landsat 7 will be funded by a specific sponsoring agency or agencies, in a manner agreed to by the Landsat Program Management, if the required funding exceeds the baseline funding profile required by paragraph (2), and that additional improvements will be sought only if the improvements will not jeopardize data continuity; and (4) provide for a technology demonstration program whose objective shall be the demonstration of advanced land remote sensing technologies that may potentially yield a system which is less expensive to build and operate, and more responsive to data users, than is the current Landsat system. (c) Responsibilities The Landsat Program Management shall be responsible for – (1) Landsat 7 procurement, launch, and operations; (2) ensuring that the operation of the Landsat system is responsive to the broad interests of the civilian, national security, commercial, and foreign users of the Landsat system; (3) ensuring that all unenhanced Landsat data remain unclassified and that, except as provided in section 5656(a) and (b) of this title, no restrictions are placed on the availability of unenhanced data; (4) ensuring that land remote sensing data of high priority locations will be acquired by the Landsat 7 system as required to meet the needs of the United States Global Change Research Program, as established in the Global Change Research Act of 1990 (15 U.S.C. 2921 et seq.), and to meet the needs of national security users; (5) Landsat data responsibilities pursuant to this chapter; (6) oversight of Landsat contracts entered into under sections 5612 and 5613 of this title; (7) coordination of a technology demonstration program, pursuant to section 5633 of this title; and (8) ensuring that copies of data acquired by the Landsat system are provided to the National Satellite Land Remote Sensing Data Archive. (d) Authority to contract The Landsat Program Management may, subject to appropriations and only under the existing contract authority of the United States Government agencies that compose the Landsat Program Management, enter into contracts with the private sector for services such as, but not limited to, satellite operations and data preprocessing. (e) Landsat advisory process (1) Establishment The Landsat Program Management shall seek impartial advice and comments regarding the status, effectiveness, and operation of the Landsat system, using existing advisory committees and other appropriate mechanisms. Such advice shall be sought from individuals who represent – (A) a broad range of perspectives on basic and applied science and operational needs with respect to land remote sensing data; (B) the full spectrum of users of Landsat data, including representatives from United States Government agencies, State and local government agencies, academic institutions, nonprofit organizations, value-added companies, the agricultural, mineral extraction, and other user industries, and the public, and (C) a broad diversity of age groups, sexes, and races. (2) Reports Within 1 year after October 28, 1992, and biennially thereafter, the Landsat Program Management shall prepare and submit a report to the Congress which – (A) reports the public comments received pursuant to paragraph (1); and (B) includes – (i) a response to the public comments received pursuant to paragraph (1); (ii) information on the volume of use, by category, of data from the Landsat system; and (iii) any recommendations for policy or programmatic changes to improve the utility and operation of the Landsat system. (Pub. L. 102-555, title I, Sec. 101, Oct. 28, 1992, 106 Stat. 4166.) References in Text The Global Change Research Act of 1990, referred to in subsec. (c)(4), is Pub. L. 101-606, Nov. 16, 1990, 104 Stat. 3096, which is classified generally to chapter 56A (Sec. 2921 et seq.) of this title. For complete classification of this Act to the Code, see Short Title note set out under section 2921 of this title and Tables. Landsat Remote-Sensing Satellite Program. Pub. L. 103-139, title VIII, Sec. 8060, Nov. 11, 1993, 107 Stat. 1453, authorized Department of Defense to develop and procure the Landsat 7 vehicle, prior to repeal by Pub. L. 103-335, title VIII, Sec. 8051, Sept. 30, 1994, 108 Stat. 2629. Similar provisions were contained in the following prior acts: Pub. L. 102-484, div. A, title II, Sec. 243, Oct. 23, 1992, 106 Stat. 2360, as amended by Pub. L. 103-35, title II, Sec. 202(a)(3), May 31, 1993, 107 Stat. 101. Pub. L. 102-396, title IX, Sec. 9082A, Oct. 6, 1992, 106 Stat. 1920. Sec. 5612. Procurement of Landsat 7 (a) Contract negotiations The Landsat Program Management shall, subject to appropriations and only under the existing contract authority of the United States Government agencies that compose the Landsat Program Management, expeditiously contract with a United States private sector entity for the development and delivery of Landsat 7. (b) Development and delivery consideration In negotiating a contract under this section for the development and delivery of Landsat 7, the Landsat Program Management shall – (1) seek, as a fundamental objective, to have Landsat 7 operational by the expected end of the design life of Landsat 6; (2) seek to ensure data continuity by the development and delivery of a satellite which is, at a minimum, functionally equivalent to the Landsat 6 satellite; and (3) seek to incorporate in Landsat 7 any performance improvements required to meet United States Government needs that would not jeopardize data continuity. (c) Notification of cost and schedule changes The Landsat Program Management shall promptly notify the Congress of any significant deviations from the expected cost, delivery date, and launch date of Landsat 7, that are specified by the Landsat Program Management upon award of the contract under this section. (d) United States private sector entities The Landsat Program Management shall, for purposes of this chapter, define the term ”United States private sector entities”, taking into account the location of operations, assets, personnel, and other such factors. (Pub. L. 102-555, title I, Sec. 102, Oct. 28, 1992, 106 Stat. 4168.) Sec. 5613. Data policy for Landsat 4 through 6 (a) Contract negotiations Within 30 days after October 28, 1992, the Landsat Program Management shall enter into negotiations with the Landsat 6 contractor to formalize an arrangement with respect to pricing, distribution, acquisition, archiving, and availability of unenhanced data for which the Landsat 6 contractor has responsibility under its contract. Such arrangement shall provide for a phased transition to a data policy consistent with the Landsat 7 data policy (developed pursuant to section 5615 of this title) by the date of initial operation of Landsat 7. Conditions of the phased arrangement should require that the Landsat 6 contractor adopt provisions so that by the final phase of the transition period – (1) such unenhanced data shall be provided, at a minimum, to the United States Government and its affiliated users at the cost of fulfilling user requests, on the condition that such unenhanced data are used solely for noncommercial purposes; (2) instructional data sets, selected from the Landsat data archives, will be made available to educational institutions exclusively for noncommercial, educational purposes at the cost of fulfilling user requests; (3) Landsat data users are able to acquire unenhanced data contained in the collective archives of foreign ground stations as easily and affordably as practicable; (4) adequate data necessary to meet the needs of global environmental change researchers and national security users are acquired; (5) the United States Government and its affiliated users shall not be prohibited from reproduction or dissemination of unenhanced data to other agencies of the United States Government and other affiliated users, on the condition that such unenhanced data are used solely for noncommercial purposes; (6) nonprofit, public interest entities receive vouchers, data grants, or other such means of providing them with unenhanced data at the cost of fulfilling user requests, on the condition that such unenhanced data are used solely for noncommercial purposes; (7) a viable role for the private sector in the promotion and development of the commercial market for value added and other services using unenhanced data from the Landsat system is preserved; and (8) unenhanced data from the Landsat system are provided to the National Satellite Land Remote Sensing Data Archive at no more than the cost of fulfilling user requests. (b) Failure to reach agreement If negotiations under subsection (a) of this section have not, by September 30, 1993, resulted in an agreement that the Landsat Program Management determines generally achieves the goals stated in subsection (b)(1) through (8) of this section, the Administrator and the Secretary of Defense shall, within 30 days after the date of such determination, jointly certify and report such determination to the Congress. The report shall include a review of options and projected costs for achieving such goals, and shall include recommendations for achieving such goals. The options reviewed shall include – (1) retaining the existing or modified contract with the Landsat 6 contractor; (2) the termination of existing contracts for the exclusive right to market unenhanced Landsat data; and (3) the establishment of an Alternative private sector mechanism for the marketing and commercial distribution of such data. (Pub. L. 102-555, title I, Sec. 103, Oct. 28, 1992, 106 Stat. 4168.) Sec. 5614. Transfer of Landsat 6 program responsibilities The responsibilities of the Secretary with respect to Landsat 6 shall be transferred to the Landsat Program Management, as agreed to between the Secretary and the Landsat Program Management, pursuant to section 5611 of this title. (Pub. L. 102-555, title I, Sec. 104, Oct. 28, 1992, 106 Stat. 4170.) Sec. 5615. Data policy for Landsat 7 (a) Landsat 7 data policy The Landsat Program Management, in consultation with other appropriate United States Government agencies, shall develop a data policy for Landsat 7 which should – (1) ensure that unenhanced data are available to all users at the cost of fulfilling user requests; (2) ensure timely and dependable delivery of unenhanced data to the full spectrum of civilian, national security, commercial, and foreign users and the National Satellite Land Remote Sensing Data Archive; (3) ensure that the United States retains ownership of all unenhanced data generated by Landsat 7; (4) support the development of the commercial market for remote sensing data; (5) ensure that the provision of commercial value-added services based on remote sensing data remains exclusively the function of the private sector; and (6) to the extent possible, ensure that the data distribution system for Landsat 7 is compatible with the Earth Observing System Data and Information System. (b) Additional data policy considerations In addition, the data policy for Landsat 7 may provide for – (1) United States private sector entities to operate ground receiving stations in the United States for Landsat 7 data; (2) other means for direct access by private sector entities to unenhanced data from Landsat 7; and (3) the United States Government to charge a per image fee, license fee, or other such fee to entities operating ground receiving stations or distributing Landsat 7 data. (c) Landsat 7 Data Policy Plan Not later than July 15, 1994, the Landsat Program Management shall develop and submit to Congress a report that contains a Landsat 7 Data Policy Plan. This plan shall define the roles and responsibilities of the various public and private sector entities distribution, and archiving of Landsat 7 data and in operations of the Landsat 7 spacecraft. (d) Reports Not later than 12 months after submission of the Landsat 7 Data Policy Plan, required by subsection (c) of this section, and annually thereafter until the launch of Landsat 7, the Landsat Program Management, in consultation with representatives of appropriate United States Government agencies, shall prepare and submit a report to the Congress which – (1) provides justification for the Landsat 7 data policy in terms of the civilian, national security, commercial, and foreign policy needs of the United States; and (2) provides justification for any elements of the Landsat 7 data policy which are not consistent with the provisions of subsection (a) of this section. (Pub. L. 102-555, title I, Sec. 105, Oct. 28, 1992, 106 Stat. 4170.) SUBCHAPTER III – RESEARCH, DEVELOPMENT, AND DEMONSTRATION Sec. 5631. Continued Federal research and development (a) Roles of NASA and Department of Defense (1) The Administrator and the Secretary of Defense are directed to continue and to enhance programs of remote sensing research and development. (2) The Administrator is authorized and encouraged to – (A) conduct experimental space remote sensing programs (including applications demonstration programs and basic research at universities); (B) develop remote sensing technologies and techniques, including those needed for monitoring the Earth and its environment; and (C) conduct such research and development in cooperation with other United States Government agencies and with public and private research entities (including private industry, universities, non-profit organizations, State and local governments, foreign governments, and international organizations) and to enter into arrangements (including joint ventures) which will foster such cooperation. (b) Roles of Department of Agriculture and Department of the Interior (1) In order to enhance the ability of the United States to manage and utilize its renewable and nonrenewable resources, the Secretary of Agriculture and the Secretary of the Interior are authorized and encouraged to conduct programs of research and development in the applications of remote sensing using funds appropriated for such purposes. (2) Such programs may include basic research at universities, demonstrations of applications, and cooperative activities involving other Government agencies, private sector parties, and foreign and international organizations. (c) Role of other Federal agencies Other United States Government agencies are authorized and encouraged to conduct research and development on the use of remote sensing in the fulfillment of their authorized missions, using funds appropriated for such purposes. (Pub. L. 102-555, title III, Sec. 301, Oct. 28, 1992, 106 Stat. 4174.) Sec. 5632. Availability of federally gathered unenhanced data (a) General rule All unenhanced land remote sensing data gathered and owned by the United States Government, including unenhanced data gathered under the technology demonstration program carried out pursuant to section 5633 of this title, shall be made available to users in a timely fashion. (b) Protection for commercial data distributor The President shall seek to ensure that unenhanced data gathered under the technology demonstration program carried out pursuant to section 5633 of this title shall, to the extent practicable, be made available on terms that would not adversely affect the commercial market for unenhanced data gathered by the Landsat 6 spacecraft. (Pub. L. 102-555, title III, Sec. 302, Oct. 28, 1992, 106 Stat. 4174.) Sec. 5633. Technology demonstration program (a) Establishment As a fundamental component of a national land remote sensing strategy, the President shall establish, through appropriate United States Government agencies, a technology demonstration program. The goals of such programs shall be to – (1) seek to launch advanced land remote sensing system components within 5 years after October 28, 1992; (2) demonstrate within such 5-year period advanced sensor capabilities suitable for use in the anticipated land remote sensing program; and (3) demonstrate within such 5-year period an advanced land remote sensing system design that could be less expensive to procure and operate than the Landsat system projected to be in operation through the year 2000, and that therefore holds greater potential for private sector investment and control. (b) Execution of program In executing the technology demonstration program, the President shall seek to apply technologies associated with United States National Technical Means of intelligence gathering, to the extent that such technologies are appropriate for the technology demonstration and can be declassified for such purposes without causing adverse harm to United States national security interests. (c) Broad application To the greatest extent practicable, the technology demonstration program established under subsection (a) of this section shall be designed to be responsive to the broad civilian, national security, commercial, and foreign policy needs of the United States. (d) Private sector funding The technology demonstration program under this section may be carried out in part with private sector funding. (e) Landsat Program Management coordination The Landsat Program Management shall have a coordinating role in the technology demonstration program carried out under this section. (f) Report to Congress The President shall assess the progress of the technology demonstration program under this section and, within 2 years after October 28, 1992, submit a report to the Congress on such progress. (Pub. L. 102-555, title III, Sec. 303, Oct. 28, 1992, 106 Stat. 4174.) SUBCHAPTER IV – ASSESSING OPTIONS FOR SUCCESSOR LAND REMOTE SENSING SYSTEM Sec. 5641. Assessing options for successor land remote sensing system (a) Assessment Within 5 years after October 28, 1992, the Landsat Program Management, in consultation with representatives of appropriate United States Government agencies, shall assess and report to the Congress on the options for a successor land remote sensing system to Landsat 7. The report shall include a full assessment of the advantages and disadvantages of – (1) private sector funding and management of a successor land remote sensing system; (2) establishing an international consortium for the funding and management of a successor land remote sensing system; (3) funding and management of a successor land remote sensing system by the United States Government; and (4) a cooperative effort between the United States Government and the private sector for the funding and management of a successor land remote sensing system. (b) Goals In carrying out subsection (a) of this section, the Landsat Program Management shall consider the ability of each of the options to – (1) encourage the development, launch, and operation of a land remote sensing system that adequately serves the civilian, national security commercial, and foreign policy interests of the United States; (2) encourage the development, launch, and operation of a land remote sensing system that maintains data continuity with the Landsat system; and (3) incorporate system enhancements, including any such enhancements developed under the technology demonstration program under section 5633 of this title, which may potentially yield a system that is less expensive to build and operate, and more responsive to data users, than is the Landsat system projected to be in operation through the year 2000. (c) Preference for private sector system If a successor land remote sensing system to Landsat 7 can be funded and managed by the private sector while still achieving the goals stated in subsection (b) of this section without jeopardizing the domestic, national security, and foreign policy interests of the United States, preference should be given to the development of such a system by the private sector without competition from the United States Government. (Pub. L. 102-555, title IV, Sec. 401, Oct. 28, 1992, 106 Stat. 4175.) View the full article

(a) Acquisition from commercial providers. The Administrator shall, to the extent possible and while satisfying the scientific or educational requirements of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, and where appropriate, of other Federal agencies and scientific researchers, acquire, where cost effective, space science data from a commercial provider. (b) Treatment of space science data as commercial item under acquisition laws Acquisitions of space science data by the Administrator shall be carried out in accordance with applicable acquisition laws and regulations (including chapters 137 and 140 of title 10). For purposes of such law and regulations, space science data shall be considered to be a commercial item. Nothing in this subsection shall be construed to preclude the United States from acquiring, through contracts with commercial providers, sufficient rights in data to meet the needs of the scientific and educational community or the needs of other government activities. (c) Definition. For purposes of this section, the term ”space science data” includes scientific data concerning – (1) the elemental and mineralogical resources of the moon, asteroids, planets and their moons, and comets; (2) microgravity acceleration; and (3) solar storm monitoring. (d) Safety standards. Nothing in this section shall be construed to prohibit the Federal Government from requiring compliance with applicable safety standards. (e) Limitation. This section does not authorize the National Aeronautics and Space Administration to provide financial assistance for the development of commercial systems for the collection of space science data. -SOURCE- (Pub. L. 105-303, title I, Sec. 105, Oct. 28, 1998, 112 Stat. 2852.) View the full article

3 min read La seguridad es fundamental para la movilidad aérea avanzada La misión de Movilidad Aérea Avanzada de la NASA contribuye a garantizar la seguridad operativa de esta nueva clase de aviones que está desarrollando la industria. Este arte conceptual representa cómo podría ayudar la incorporación de tecnologías automatizadas a la aeronave, como la evitación de peligros.NASA Graphics / Kyle Jenkins Read this feature in English here. Empresas de todo el mundo están creando nuevos e innovadores diseños de aeronaves, como los aviones eléctricos de despegue y aterrizaje vertical (eVTOLs por sus siglas en inglés), y otros conceptos de aeronaves para su uso en la respuesta a emergencias y la entrega de paquetes y carga. Sin embargo, estas aeronaves sólo asomarán por los cielos de Estados Unidos cuando la Administración Federal de Aviación garantice que son seguras para transportar pasajeros o sobrevolar comunidades. La misión de Movilidad Aérea Avanzada (AAM por sus siglas en inglés) de la NASA está utilizando el intercambio de información, simulaciones, modelado y pruebas de vuelo, para ayudar a la industria a evaluar cómo la automatización, el diseño y las operaciones de los vehículos y otras áreas de investigación pueden integrarse para garantizar que esta nueva clase de vehículos sea segura de operar. Una de las ramas de investigación de esta misión es el proyecto de Sistema de Seguridad Integro de la NASA. El proyecto de Sistema de Seguridad Integro evalúa cómo la industria aeroespacial y la modernización de las aeronaves afectan a la seguridad. Este enfoque integrado utiliza la tecnología más avanzada para abordar los posibles riesgos operativos y de diseño. Los aviones AAM estarán sumamente automatizados, con sistemas que tomarán decisiones críticas para la seguridad de forma regular. Estas decisiones podrían incluir la percepción y evitación de peligros, así como funciones de manejo de la trayectoria de vuelo que permitan a los vehículos operar sin piloto. O, en el caso de las aeronaves pilotadas, pueden aumentar la seguridad. El proyecto Sistema de Seguridad Integro está desarrollando una nueva tecnología denominada Sistema de Manejo de Seguridad Aérea Puntual (IASMS por sus siglas en inglés), que automatizará las funciones del manejo de riesgos y seguridad que hoy se realizan manualmente. El IASMS vigilaría continuamente el Espacio Aéreo Nacional, recogiendo datos sobre las aeronaves en vuelo, el manejo del tráfico aéreo, los aeropuertos, las condiciones del terreno y el clima para evaluar los riesgos potenciales. Estos sistemas harían recomendaciones de actuación a controladores aéreos y pilotos, o automáticamente integrarían acciones planificadas. La importancia de la investigación del IASMS aumentará a medida que los eVTOL AAM sumamente automatizados ingresen al espacio aéreo. Se espera que el IASMS proporcione parámetros de rendimiento para vehículos eVTOL, vertipuertos y a los controladores de tráfico aéreo y mejore el conocimiento de la situación para garantizar la seguridad en el aire y en tierra. El Sistema de Seguridad Integro es sólo un aspecto de la misión AAM de la NASA, que complementa la investigación en automatización, ruido, vertipuertos y diseño de vehículos, así como la integración y el diseño del espacio aéreo para mantener a todos seguros mientras vuelan juntos en el cielo. Artículo Traducido por: Elena Aguirre Facebook logo @NASA@NASAaero@NASA_es @NASA@NASAaero@NASA_es Instagram logo @NASA@NASAaero@NASA_es Linkedin logo @NASA Explore More 5 min read Ciencia destacada del año en el espacio del astronauta Frank Rubio El astronauta de la NASA Frank Rubio regresará a la Tierra este otoño boreal, después… Article 2 weeks ago 5 min read Misión récord de astronauta ayuda a planificar viajes al espacio profundo Article 3 weeks ago 4 min read La NASA está visualizando un futuro espacio aéreo con la movilidad aérea avanzada Article 1 month ago Keep Exploring Discover More Topics From NASA Missions Humans In Space NASA en español Explora el universo y descubre tu planeta natal con nosotros, en tu idioma. Explore NASA’s History Share Details Last Updated Oct 04, 2023 Editor Lillian Gipson Contact Jim Bankejim.banke@nasa.gov Related Terms AeronáuticaNASA en español View the full article

Earth observation taken by the Expedition 35 crew aboard the International Space Station. The Sun and portions of the forward of the space station are in view.NASA As part of NASA’s efforts to foster commercially owned and operated low Earth orbit destinations, Nanoracks, part of Voyager Space’s Exploration Segment, and Northrop Grumman are teaming up to support Nanoracks’ development of the Starlab commercial space station. Rather than developing its own destination as planned under a separate Space Act Agreement (SAA) with NASA, the agency and Northrop Grumman agreed to withdraw from its agreement so the company can join Voyager Space and Nanoracks in providing cargo logistics services and engineering services to support the Starlab station. “This is a positive development for the commercial low Earth orbit destinations effort,” says Phil McAlister, director of commercial space at NASA Headquarters in Washington. “Northrop Grumman has determined that its best strategy is to join the Nanoracks team, and NASA respects and supports that decision. We continue to see a strong competitive landscape for future commercial destinations, and I am pleased that Northrop is staying with the program.” Northrop Grumman was originally awarded a milestone-based agreement in 2021 to develop their station, totaling $125.6 million. To date, $36.6 million has been paid to Northrop Grumman for the successful completion of milestones. NASA plans to take the remaining funding associated with Northrop Grumman’s withdrawal and other program funding to add milestones to the agency’s existing agreements with the other currently funded destination partners including Voyager Space/Nanoracks, Blue Origin, and Axiom Space, assuming NASA and the companies can agree on the additional milestones and value. “Commercial destinations are a critical capability for NASA as we transition low Earth orbit operations to private industry and open access to space. Refining strategies and evolving partnerships are part of the process as we build a robust low Earth orbit economy where NASA is one of many customers,” says Angela Hart, manager of commercial low Earth orbit development program at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston. “This opportunity provides us the ability to reduce risks and have more insight into our partners’ technical designs.” Negotiations are ongoing to determine additional milestones for the existing partners and NASA will share more on those negotiations once they have been completed. This additional content and funding will allow the partners to accelerate development efforts and help address schedule risk in reaching operational readiness prior to the International Space Station retirement in 2030. NASA is supporting the design and development of multiple commercial space stations with the three funded partners listed above, as well as several other partners with unfunded agreements through NASA’s Collaborations for Commercial Space Capabilities-2 project. The design and development phase will be followed by the procurement of services from one or more companies, where NASA aims to be one of many customers for low Earth orbit destinations after the retirement of the International Space Station. The agency recently issued a request for information for industry to provide input on the agency’s requirements for end-to-end low Earth orbit space station services. NASA’s commercial strategy for low Earth orbit will provide the government with reliable and safe services at a lower cost and enable the agency to focus on Artemis missions to the Moon in preparation for Mars, while also continuing to use low Earth orbit as a training and proving ground for those deep space missions. For more information about NASA’s commercial space strategy, visit: https://www.nasa.gov/humans-in-space/commercial-space/ -end- Joshua Finch Headquarters, Washington 202-358-1100 joshua.a.finch@nasa.gov Rebecca Turkington Johnson Space Center, Houston 281-483-5111 rebecca.turkington@nasa.gov Keep Exploring Discover More Topics Low Earth Orbit Economy Commercial Destinations in Low Earth Orbit Commercial Space Humans In Space View the full article

Expedition 69 NASA astronaut Frank Rubio is seen outside the Soyuz MS-23 spacecraft after he landed with Roscosmos cosmonauts Sergey Prokopyev and Dmitri Petelin in a remote area near the town of Zhezkazgan, Kazakhstan on Wednesday, Sept. 27, 2023. The trio are returning to Earth after logging 371 days in space as members of Expeditions 68-69 aboard the International Space Station. For Rubio, his mission is the longest single spaceflight by a U.S. astronaut in history. NASA/Bill Ingalls NASA astronaut Frank Rubio, back on Earth after breaking the record for the longest single spaceflight in history by an American, will participate in a news conference at 2 p.m. EDT Friday, Oct. 13, at the agency’s Johnson Space Center in Houston. The news conference will air live on NASA Television, the NASA app, and the agency’s website. Watch online at: https://www.nasa.gov/nasatv Rubio’s extended mission aboard the International Space Station led to a total of 371 days in space. Extended missions provide researchers the opportunity to better observe the effects of long-duration spaceflight on astronauts as the agency returns to the Moon with the Artemis missions and prepares for human exploration of Mars. Media interested in participating in person must contact the NASA Johnson newsroom no later than 5 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 12, by calling 281-483-5111 or emailing: jsccommu@mail.nasa.gov. Media wishing to participate virtually must contact the newsroom no later than two hours before the start of the event. NASA’s media accreditation policy is available online. Questions may also be submitted on social media by using #AskNASA. Rubio launched Sept. 21, 2022, alongside Roscosmos cosmonauts Sergey Prokopyev and Dmitri Petelin. The trio returned to Earth Sept. 27. The 371 day-mission is the longest single spaceflight by a U.S. astronaut, a record previously held by NASA astronaut Mark Vande Hei with 355 days. Rubio completed approximately 5,936 orbits of the Earth and a journey of more than 157 million miles during his first spaceflight, roughly the equivalent of 328 trips to the Moon and back. He witnessed the arrival of 15 visiting spacecraft and the departure of 14 visiting spacecraft, including both crewed and cargo missions. During his record-breaking mission, Rubio spent many hours contributing to scientific activities aboard the orbiting laboratory, conducting everything from human health studies to plant research. One study evaluated the command of multiple autonomous robots from space and what challenges might exist for orbit-to-ground remote operation of robots. He also tended to space tomatoes to test hydroponic (water-based) and aeroponic (air-based) growth techniques rather than soil or other traditional growth media to help identify ways to produce crops on a larger scale for future space missions. Get the latest NASA space station news, images and features on Instagram, Facebook, and X. Keep up with the International Space Station, its research, and crew at: https://www.nasa.gov/station -end- Lora Bleacher / Julian Coltre Headquarters, Washington 202-358-1100 lora.v.bleacher@nasa.gov / julian.n.coltre@nasa.gov Courtney Beasley Johnson Space Center, Houston 281-483-5111 courtney.m.beasley@nasa.gov View the full article

Revealing the OSIRIS-REx Asteroid Sample (Official NASA Broadcast in 4K)

“I think the experience of putting yourself in an uncomfortable environment and coming at the other end with lessons learned is always positive. Trying to expand the windows of where you feel comfortable gives you a chance to know yourself better.” — Alfonso Davila, Research Scientist, Exobiology Branch, NASA’s Ames Research Center “I think the experience of putting yourself in an uncomfortable environment and coming at the other end with lessons learned is always positive. Trying to expand the windows of where you feel comfortable gives you a chance to know yourself better. “[Studying life in extreme deserts] is about exploring things that we don’t know about. And a lot of what we don’t know happens in environments that are remote, just because it’s very hard to get there and not a lot of people go to those environments. “…It’s about those two things: exploring the unknown and also, in a way, exploring yourself and what you’re capable of. “…[My interest in exobiology] started as a means to understand whether life can exist in environments that are very Mars-like. We know that life is robust and can adapt to many extreme conditions, but deserts are very different from other extreme environments. Nobody loves being in the desert, not even microbes. “Over time, our understanding of the diversity of worlds in the solar system has expanded greatly. And in the past few years, there has been a revolution driven by the discovery of what we now call ocean worlds, like Europa, or Titan. It’s the polar opposite: It’s going from the extreme deserts where there is barely any water for life to environments where there is a lot of water. “…And so my interest started to shift slightly over the years to not just trying to understand the limits of life, but then also to understand environments where life can actually exist and how go about searching for evidence of it. To me, it’s the ultimate question on how to understand life in the larger scale. “That’s what’s driven me to explore those extreme environments, understand the limits of life, and then think about how we search for forms of life outside of the Earth.” —Alfonso Davila, Research Scientist, Ames Research Center Image Credit: NASA / Brandon Torres Interviewer: NASA / Thalia Patrinos Check out some of our other Faces of NASA. View the full article

Downloads Nelson Ethics Pledge Limited Waiver – May 4, 2021 Oct 4, 2023 PDF (207.13 KB) Nelson Relativity Space Limited Waiver – October 8, 2022 Oct 4, 2023 PDF (246.92 KB) Melroy Ethics Pledge Limited Waiver – June 30, 2021 Oct 4, 2023 PDF (8.57 MB) View the full article

I have been invited to an event and the company has offered to pay. What do I need to do? Create a package for approval with the following items: Offer letter from the non-Federal source. Email, fax, or letter is sufficient. NF 1167 — signature level is the Association Administrator for your Office Travel Orders Helpful Resources in completing the above items: Instructions for Completing the NF 1167 (.doc) NASA Financial Management Chapter 12, Section 304 (.pdf) Reimbursable Travel Presentation by Travel Office (.ppt) Non-Federal sources may offer to pay all or a portion of your travel expenses. There are several authorities under which travel costs of NASA employees may be paid by a non-Federal source. The most commonly used is 31 U.S.C. § 1353, authorizing NASA to accept travel expenses from non-Federal sources for employees attending meetings or similar functions. Other authorities not covered here include the Government Employees Training Act, the Widely Attended Gathering exception to the Standards of Conduct, 5 U.S.C. § 7342 dealing with foreign gifts and decorations, and the Space Act. 31 U.S.C. § 1353 permits non-Federal sources, such as organizations, associations, or businesses, to pay the Government for the expenses of transportation, accommodations, and meals for Government employees officially attending meetings and similar functions such as conferences and symposia. 31 U.S.C. § 1353 is implemented in GSA’s regulations at 41 CFR § 304.1, Payment from a Non-Federal Source for Travel Expenses. The authority in 31 U.S.C. § 1353 must be used to accept travel expenses for attendance at a meeting or similar function. Examples include conferences, seminars, speaking engagements, and training courses. It does not include travel required to carry out an agency’s statutory and regulatory functions, such as inspections, audits, site visits, or negotiations; nor does it include promotional vendor training or other meetings for the primary purpose of marketing the non-Federal source’s products or services. The event need not be “widely attended.” Under 31 U.S.C. § 1353, the travel authorizing official must determine, in advance of the travel, that payment is: 1) for travel related to the employee’s official duties; 2) for attendance at a meeting or similar function, and 3) from a non-Federal source that is not disqualified on conflict of interest grounds. Local Counsel reviews the arrangement, and, where foreign travel is involved, so does the Office of External Relations at Headquarters. NASA Form 1167 is used to request approval. Reimbursement may be either by check or in-kind. In-kind reimbursement (e.g., plane tickets, prepaid hotel reservations) is the most common method. Checks must be made out to NASA, not to the employee. Cash may not be accepted by NASA employees. NASA reports reimbursements under 31 U.S.C. § 1353 semiannually to the Office of Government Ethics. View the full article

TITLE 15–COMMERCE AND TRADE CHAPTER 63–TECHNOLOGY INNOVATION Sec. 3701. Findings The Congress finds and declares that: (1) Technology and industrial innovation are central to the economic, environmental, and social well-being of citizens of the United States. (2) Technology and industrial innovation offer and improved standard of living, increased public and private sector productivity, creation of new industries and employment opportunities, improved public services and enhanced competitiveness of United States products in world markets. (3) Many new discoveries and advances in science occur in universities and Federal laboratories, while the application of this new knowledge to commercial and useful public purposes depends largely upon actions by business and labor. Cooperation among academia, Federal laboratories, labor, and industry, in such forms as technology transfer, personnel exchange, joint research projects, and others, should be renewed, expanded, and strengthened. (4) Small businesses have performed an important role in advancing industrial and technological innovation. (5) Industrial and technological innovation in the United States may be lagging when compared to historical patterns and other industrialized nations. (6) Increased industrial and technological innovation would reduce trade deficits, stabilize the dollar, increase productivity gains, increase employment, and stabilize prices. (7) Government antitrust, economic, trade, patent, procurement, regulatory, research and development, and tax policies have significant impacts upon industrial innovation and development of technology, but there is insufficient knowledge of their effects in particular sectors of the economy. (8) No comprehensive national policy exists to enhance technological innovation for commercial and public purposes. There is a need for such a policy, including a strong national policy supporting domestic technology transfer and utilization of the science and technology resources of the Federal Government. (9) It is in the national interest to promote the adaptation of technological innovations to State and local government uses. Technological innovations can improve services, reduce their costs, and increase productivity in State and local governments. (10) The Federal laboratories and other performers of federally funded research and development frequently provide scientific and technological developments of potential use to State and local governments and private industry. These developments, which include inventions, computer software, and training technologies, should be made accessible to those governments and industry. There is a need to provide means of access and to give adequate personnel and funding support to these means. (11) The Nation should give fuller recognition to individuals and companies which have made outstanding contributions to the promotion of technology or technological manpower for the improvement of the economic, environmental, or social well-being of the United States. (Pub. L. 96-480, Sec. 2, Oct. 21, 1980, 94 Stat. 2311; Pub. L. 99-502, Sec. 9(f)(1), Oct. 20, 1986, 100 Stat. 1797.) Amendments 1986–Par. (10). Pub. L. 99-502 inserted “, which include inventions, computer software, and training technologies,”. Sec. 3702. Purpose It is the purpose of this chapter to improve the economic, environmental, and social well-being of the United States by– (1) establishing organizations in the executive branch to study and stimulate technology; (2) promoting technology development through the establishment of cooperative research centers; (3) stimulating improved utilization of federally funded technology developments, including inventions, software, and training technologies, by State and local governments and the private sector; (4) providing encouragement for the development of technology through the recognition of individuals and companies which have made outstanding contributions in technology; and (5) encouraging the exchange of scientific and technical personnel among academia, industry, and Federal laboratories. (Pub. L. 96-480, Sec. 3, Oct. 21, 1980, 94 Stat. 2312; Pub. L. 99-502, Sec. 9(b)(1), (f)(2), Oct. 20, 1986, 100 Stat. 1795, 1797.) Amendments 1986–Par. (2). Pub. L. 99-502, Sec. 9(b)(1), substituted “cooperative research centers” for “centers for industrial technology”. Par. (3). Pub. L. 99-502, Sec. 9(f)(2), inserted “, including inventions, software, and training technologies,”. Sec. 3708. Administrative arrangements (a) Coordination The Secretary and the National Science Foundation shall, on a continuing basis, obtain the advice and cooperation of departments and agencies whose missions contribute to or are affected by the programs established under this chapter, including the development of an agenda for research and policy experimentation. These departments and agencies shall include but not be limited to the Departments of Defense, Energy, Education, HeALTh and Human Services, Housing and Urban Development, the Environmental Protection Agency, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Small Business Administration, Council of Economic Advisers, Council on Environmental Quality, and Office of Science and Technology Policy. (b) Cooperation It is the sense of the Congress that departments and agencies, including the Federal laboratories, whose missions are affected by, or could contribute to, the programs established under this chapter, should, within the limits of budgetary authorizations and appropriations, support or participate in activities or projects authorized by this chapter. (c) Administrative authorization (1) Departments and agencies described in subsection (b) of this section are authorized to participate in, contribute to, and serve as resources for the Centers and for any other activities authorized under this chapter. (2) The Secretary and the National Science Foundation are authorized to receive moneys and to receive other forms of assistance from other departments or agencies to support activities of the Centers and any other activities authorized under this chapter. (d) Cooperative efforts The Secretary and the National Science Foundation shall, on a continuing basis, provide each other the opportunity to comment on any proposed program of activity under section 3705, 3707, 3710, 3710d, 3711a, or 3712 of this title before funds are committed to such program in order to mount complementary efforts and avoid duplication. (Pub. L. 96-480, Sec. 10, formerly Sec. 9, Oct. 21, 1980, 94 Stat. 2316; Pub. L. 99-502, Sec. 9(e)(2)(C), Oct. 20, 1986, 100 Stat. 1797; Pub. L. 100-107, Sec. 3(b), Aug. 20, 1987, 101 Stat. 727; renumbered Sec. 10 and amended Pub. L. 100-418, title V, Sec. 5122(a)(1), (c), Aug. 23, 1988, 102 Stat. 1438, 1439; Pub. L. 102-240, title VI, Sec. 6019, Dec. 18, 1991, 105 Stat. 2183.) Prior Provisions A prior section 10 of Pub. L. 96-480 was renumbered section 11 by Pub. L. 100-418 and is classified to section 3710 of this title. Another prior section 10 of Pub. L. 96-480, related to the National Industrial Technology Board and was classified to section 3709 of this title, prior to repeal by section 9(a) of Pub. L. 99-502. Amendments 1991–Subsec. (d). Pub. L. 102-240 made technical amendment to reference to section 3712 of this title to reflect renumbering of corresponding section of original act. 1988–Subsec. (d). Pub. L. 100-418, Sec. 5122(c), made technical amendment to references to sections 3705, 3707, 3710, 3710d, 3711a, and 3712 of this title to reflect renumbering of corresponding sections of original act. 1987–Subsec. (d). Pub. L. 100-107 inserted reference to section 3711a of this title. 1986–Subsec. (d). Pub. L. 99-502 inserted references to sections 3710 and 3710d of this title. Sec. 3710. Utilization of Federal technology–(a) Policy. (1) It is the continuing responsibility of the Federal Government to ensure the full use of the results of the Nation’s Federal investment in research and development. To this end the Federal Government shall strive where appropriate to transfer federally owned or originated technology to State and local governments and to the private sector. (2) Technology transfer, consistent with mission responsibilities, is a responsibility of each laboratory science and engineering professional. (3) Each laboratory director shall ensure that efforts to transfer technology are considered positively in laboratory job descriptions, employee promotion policies, and evaluation of the job performance of scientists and engineers in the laboratory. (b) Establishment of Research and Technology Applications Offices. Each Federal laboratory shall establish an Office of Research and technology Applications. Laboratories having existing organizational structures which perform the functions of this section may elect to combine the Office of Research and Technology Applications within the existing organization. The staffing and funding levels for these offices shall be determined between each Federal laboratory and the Federal agency operating or directing the laboratory, except that (1) each laboratory having 200 or more full-time equivalent scientific, engineering, and related technical positions shall provide one or more full-time equivalent positions as staff for its Office of Research and Technology Applications, and (2) each Federal agency which operates or directs one or more Federal laboratories shall make available sufficient funding, either as a separate line item or from the agency’s research and development budget, to support the technology transfer function at the agency and at its laboratories, including support of the Offices of Research and Technology Applications. Furthermore, individuals filling positions in an Office of Research and Technology Applications shall be included in the overall laboratory/agency management development program so as to ensure that highly competent technical managers are full participants in the technology transfer process. The agency head shall submit to Congress at the time the President submits the budget to Congress an explanation of the agency’s technology transfer program for the preceding year and the agency’s plans for conducting its technology transfer function for the upcoming year, including plans for securing intellectual property rights in laboratory innovations with commercial promise and plans for managing such innovations so as to benefit the competitiveness of United States industry. (c) Functions of Research and Technology Applications Offices. It shall be the function of each Office of Research and Technology Applications– (1) to prepare application assessments for selected research and development projects in which that laboratory is engaged and which in the opinion of the laboratory may have potential commercial applications; (2) to provide and disseminate information on federally owned or originated products, processes, and services having potential application to State and local governments and to private industry; (3) to cooperate with and assist the National Technical for Technology Transfer, and other organizations which link the research and development resources of that laboratory and the Federal Government as a whole to potential users in State and local government and private industry; (4) to provide technical assistance to State and local government officials; and (5) to participate, where feasible, in regional, State, and local programs designed to facilitate or stimulate the transfer of technology for the benefit of the region, State, or local jurisdiction in which the Federal laboratory is located. Agencies which have established organizational structures outside their Federal laboratories which have as their principal purpose the transfer of federally owned or originated technology to State and local government and to the private sector may elect to perform the functions of this subsection in such organizational structures. No Office of Research and Technology Applications or other organizational structures performing the functions of this subsection shall substantially compete with similar services available in the private sector. (d) Dissemination of technical information The National Technical Information Service shall– (1) serve as a central clearinghouse for the collection, dissemination and transfer of information on federally owned or originated technologies having potential application to State and local governments and to private industry; (2) utilize the expertise and services of the National Science Foundation and the Federal Laboratory Consortium for Technology Transfer; particularly in dealing with State and local governments; (3) receive requests for technical assistance from State and local governments, respond to such requests with published information available to the Service, and refer such requests to the Federal Laboratory Consortium for Technology Transfer to the extent that such requests require a response involving more than the published information available to the Service; (4) provide funding, at the discretion of the Secretary, for Federal laboratories to provide the assistance specified in subsection (c)(3) of this section; (5) use appropriate technology transfer mechanisms such as personnel exchanges and computer-based systems; and (6) maintain a permanent archival repository and clearinghouse for the collection and dissemination of nonclassified scientific, technical, and engineering information. (e) Establishment of Federal Laboratory Consortium for Technology Transfer. (1) There is hereby established the Federal Laboratory Consortium for Technology Transfer (hereinafter referred to as the “Consortium”) which, in cooperation with Federal Laboratories and the private sector, shall (A) develop and (with the consent of the Federal laboratory concerned) administer techniques, training courses, and materials concerning technology transfer to increase the awareness of Federal laboratory employees regarding the commercial potential of laboratory technology and innovations; (B) furnish advice and assistance requested by Federal agencies and laboratories for use in their technology transfer programs (including the planning of seminars for small business and other industry); (C) provide a clearinghouse for requests, received at the laboratory level, for technical assistance from States and units of local governments, businesses, industrial development organizations, not-for-profit organizations including universities, Federal agencies and laboratories, and other persons, and– (i) to the extent that such requests can be responded to with published information available to the National Technical Information Service, refer such requests to that Service, and (ii) otherwise refer these requests to the appropriate Federal laboratories and agencies; (D) facilitate communication and coordination between Offices of Research and Technology Applications of Federal laboratories; (E) utilize (with the consent of the agency involved) the expertise and services of the National Science Foundation, the Department of Commerce, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, and other Federal agencies, as necessary; (F) with the consent of any Federal laboratory, facilitate the use by such laboratory of appropriate technology transfer mechanisms such as personnel exchanges and computer-based systems; (G) with the consent of any Federal laboratory, assist such laboratory to establish programs using technical volunteers to provide technical assistance to communities related to such laboratory; (H) facilitate communication and cooperation between Offices of Research and Technology Applications of Federal laboratories and regional, State, and local technology transfer organizations; (I) when requested, assist colleges or universities, businesses, nonprofit organizations, State or local governments, or regional organizations to establish programs to stimulate research and to encourage technology transfer in such areas as technology program development, curriculum design, long-term research planning, personnel needs projections, and productivity assessments; and (J) seek advice in each Federal laboratory consortium region from representatives of State and local governments, large and small business, universities, and other appropriate persons on the effectiveness of the program (and any such advice shall be provided at no expense to the Government). (2) The membership of the Consortium shall consist of the Federal laboratories described in clause (1) of subsection (b) of this section and such other laboratories as may choose to join the Consortium. The representatives to the Consortium shall include a senior staff member of each Federal laboratory which is a member of the Consortium and a senior representative appointed from each Federal agency with one or more member laboratories. (3) The representatives to the Consortium shall elect a Chairman of the Consortium. (4) The Director of the National Institute of Standards and Technology shall provide the Consortium, on a reimbursable basis, with administrative services, such as office space, personnel, and support services of the Institute, as requested by the Consortium and approved by such Director. (5) Each Federal laboratory or agency shall transfer technology directly to users or representatives of users, and shall not transfer technology directly to the Consortium. Each Federal laboratory shall conduct and transfer technology only in accordance with the practices and policies of the Federal agency which owns, leases, or otherwise uses such Federal laboratory. (6) Not later than one year after October 20, 1986, and every year thereafter, the Chairman of the Consortium shall submit a report to the President, to the appropriate authorization and appropriation committees of both Houses of the Congress, and to each agency with respect to which a transfer of funding is made (for the fiscal year or years involved) under paragraph (7), concerning the activities of the Consortium and the expenditures made by it under this subsection during the year for which the report is made. Such report shall include an annual independent audit of the financial statements of the Consortium, conducted in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles. (7)(A) Subject to subparagraph (B), an amount equal to 0.008 percent of the budget of each Federal agency from any Federal source, including related overhead, that is to be utilized by or on behalf of the laboratories of such agency for a fiscal year referred to in subparagraph (B)(ii) shall be transferred by such agency to the National Institute of Standards and Technology at the beginning of the fiscal year involved. Amounts so transferred shall be provided by the Institute to the Consortium for the purpose of carrying out activities of the Consortium under this subsection. (B) A transfer shall be made by any Federal agency under subparagraph (A), for any fiscal year, only if– (i) the amount so transferred by that agency (as determined under such subparagraph) would exceed $10,000; and (ii) such transfer is made with respect to the fiscal year 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, or 1996. (C) The heads of Federal agencies and their designees, and the directors of Federal laboratories, may provide such additional support for operations of the Consortium as they deem appropriate.< br/> (f) Agency reporting Each Federal agency which operates or directs one or more Federal laboratories shall report annually to the Congress, as part of the agency’s annual budget submission, on the activities performed by that agency and its Federal laboratories pursuant to the provisions of this section. (g) Functions of Secretary (1) The Secretary, through the Under Secretary, and in consultation with other Federal agencies, may– (A) make available to interested agencies the expertise of the Department of Commerce regarding the commercial potential of inventions and methods and options for commercialization which are available to the Federal laboratories, including research and development limited partnerships; (B) develop and disseminate to appropriate agency and laboratory personnel model provisions for use on a voluntary basis in cooperative research and development arrangements; and (C) furnish advice and assistance, upon request, to Federal agencies concerning their cooperative research and development programs and projects. (2) Two years after October 20, 1986, and every two years thereafter, the Secretary shall submit a summary report to the President and the Congress on the use by the agencies and the Secretary of the authorities specified in this chapter. Other Federal agencies shall cooperate in the report’s preparation. (3) Not later than one year after October 20, 1986, the Secretary shall submit to the President and the Congress a report regarding– (A) any copyright provisions or other types of barriers which tend to restrict or limit the transfer of federally funded computer software to the private sector and to State and local governments, and agencies of such State and local governments; and (B) the feasibility and cost of compiling and maintaining a current and comprehensive inventory of all federally funded training software. (h) Repealed. Pub. L. 100-519, title II, Sec. 212(a)(4), Oct. 24, 1988, 102 Stat. 2595 (i) Research equipment The Director of a laboratory, or the head of any Federal agency or department, may give research equipment that is excess to the needs of the laboratory, agency, or department to an educational institution or nonprofit organization for the conduct of technical and scientific education and research activities. Title of ownership shall transfer with a gift under the\2\ section. (Pub. L. 96-480, Sec. 11, Oct. 21, 1980, 94 Stat. 2318; renumbered Sec. 10 and amended Pub. L. 99-502, Secs. 3-5, 9(e)(1), Oct. 20, 1986, 100 Stat. 1787, 1789, 1791, 1797; renumbered Sec. 11 and amended Pub. L. 100-418, title V, Secs. 5115(b)(2), 5122(a)(1), 5162(b), 5163(c)(1), (3), Aug. 23, 1988, 102 Stat. 1433, 1438, 1450, 1451; Pub. L. 100-519, title II, Secs. 201(d)(3), 212(a)(4), Oct. 24, 1988, 102 Stat. 2594, 2595; Pub. L. 101-189, div. C, title XXXI, Sec. 3133(e), Nov. 29, 1989, 103 Stat. 1679; Pub. L. 102-245, title III, Secs. 301, 303, Feb. 14, 1992, 106 Stat. 19, 20.) Amendments 1992–Subsec. (e)(2). Pub. L. 102-245, Sec. 301(a), inserted “senior” before “representative”. Subsec. (e)(6). Pub. L. 102-245, Sec. 301(b), inserted at end “Such report shall include an annual independent audit of the financial statements of the Consortium, conducted in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles.” Subsec. (e)(7)(B)(ii). Pub. L. 102-245, Sec. 301(c), substituted “1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, or 1996” for “or 1991”. Subsec. (e)(8). Pub. L. 102-245, Sec. 301(d), struck out former par. (8) which read as follows: “(A) The Consortium shall use 5 percent of the funds provided in paragraph (7)(A) to establish demonstration projects in technology transfer. To carry out such projects, the Consortium may arrange for grants or awards to, or enter into agreements with, nonprofit State, local, or private organizations or entities whose primary purposes are to facilitate cooperative research between the Federal laboratories and organizations not associated with the Federal laboratories, to transfer technology from the Federal laboratories, and to advance State and local economic activity. “(B) The demonstration projects established under subparagraph (A) shall serve as model programs. Such projects shall be designed to develop programs and mechanisms for technology transfer from the Federal laboratories which may be utilized by the States and which will enhance Federal, State, and local programs for the transfer of technology.>br /> “(C) Application for such grants, awards, or agreements shall be in such form and contain such information as the Consortium or its designee shall specify. “(D) Any person who receives or utilizes any proceeds of a grant or award made, or agreement entered into, under this paragraph shall keep such records as the Consortium or its designee shall determine are necessary and appropriate to facilitate effective audit and evaluation, including records which fully disclose the amount and disposition of such proceeds and the total cost of the project in connection with which such proceeds were used.” Subsec. (i). Pub. L. 102-245, Sec. 303, added subsec. (i). 1989–Subsec. (b). Pub. L. 101-189 struck out “after September 30, 1981,” after “(2)”, substituted “sufficient funding, either as a separate line item or from the agency’s research and development budget,” for “not less than 0.5 percent of the agency’s research and development budget”, struck out “agency head may waive the requirement set forth in clause (2) of the preceding sentence. If the agency head waives such requirement, the” after “transfer process. The”, and substituted “agency’s technology transfer program for the preceding year and the agency’s plans for conducting its technology transfer function for the upcoming year, including plans for securing intellectual property rights in laboratory innovations with commercial promise and plans for managing such innovations so as to benefit the competitiveness of United States industry” for “reasons for the waiver and alternate plans for conducting the technology transfer function at the agency”. 1988–Subsec. (d)(6). Pub. L. 100-418, Sec. 5163(c)(3), added par. (6). Subsec. (e)(4). Pub. L. 100-418, Sec. 5115(b)(2), substituted “National Institute of Standards and Technology” for “National Bureau of Standards” and “Institute” for “Bureau”. Subsec. (e)(7)(A). Pub. L. 100-418, Sec. 5162(b), substituted “0.008 percent of the budget of each Federal agency from any Federal source, including related overhead, that is to be utilized by or on behalf of” for “0.005 percent of that portion of the research and development budget of each Federal agency that is to be utilized by”. Pub. L. 100-418, Sec. 5115(b)(2), substituted “National Institute of Standards and Technology” for “National Bureau of Standards” and “Institute” for “Bureau”. Subsec. (g)(1). Pub. L. 100-519, Sec. 201(d)(3), inserted reference to the Under Secretary. Subsec. (h). Pub. L. 100-519, Sec. 212(a)(4), struck out subsec. (h) which read as follows: “None of the activities or functions of the National Technical Information Service which are not performed by contractors as of September 30, 1987, shall be contracted out or otherwise transferred from the Federal Government unless such transfer is expressly authorized by statute, or unless the value of all work performed under the contract and related contracts in each fiscal year does not exceed $250,000.” Pub. L. 100-418, Sec. 5163(c)(1), added subsec. (h). 1986–Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 99-502, Sec. 4(a), designated existing provisions as par. (1) and added pars. (2) and (3). Subsec. (b). Pub. L. 99-502, Sec. 4(b)(1), substituted “200 or more full-time equivalent scientific, engineering, and related technical positions shall provide one or more full-time equivalent positions” for “a total annual budget exceeding $20,000,000 shall provide at least one professional individual full-time”, inserted “Furthermore, individuals filling positions in an Office of Research and Technology Applications shall be included in the overall laboratory/agency management development program so as to ensure that highly competent technical managers are full participants in the technology transfer process.”, substituted “requirement set forth in clause (2) of the preceding sentence” for “requirements set forth in (1) and/or (2) of this subsection”, and substituted “such requirement” for “either requirement (1) or (2)”. Subsec. (c)(1). Pub. L. 99-502, Sec. 4(b)(2)(A), added par. (1) and struck out former par. (1) which read as follows: “to prepare an application assessment of each research and development project in which that laboratory is engaged which has potential for successful application in State or local government or in private industry;”. Subsec. (c)(3). Pub. L. 99-502, Sec. 4(b)(2)(B), substituted “the National Technical Information Service, the Federal Laboratory Consortium for Technology Transfer,” for “the Center for the Utilization of Federal Technology” and struck out “and” after the semicolon. Subsec. (c)(4). Pub. L. 99-502, Sec. 4(b)(2)(C), substituted “to State and local government officials; and” for “in response to requests from State and local government officials.”. Subsec. (c)(5). Pub. L. 99-502, Sec. 4(b)(2)(D), added par. (5). Subsec. (d). Pub. L. 99-502, Sec. 4(c)(1), substituted “The National Technical Information Service shall” for “There is hereby established in the Department of Commerce a Center for the Utilization of Federal Technology. The Center for the Utilization of Federal Technology shall” in introductory par. Subsec. (d)(2). Pub. L. 99-502, Sec. 4(c)(2), (3), redesignated par. (3) as (2) and struck out “existing” before “Federal Laboratory”. Former par. (2), which required the Center for the Utilization of Federal Technology to coordinate the activities of the Offices of Research and Technology Applications of the Federal laboratories, was struck out. Subsec. (d)(3). Pub. L. 99-502, Sec. 4(c)(4), added par. (3). Former par. (3) redesignated (2). Subsec. (d)(4). Pub. L. 99-502, Sec. 4(c)(4)-(6), redesignated par. (5) as (4) and substituted “subsection (c)(3)” for “subsection (c)(4)”. Former par. (4), which required the Center for the Utilization of Federal Technology to receive requests for technical assistance from State and local governments and refer those requests to the appropriate Federal laboratories, was struck out. Subsec. (d)(5), (6). Pub. L. 99-502, Sec. 4(c)(5), redesignated pars. (5) and (6) as (4) and (5), respectively. Subsecs. (e), (f). Pub. L. 99-502, Secs. 3, 4(d), added subsec. (e), redesignated former subsec. (e) as (f), substituted “report annually to the Congress, as part of the agency’s annual budget submission, on the activities” for “prepare biennially a report summarizing the activities”, and struck out “The report shall be transmitted to the Center for the Utilization of Federal Technology by November 1 of each year in which it is due.” Subsec. (g). Pub. L. 99-502, Sec. 5, added subsec. (g). Ex. Ord. No. 12591. Facilitating Access to Science and Technology, Apr. 10, 1987, 52 F.R. 13414, as amended by Ex.Ord. No. 12618, Dec. 22, 1987, 52 F.R. 48661, provided: By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and laws of the United States of America, including the Federal Technology Transfer Act of 1986 (Public Law 99-502) [see Short Title of 1986 Amendments note set out under section 3701 of this title], the Trademark Clarification Act of 1984 (Public Law 98-620) [see Short Title of 1984 Amendment note set out under section 1051 of this title], and the University and Small Business Patent Procedure Act of 1980 (Public Law 96-517) and in order to ensure that Federal agencies and laboratories assist universities and the private sector in broadening our technology base by moving new knowledge from the research laboratory into the development of new products and processes, it is hereby ordered as follows: Section 1. Transfer of Federally Funded Technology. (a) The head of each Executive department and agency, to the extent permitted by law, shall encourage and facilitate collaboration among Federal laboratories, State and local governments, universities, and the private sector, particularly small business, in order to assist in the transfer of technology to the marketplace. (b) The head of each Executive department and agency shall, within overall funding allocations and to the extent permitted by law: (1) delegate authority to its government-owned, government-operated Federal laboratories: (A) to enter into cooperative research and development agreements with other Federal laboratories, State and local governments, universities, and the private sector; and (B) to license, assign, or waive rights to intellectual property developed by the laboratory either under such cooperative research or development agreements and from within individual laboratories. (2) identify and encourage persons to act as conduits between and among Federal laboratories, universities, and the private sector for the transfer of technology developed from federally funded research and development efforts; (3) ensure that State and local governments, universities, and the private sector are provided with information on the technology, expertise, and facilities available in Federal laboratories; (4) promote the commercialization, in accord with my Memorandum to the Heads of Executive Departments and Agencies of February 18, 1983, of patentable results of federally funded research by granting to all contractors, regardless of size, the title to patents made in whole or in part with Federal funds, in exchange for royalty-free use by or on behalf of the government; (5) administer all patents and licenses to inventions made with federal assistance, which are owned by the non-profit contractor or grantee, in accordance with Section 202(c)(7) of Title 35 of the United States Code as amended by Public Law 98-620, without regard to limitations on licensing found in that section prior to amendment or in Institutional Patent Agreements now in effect that were entered into before that law was enacted on November 8, 1984, unless, in the case of an invention that has not been marketed, the funding agency determines, based on information in its files, that the contractor or grantee has not taken adequate steps to market the inventions, in accordance with applicable law or an Institutional Patent Agreement; (6) implement, as expeditiously as practicable, royalty-sharing programs with inventors who were employees of the agency at the time their inventions were made, and cash award programs; and (7) cooperate, under policy guidance provided by the Office of Federal Procurement Policy, with the heads of other affected departments and agencies in the development of a uniform policy permitting Federal contractors to retain rights to software, engineering drawings, and other technical data generated by Federal grants and contracts, in exchange for royalty-free use by or on behalf of the government. Sec. 2. Establishment of the Technology Share Program. The Secretaries of Agriculture, Commerce, Energy, and Health and Human Services and the Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration shall select one or more of their Federal laboratories to participate in the Technology Share Program. Consistent with its mission and policies and within its overall funding allocation in any year, each Federal laboratory so selected shall: (a) Identify areas of research and technology of potential importance to long-term national economic competitiveness and in which the laboratory possesses special competence and/or unique facilities; (b) Establish a mechanism through which the laboratory performs research in areas identified in Section 2(a) as a participant of a consortium composed of United States industries and universities. All consortia so established shall have, at a minimum, three individual companies that conduct the majority of their business in the United States; and (c) Limit its participation in any consortium so established to the use of laboratory personnel and facilities. However, each laboratory may also provide financial support generally not to exceed 25 percent of the total budget for the activities of the consortium. Such financial support by any laboratory in all such consortia shall be limited to a maximum of $5 million per annum. Sec. 3. Technology Exchange–Scientists and Engineers. The Executive Director of the President’s Commission on Executive Exchange shall assist Federal agencies, where appropriate, by developing and implementing an exchange program whereby scientists and engineers in the private sector may take temporary assignments in Federal laboratories, and scientists and engineers in Federal laboratories may take temporary assignments in the private sector. sec. 4. International Science and Technology. In order to ensure that the United States benefits from and fully exploits scientific research and technology developed abroad, (a) The head of each Executive department and agency, when negotiating or entering into cooperative research and development agreements and licensing arrangements with foreign persons or industrial organizations (where these entities are directly or indirectly controlled by a foreign company or government), shall, in consultation with the United States Trade Representative, give appropriate consideration: (1) to whether such foreign companies or governments permit and encourage United States agencies, organizations, or persons to enter into cooperative research and development agreements and licensing arrangements on a comparable basis; (2) to whether those foreign governments have policies to protect the United States intellectual property rights; and (3) where cooperative research will involve data, technologies, or products subject to national security export controls under the laws of the United States, to whether those foreign governments have adopted adequate measures to prevent the transfer of strategic technology to destinations prohibited under such national security export controls, either through participation in the Coordinating Committee for Multilateral Export Controls (COCOM) or through other international agreements to which the United States and such foreign governments are signatories. (b) The Secretary of State shall develop a recruitment policy that encourages scientists and engineers from other Federal agencies, academic institutions, and industry to apply for assignments in embassies of the United States; and (c) The Secretaries of State and Commerce and the Director of the National Science Foundation shall develop a central mechanism for the prompt and efficient dissemination of science and technology information developed abroad to users in Federal laboratories, academic institutions, and the private sector on a fee-for-service basis. Sec. 5. Technology Transfer from the Department of Defense. Within 6 months of the date of this Order [Apr. 10, 1987], the Secretary of Defense shall identify a list of funded technologies that would be potentially useful to United States industries and universities. The Secretary shall then accelerate efforts to make these technologies more readily available to United States industries and universities. Sec. 6. Basic Science and Technology Centers. The head of each Executive department and agency shall examine the potential for including the establishment of university research centers in engineering, science, or technology in the strategy and planning for any future research and development programs. Such university centers shall be jointly funded by the Federal Government, the private sector, and, where appropriate, the States and shall focus on areas of fundamental research and technology that are both scientifically promising and have the potential to contribute to the Nation’s long-term economic competitiveness. Sec. 7. Reporting Requirements. (a) Within 1 year from the date of this Order [Apr. 10, 1987], the Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy shall convene an interagency task force comprised of the heads of representative agencies and the directors of representative Federal laboratories, or their designees, in order to identify and disseminate creative approaches to technology transfer from Federal laboratories. The task force will report to the President on the progress of and problems with technology transfer from Federal laboratories. (b) Specifically, the report shall include: (1) a listing of current technology transfer programs and an assessment of the effectiveness of these programs; (2) identification of new or creative approaches to technology transfer that might serve as model programs for Federal laboratories; (3) criteria to assess the effectiveness and impact on the Nation’s economy of planned or future technology transfer efforts; and (4) a compilation and assessment of the Technology Share Program established in Section 2 and, where appropriate, related cooperative research and development venture programs. Sec. 8. Relation to Existing Law. Nothing in this Order shall affect the continued applicability of any existing laws or regulations relating to the transfer of United States technology to other nations. The head of any Executive department or agency may exclude from consideration, under this Order, any technology that would be, if transferred, detrimental to the interests of national security. Ronald Reagan. View the full article

42 USC Sec. 14715 Sec. 14715. Sources of Earth Science data (a) Acquisition The Administrator shall, to the extent possible and while satisfying the scientific or educational requirements of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, and where appropriate, of other Federal agencies and scientific researchers, acquire, where cost-effective, space-based and airborne Earth remote sensing data, services, distribution, and applications from a commercial provider. (b) Treatment as commercial item under acquisition laws Acquisitions by the Administrator of the data, services, distribution, and applications referred to in subsection (a) of this section shall be carried out in accordance with applicable acquisition laws and regulations (including chapters 137 and 140 of title 10). For purposes of such law and regulations, such data, services, distribution, and applications shall be considered to be a commercial item. Nothing in this subsection shall be construed to preclude the United States from acquiring, through contracts with commercial providers, sufficient rights in data to meet the needs of the scientific and educational community or the needs of other government activities. (c) Study (1) The Administrator shall conduct a study to determine the extent to which the baseline scientific requirements of Earth Science can be met by commercial providers, and how the National Aeronautics and Space Administration will meet such requirements which cannot be met by commercial providers. (2) The study conducted under this subsection shall – (A) make recommendations to promote the availability of information from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration to commercial providers to enable commercial providers to better meet the baseline scientific requirements of Earth Science; (B) make recommendations to promote the dissemination to commercial providers of information on advanced technology research and development performed by or for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration; and (C) identify policy, regulatory, and legislative barriers to the implementation of the recommendations made under this subsection. (3) The results of the study conducted under this subsection shall be transmitted to the Congress within 6 months after October 28, 1998. (d) Safety standards Nothing in this section shall be construed to prohibit the Federal Government from requiring compliance with applicable safety standards. (e) Administration and execution This section shall be carried out as part of the Commercial Remote Sensing Program at the Stennis Space Center. -SOURCE- (Pub. L. 105-303, title I, Sec. 107, Oct. 28, 1998, 112 Stat. 2853.) -COD- CODIFICATION Section is comprised of section 107 of Pub. L. 105-303. Subsec. (f) of section 107 of Pub. L. 105-303 amended sections 5621 and 5622 of Title 15, Commerce and Trade. View the full article

Sec. 7. Special maritime and territorial jurisdiction of the United States defined The term “special maritime and territorial jurisdiction of the United States”, as used in this title, includes: (1) The high seas, any other waters within the admirALTy and maritime jurisdiction of the United States and out of the jurisdiction of any particular State, and any vessel belonging in whole or in part to the United States or any citizen thereof, or to any corporation created by or under the laws of the United States, or of any State, Territory, District, or possession thereof, when such vessel is within the admirALTy and maritime jurisdiction of the United States and out of the jurisdiction of any particular State. (2) Any vessel registered, licensed, or enrolled under the laws of the United States, and being on a voyage upon the waters of any of the Great Lakes, or any of the waters connecting them, or upon the Saint Lawrence River where the same constitutes the International Boundary Line. (3) Any lands reserved or acquired for the use of the United States, and under the exclusive or concurrent jurisdiction thereof, or any place purchased or otherwise acquired by the United States by consent of the legislature of the State in which the same shall be, for the erection of a fort, magazine, arsenal, dockyard, or other needful building. (4) Any island, rock, or key containing deposits of guano, which may, at the discretion of the President, be considered as appertaining to the United States. (5) Any aircraft belonging in whole or in part to the United States, or any citizen thereof, or to any corporation created by or under the laws of the United States, or any State, Territory, district, or possession thereof, while such aircraft is in flight over the high seas, or over any other waters within the admirALTy and maritime jurisdiction of the United States and out of the jurisdiction of any particular State. (6) Any vehicle used or designed for flight or navigation in space and on the registry of the United States pursuant to the Treaty on Principles Governing the Activities of States in the Exploration and Use of Outer Space, Including the Moon and Other Celestial Bodies and the Convention on Registration of Objects Launched into Outer Space, while that vehicle is in flight, which is from the moment when all external doors are closed on Earth following embarkation until the moment when one such door is opened on Earth for disembarkation or in the case of a forced landing, until the competent authorities take over the responsibility for the vehicle and for persons and property aboard. (7) Any place outside the jurisdiction of any nation with respect to an offense by or against a national of the United States. (8) To the extent permitted by international law, any foreign vessel during a voyage having a scheduled departure from or arrival in the United States with respect to an offense committed by or against a national of the United States. (June 25, 1948, ch. 645, 62 Stat. 685; July 12, 1952, ch. 695, 66 Stat. 589; Dec. 21, 1981, Pub. L. 97-96, Sec. 6, 95 Stat. 1210; Oct. 12, 1984, Pub. L. 98-473, title II, Sec. 1210, 98 Stat. 2164; Sept. 13, 1994, Pub. L. 103-322, title XII, Sec. 120002, 108 Stat. 2021 View the full article

SUBCHAPTER I – LANDSAT Sec. 5601. Findings The Congress finds and declares the following: (1) The continuous collection and utilization of land remote sensing data from space are of major benefit in studying and understanding human impacts on the global environment, in managing the Earth’s natural resources, in carrying out national security functions, and in planning and conducting many other activities of scientific, economic, and social importance. (2) The Federal Government’s Landsat system established the United States as the world leader in land remote sensing technology. (3) The national interest of the United States lies in maintaining international leadership in satellite land remote sensing and in broadly promoting the beneficial use of remote sensing data. (4) The cost of Landsat data has impeded the use of such data for scientific purposes, such as for global environmental change research, as well as for other public sector applications. (5) Given the importance of the Landsat program to the United States, urgent actions, including expedited procurement procedures, are required to ensure data continuity. (6) Full commercialization of the Landsat program cannot be achieved within the foreseeable future, and thus should not serve as the near-term goal of national policy on land remote sensing; however, commercialization of land remote sensing should remain a long-term goal of United States policy. (7) Despite the success and importance of the Landsat system, funding and organizational uncertainties over the past several years have placed its future in doubt and have jeopardized United States leadership in land remote sensing. (8) Recognizing the importance of the Landsat program in helping to meet national and commercial objectives, the President approved, on February 11, 1992, a National Space Policy Directive which was developed by the National Space Council and commits the United States to ensuring the continuity of Landsat coverage into the 21st century. (9) Because Landsat data are particularly important for national security purposes and global environmental change research, management responsibilities for the program should be transferred from the Department of Commerce to an integrated program management involving the Department of Defense and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. (10) Regardless of management responsibilities for the Landsat program, the Nation’s broad civilian, national security, commercial, and foreign policy interests in remote sensing will best be served by ensuring that Landsat remains an unclassified program that operates according to the principles of open skies and nondiscriminatory access. (11) Technological advances aimed at reducing the size and weight of satellite systems hold the potential for dramatic reductions in the cost, and substantial improvements in the capabilities, of future land remote sensing systems, but such technological advances have not been demonstrated for land remote sensing and therefore cannot be relied upon as the sole means of achieving data continuity for the Landsat program. (12) A technology demonstration program involving advanced remote sensing technologies could serve a vital role in determining the design of a follow-on spacecraft to Landsat 7, while also helping to determine whether such a spacecraft should be funded by the United States Government, by the private sector, or by an international consortium. (13) To maximize the value of the Landsat program to the American public, unenhanced Landsat 4 through 6 data should be made available, at a minimum, to United States Government agencies, to global environmental change researchers, and to other researchers who are financially supported by the United States Government, at the cost of fulfilling user requests, and unenhanced Landsat 7 data should be made available to all users at the cost of fulfilling user requests. (14) To stimulate development of the commercial market for unenhanced data and value-added services, the United States Government should adopt a data policy for Landsat 7 which allows competition within the private sector for distribution of unenhanced data and value-added services. (15) Development of the remote sensing market and the provision of commercial value-added services based on remote sensing data should remain exclusively the function of the private sector. (16) It is in the best interest of the United States to maintain a permanent, comprehensive Government archive of global Landsat and other land remote sensing data for long-term monitoring and study of the changing global environment. (Pub. L. 102-555, Sec. 2, Oct. 28, 1992, 106 Stat. 4163.) Land Remote Sensing Policy Act of 1992 Short Title: Section 1 of Pub. L. 102-555 provided that: “This Act [enacting this chapter and repealing chapter 68 (Sec. 4201 et seq.) of this title] may be cited as the `Land Remote Sensing Policy Act of 1992′.” Sec. 5602. Definitions In this chapter, the following definitions apply: (1) The term ”Administrator” means the Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. (2) The term ”cost of fulfilling user requests” means the incremental costs associated with providing product generation, reproduction, and distribution of unenhanced data in response to user requests and shall not include any acquisition, amortization, or depreciation of capital assets originally paid for by the United States Government or other costs not specifically attributable to fulfilling user requests. (3) The term ”data continuity” means the continued acquisition and availability of unenhanced data which are, from the point of view of the user (A) sufficiently consistent (in terms of acquisition geometry, coverage characteristics, and spectral characteristics) with previous Landsat data to allow comparisons for global and regional change detection and characterization; and (B) compatible with such data and with methods used to receive and process such data. (4) The term ”data preprocessing” may include – (A) rectification of system and sensor distortions in land remote sensing data as it is received directly from the satellite in preparation for delivery to a user; (B) registration of such data with respect to features of the Earth; and (C) calibration of spectral response with respect to such data, but does not include conclusions, manipulations, or calculations derived from such data, or a combination of such data with other data. (5) The term ”land remote sensing” means the collection of data which can be processed into imagery of surface features of the Earth from an unclassified satellite or satellites, other than an operational United States Government weather satellite. (6) The term ”Landsat Program Management” means the integrated program management structure – (A) established by, and responsible to, the Administrator and the Secretary of Defense pursuant to section 5611(a) of this title; and (B) consisting of appropriate officers and employees of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the Department of Defense, and any other United States Government agencies the President designates as responsible for the Landsat program. (7) The term ”Landsat system” means Landsats 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6, and any follow-on land remote sensing system operated and owned by the United States Government, along with any related ground equipment, systems, and facilities owned by the United States Government. (8) The term ”Landsat 6 contractor” means the private sector entity which was awarded the contract for spacecraft construction, operations, and data marketing rights for the Landsat 6 spacecraft. (9) The term ”Landsat 7” means the follow-on satellite to Landsat 6. (10) The term ”National Satellite Land Remote Sensing Data Archive” means the archive established by the Secretary of the Interior pursuant to the archival responsibilities defined in section 5652 of this title. (11) The term ”noncommercial purposes” refers to those activities undertaken by individuals or entities on the condition, upon receipt of unenhanced data, that – (A) such data shall not be used in connection with any bid for a commercial contract, development of a commercial product, or any other non-United States Government activity that is expected, or has the potential, to be profitmaking; (B) the results of such activities are disclosed in a timely and complete fashion in the open technical literature or other method of public release, except when such disclosure by the United States Government or its contractors would adversely affect the national security or foreign policy of the United States or violate a provision of law or regulation; and (C) such data shall not be distributed in competition with unenhanced data provided by the Landsat 6 contractor. (12) The term ”Secretary” means the Secretary of Commerce. (13) The term ”unenhanced data” means land remote sensing signals or imagery products that are unprocessed or subject only to data preprocessing. (14) The term ”United States Government and its affiliated users” means – (A) United States Government agencies; (B) researchers involved with the United States Global Change Research Program and its international counterpart programs; and (C) other researchers and international entities that have signed with the United States Government a cooperative agreement involving the use of Landsat data for noncommercial purposes. (Pub. L. 102-555, Sec. 3, Oct. 28, 1992, 106 Stat. 4164.) Sec. 5611. Landsat Program Management (a) Establishment The Administrator and the Secretary of Defense shall be responsible for management of the Landsat program. Such responsibility shall be carried out by establishing an integrated program management structure for the Landsat system. (b) Management plan The Administrator, the Secretary of Defense, and any other United States Government official the President designates as responsible for part of the Landsat program, shall establish, through a management plan, the roles, responsibilities, and funding expectations for the Landsat Program (FOOTNOTE 1) of the appropriate United States Government agencies. The management plan shall – (FOOTNOTE 1) So in original. Probably should not be capitalized. (1) specify that the fundamental goal of the Landsat Program Management is the continuity of unenhanced Landsat data through the acquisition and operation of a Landsat 7 satellite as quickly as practicable which is, at a minimum, functionally equivalent to the Landsat 6 satellite, with the addition of a tracking and data relay satellite communications capability; (2) include a baseline funding profile that – (A) is mutually acceptable to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration and the Department of Defense for the period covering the development and operation of Landsat 7; and (B) provides for total funding responsibility of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration and the Department of Defense, respectively, to be approximately equal to the funding responsibility of the other as spread across the development and operational life of Landsat 7; (3) specify that any improvements over the Landsat 6 functional equivalent capability for Landsat 7 will be funded by a specific sponsoring agency or agencies, in a manner agreed to by the Landsat Program Management, if the required funding exceeds the baseline funding profile required by paragraph (2), and that additional improvements will be sought only if the improvements will not jeopardize data continuity; and (4) provide for a technology demonstration program whose objective shall be the demonstration of advanced land remote sensing technologies that may potentially yield a system which is less expensive to build and operate, and more responsive to data users, than is the current Landsat system. (c) Responsibilities The Landsat Program Management shall be responsible for – (1) Landsat 7 procurement, launch, and operations; (2) ensuring that the operation of the Landsat system is responsive to the broad interests of the civilian, national security, commercial, and foreign users of the Landsat system; (3) ensuring that all unenhanced Landsat data remain unclassified and that, except as provided in section 5656(a) and (b) of this title, no restrictions are placed on the availability of unenhanced data; (4) ensuring that land remote sensing data of high priority locations will be acquired by the Landsat 7 system as required to meet the needs of the United States Global Change Research Program, as established in the Global Change Research Act of 1990 (15 U.S.C. 2921 et seq.), and to meet the needs of national security users; (5) Landsat data responsibilities pursuant to this chapter; (6) oversight of Landsat contracts entered into under sections 5612 and 5613 of this title; (7) coordination of a technology demonstration program, pursuant to section 5633 of this title; and (8) ensuring that copies of data acquired by the Landsat system are provided to the National Satellite Land Remote Sensing Data Archive. (d) Authority to contract The Landsat Program Management may, subject to appropriations and only under the existing contract authority of the United States Government agencies that compose the Landsat Program Management, enter into contracts with the private sector for services such as, but not limited to, satellite operations and data preprocessing. (e) Landsat advisory process (1) Establishment The Landsat Program Management shall seek impartial advice and comments regarding the status, effectiveness, and operation of the Landsat system, using existing advisory committees and other appropriate mechanisms. Such advice shall be sought from individuals who represent – (A) a broad range of perspectives on basic and applied science and operational needs with respect to land remote sensing data; (B) the full spectrum of users of Landsat data, including representatives from United States Government agencies, State and local government agencies, academic institutions, nonprofit organizations, value-added companies, the agricultural, mineral extraction, and other user industries, and the public, and (C) a broad diversity of age groups, sexes, and races. (2) Reports Within 1 year after October 28, 1992, and biennially thereafter, the Landsat Program Management shall prepare and submit a report to the Congress which – (A) reports the public comments received pursuant to paragraph (1); and (B) includes – (i) a response to the public comments received pursuant to paragraph (1); (ii) information on the volume of use, by category, of data from the Landsat system; and (iii) any recommendations for policy or programmatic changes to improve the utility and operation of the Landsat system. (Pub. L. 102-555, title I, Sec. 101, Oct. 28, 1992, 106 Stat. 4166.) References in Text The Global Change Research Act of 1990, referred to in subsec. (c)(4), is Pub. L. 101-606, Nov. 16, 1990, 104 Stat. 3096, which is classified generally to chapter 56A (Sec. 2921 et seq.) of this title. For complete classification of this Act to the Code, see Short Title note set out under section 2921 of this title and Tables. Landsat Remote-Sensing Satellite Program. Pub. L. 103-139, title VIII, Sec. 8060, Nov. 11, 1993, 107 Stat. 1453, authorized Department of Defense to develop and procure the Landsat 7 vehicle, prior to repeal by Pub. L. 103-335, title VIII, Sec. 8051, Sept. 30, 1994, 108 Stat. 2629. Similar provisions were contained in the following prior acts: Pub. L. 102-484, div. A, title II, Sec. 243, Oct. 23, 1992, 106 Stat. 2360, as amended by Pub. L. 103-35, title II, Sec. 202(a)(3), May 31, 1993, 107 Stat. 101. Pub. L. 102-396, title IX, Sec. 9082A, Oct. 6, 1992, 106 Stat. 1920. Sec. 5612. Procurement of Landsat 7 (a) Contract negotiations The Landsat Program Management shall, subject to appropriations and only under the existing contract authority of the United States Government agencies that compose the Landsat Program Management, expeditiously contract with a United States private sector entity for the development and delivery of Landsat 7. (b) Development and delivery consideration In negotiating a contract under this section for the development and delivery of Landsat 7, the Landsat Program Management shall – (1) seek, as a fundamental objective, to have Landsat 7 operational by the expected end of the design life of Landsat 6; (2) seek to ensure data continuity by the development and delivery of a satellite which is, at a minimum, functionally equivalent to the Landsat 6 satellite; and (3) seek to incorporate in Landsat 7 any performance improvements required to meet United States Government needs that would not jeopardize data continuity. (c) Notification of cost and schedule changes The Landsat Program Management shall promptly notify the Congress of any significant deviations from the expected cost, delivery date, and launch date of Landsat 7, that are specified by the Landsat Program Management upon award of the contract under this section. (d) United States private sector entities The Landsat Program Management shall, for purposes of this chapter, define the term ”United States private sector entities”, taking into account the location of operations, assets, personnel, and other such factors. (Pub. L. 102-555, title I, Sec. 102, Oct. 28, 1992, 106 Stat. 4168.) Sec. 5613. Data policy for Landsat 4 through 6 (a) Contract negotiations Within 30 days after October 28, 1992, the Landsat Program Management shall enter into negotiations with the Landsat 6 contractor to formalize an arrangement with respect to pricing, distribution, acquisition, archiving, and availability of unenhanced data for which the Landsat 6 contractor has responsibility under its contract. Such arrangement shall provide for a phased transition to a data policy consistent with the Landsat 7 data policy (developed pursuant to section 5615 of this title) by the date of initial operation of Landsat 7. Conditions of the phased arrangement should require that the Landsat 6 contractor adopt provisions so that by the final phase of the transition period – (1) such unenhanced data shall be provided, at a minimum, to the United States Government and its affiliated users at the cost of fulfilling user requests, on the condition that such unenhanced data are used solely for noncommercial purposes; (2) instructional data sets, selected from the Landsat data archives, will be made available to educational institutions exclusively for noncommercial, educational purposes at the cost of fulfilling user requests; (3) Landsat data users are able to acquire unenhanced data contained in the collective archives of foreign ground stations as easily and affordably as practicable; (4) adequate data necessary to meet the needs of global environmental change researchers and national security users are acquired; (5) the United States Government and its affiliated users shall not be prohibited from reproduction or dissemination of unenhanced data to other agencies of the United States Government and other affiliated users, on the condition that such unenhanced data are used solely for noncommercial purposes; (6) nonprofit, public interest entities receive vouchers, data grants, or other such means of providing them with unenhanced data at the cost of fulfilling user requests, on the condition that such unenhanced data are used solely for noncommercial purposes; (7) a viable role for the private sector in the promotion and development of the commercial market for value added and other services using unenhanced data from the Landsat system is preserved; and (8) unenhanced data from the Landsat system are provided to the National Satellite Land Remote Sensing Data Archive at no more than the cost of fulfilling user requests. (b) Failure to reach agreement If negotiations under subsection (a) of this section have not, by September 30, 1993, resulted in an agreement that the Landsat Program Management determines generally achieves the goals stated in subsection (b)(1) through (8) of this section, the Administrator and the Secretary of Defense shall, within 30 days after the date of such determination, jointly certify and report such determination to the Congress. The report shall include a review of options and projected costs for achieving such goals, and shall include recommendations for achieving such goals. The options reviewed shall include – (1) retaining the existing or modified contract with the Landsat 6 contractor; (2) the termination of existing contracts for the exclusive right to market unenhanced Landsat data; and (3) the establishment of an Alternative private sector mechanism for the marketing and commercial distribution of such data. (Pub. L. 102-555, title I, Sec. 103, Oct. 28, 1992, 106 Stat. 4168.) Sec. 5614. Transfer of Landsat 6 program responsibilities The responsibilities of the Secretary with respect to Landsat 6 shall be transferred to the Landsat Program Management, as agreed to between the Secretary and the Landsat Program Management, pursuant to section 5611 of this title. (Pub. L. 102-555, title I, Sec. 104, Oct. 28, 1992, 106 Stat. 4170.) Sec. 5615. Data policy for Landsat 7 (a) Landsat 7 data policy The Landsat Program Management, in consultation with other appropriate United States Government agencies, shall develop a data policy for Landsat 7 which should – (1) ensure that unenhanced data are available to all users at the cost of fulfilling user requests; (2) ensure timely and dependable delivery of unenhanced data to the full spectrum of civilian, national security, commercial, and foreign users and the National Satellite Land Remote Sensing Data Archive; (3) ensure that the United States retains ownership of all unenhanced data generated by Landsat 7; (4) support the development of the commercial market for remote sensing data; (5) ensure that the provision of commercial value-added services based on remote sensing data remains exclusively the function of the private sector; and (6) to the extent possible, ensure that the data distribution system for Landsat 7 is compatible with the Earth Observing System Data and Information System. (b) Additional data policy considerations In addition, the data policy for Landsat 7 may provide for – (1) United States private sector entities to operate ground receiving stations in the United States for Landsat 7 data; (2) other means for direct access by private sector entities to unenhanced data from Landsat 7; and (3) the United States Government to charge a per image fee, license fee, or other such fee to entities operating ground receiving stations or distributing Landsat 7 data. (c) Landsat 7 Data Policy Plan Not later than July 15, 1994, the Landsat Program Management shall develop and submit to Congress a report that contains a Landsat 7 Data Policy Plan. This plan shall define the roles and responsibilities of the various public and private sector entities distribution, and archiving of Landsat 7 data and in operations of the Landsat 7 spacecraft. (d) Reports Not later than 12 months after submission of the Landsat 7 Data Policy Plan, required by subsection (c) of this section, and annually thereafter until the launch of Landsat 7, the Landsat Program Management, in consultation with representatives of appropriate United States Government agencies, shall prepare and submit a report to the Congress which – (1) provides justification for the Landsat 7 data policy in terms of the civilian, national security, commercial, and foreign policy needs of the United States; and (2) provides justification for any elements of the Landsat 7 data policy which are not consistent with the provisions of subsection (a) of this section. (Pub. L. 102-555, title I, Sec. 105, Oct. 28, 1992, 106 Stat. 4170.) SUBCHAPTER III – RESEARCH, DEVELOPMENT, AND DEMONSTRATION Sec. 5631. Continued Federal research and development (a) Roles of NASA and Department of Defense (1) The Administrator and the Secretary of Defense are directed to continue and to enhance programs of remote sensing research and development. (2) The Administrator is authorized and encouraged to – (A) conduct experimental space remote sensing programs (including applications demonstration programs and basic research at universities); (B) develop remote sensing technologies and techniques, including those needed for monitoring the Earth and its environment; and (C) conduct such research and development in cooperation with other United States Government agencies and with public and private research entities (including private industry, universities, non-profit organizations, State and local governments, foreign governments, and international organizations) and to enter into arrangements (including joint ventures) which will foster such cooperation. (b) Roles of Department of Agriculture and Department of the Interior (1) In order to enhance the ability of the United States to manage and utilize its renewable and nonrenewable resources, the Secretary of Agriculture and the Secretary of the Interior are authorized and encouraged to conduct programs of research and development in the applications of remote sensing using funds appropriated for such purposes. (2) Such programs may include basic research at universities, demonstrations of applications, and cooperative activities involving other Government agencies, private sector parties, and foreign and international organizations. (c) Role of other Federal agencies Other United States Government agencies are authorized and encouraged to conduct research and development on the use of remote sensing in the fulfillment of their authorized missions, using funds appropriated for such purposes. (Pub. L. 102-555, title III, Sec. 301, Oct. 28, 1992, 106 Stat. 4174.) Sec. 5632. Availability of federally gathered unenhanced data (a) General rule All unenhanced land remote sensing data gathered and owned by the United States Government, including unenhanced data gathered under the technology demonstration program carried out pursuant to section 5633 of this title, shall be made available to users in a timely fashion. (b) Protection for commercial data distributor The President shall seek to ensure that unenhanced data gathered under the technology demonstration program carried out pursuant to section 5633 of this title shall, to the extent practicable, be made available on terms that would not adversely affect the commercial market for unenhanced data gathered by the Landsat 6 spacecraft. (Pub. L. 102-555, title III, Sec. 302, Oct. 28, 1992, 106 Stat. 4174.) Sec. 5633. Technology demonstration program (a) Establishment As a fundamental component of a national land remote sensing strategy, the President shall establish, through appropriate United States Government agencies, a technology demonstration program. The goals of such programs shall be to – (1) seek to launch advanced land remote sensing system components within 5 years after October 28, 1992; (2) demonstrate within such 5-year period advanced sensor capabilities suitable for use in the anticipated land remote sensing program; and (3) demonstrate within such 5-year period an advanced land remote sensing system design that could be less expensive to procure and operate than the Landsat system projected to be in operation through the year 2000, and that therefore holds greater potential for private sector investment and control. (b) Execution of program In executing the technology demonstration program, the President shall seek to apply technologies associated with United States National Technical Means of intelligence gathering, to the extent that such technologies are appropriate for the technology demonstration and can be declassified for such purposes without causing adverse harm to United States national security interests. (c) Broad application To the greatest extent practicable, the technology demonstration program established under subsection (a) of this section shall be designed to be responsive to the broad civilian, national security, commercial, and foreign policy needs of the United States. (d) Private sector funding The technology demonstration program under this section may be carried out in part with private sector funding. (e) Landsat Program Management coordination The Landsat Program Management shall have a coordinating role in the technology demonstration program carried out under this section. (f) Report to Congress The President shall assess the progress of the technology demonstration program under this section and, within 2 years after October 28, 1992, submit a report to the Congress on such progress. (Pub. L. 102-555, title III, Sec. 303, Oct. 28, 1992, 106 Stat. 4174.) SUBCHAPTER IV – ASSESSING OPTIONS FOR SUCCESSOR LAND REMOTE SENSING SYSTEM Sec. 5641. Assessing options for successor land remote sensing system (a) Assessment Within 5 years after October 28, 1992, the Landsat Program Management, in consultation with representatives of appropriate United States Government agencies, shall assess and report to the Congress on the options for a successor land remote sensing system to Landsat 7. The report shall include a full assessment of the advantages and disadvantages of – (1) private sector funding and management of a successor land remote sensing system; (2) establishing an international consortium for the funding and management of a successor land remote sensing system; (3) funding and management of a successor land remote sensing system by the United States Government; and (4) a cooperative effort between the United States Government and the private sector for the funding and management of a successor land remote sensing system. (b) Goals In carrying out subsection (a) of this section, the Landsat Program Management shall consider the ability of each of the options to – (1) encourage the development, launch, and operation of a land remote sensing system that adequately serves the civilian, national security commercial, and foreign policy interests of the United States; (2) encourage the development, launch, and operation of a land remote sensing system that maintains data continuity with the Landsat system; and (3) incorporate system enhancements, including any such enhancements developed under the technology demonstration program under section 5633 of this title, which may potentially yield a system that is less expensive to build and operate, and more responsive to data users, than is the Landsat system projected to be in operation through the year 2000. (c) Preference for private sector system If a successor land remote sensing system to Landsat 7 can be funded and managed by the private sector while still achieving the goals stated in subsection (b) of this section without jeopardizing the domestic, national security, and foreign policy interests of the United States, preference should be given to the development of such a system by the private sector without competition from the United States Government. (Pub. L. 102-555, title IV, Sec. 401, Oct. 28, 1992, 106 Stat. 4175.) View the full article

50 U.S.C. CHAPTER 20 – WIND TUNNELS SUBCHAPTER I – CONSTRUCTION OF WIND-TUNNEL FACILITIES Sec. 511. Joint development of unitary plan for construction of facilities; construction at educational institutions. Sec. 512. Limitation on cost of construction and equipment; vesting of title to facilities. Sec. 513. Expansion of existing facilities; appropriations; testing of models. Sec. 514. Expansion of facilities at Carderock, Maryland. Sec. 515. Reports to Congress. SUBCHAPTER II – AIR ENGINEERING DEVELOPMENT CENTER Sec. 521. Establishment; construction, maintenance, and operation of public works and wind tunnels. Sec. 522. Acquisition of lands; advance payments for construction. Sec. 523. Employment of civilian personnel. Sec. 524. Authorization of appropriations. (Oct. 27, 1949, ch. 766, title I, Sec. 101, 63 Stat. 936; July 29, 1958, Pub. L. 85-568, title III, Sec. 301(d)(1), (2), 72 Stat. 433.) Sec. 511. Joint development of unitary plan for construction of facilities; construction at educational institutions The Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (hereinafter referred to as the ”Administrator”) and the Secretary of Defense are authorized and directed jointly to develop a unitary plan for the construction of transsonic and supersonic wind-tunnel facilities for the solution of research, development, and evaluation problems in aeronautics, including the construction of facilities at educational institutions within the continental limits of the United States for training and research in aeronautics, and to revise the uncompleted portions of the unitary plan from time to time to accord with changes in national defense requirements and scientific and technical advances. The Administrator and the Secretaries of the Army, the Navy, and the Air Force are authorized to proceed with the construction and equipment of facilities in implementation of the unitary plan to the extent permitted by appropriations pursuant to existing authority and the authority contained in this chapter. Any further implementation of the unitary plan shall be subject to such additional authorizations as may be approved by Congress. Sec. 512. Limitation on cost of construction and equipment; vesting of title to facilities The Administrator is authorized, in implementation of the unitary plan, to construct and equip transsonic or supersonic wind tunnels of a size, design and character adequate for the efficient conduct of experimental work in support of long-range fundamental research at educational institutions within the continental United States, to be selected by the Administrator, or to enter into contracts with such institutions to provide for such construction and equipment, at a total cost not to exceed $10,000,000: Provided, That the Administrator may, in his discretion, after consultation with the Committees on Armed Services of both Houses of the Congress, vest title to the facilities completed pursuant to this section in such educational institutions under such terms and conditions as may be deemed in the best interests of the United States. Sec. 513. Expansion of existing facilities; appropriations; testing of models (a) The Administrator is authorized to expand the facilities at his existing laboratories by the construction of additional supersonic wind tunnels, including buildings, equipment, and accessory construction, and by the acquisition of land and installation of utilities. (b) There is authorized to be appropriated such sums as may be necessary to carry out the purposes of this section, but not to exceed $136,000,000. (c) The facilities authorized by this section shall be operated and staffed by the Administrator but shall be available primarily to industry for testing experimental models in connection with the development of aircraft and missiles. Such tests shall be scheduled and conducted in accordance with industry’s requirements and allocation of laboratory time shall be made in accordance with the public interest, with proper emphasis upon the requirements of each military service and due consideration of civilian needs. Sec. 515. Reports to Congress The Administrator shall submit semi-annual written reports to the Congress covering the selection of institutions and contracts entered into pursuant to section 512 of this title together with other pertinent information relative to the Administrator’s activities and accomplishments thereunder. US Code as of: 01/26/98 View the full article