Title II — Human Space Exploration and Operations

H.R. 5666 · 116th Congress · Jan 24, 2020 · Lineage

II Human Space Exploration and Operations

A Moon to Mars Program

Sec. 201 Sustainable human exploration program

It is the sense of Congress that the Nation’s human exploration program is an important element of United States leadership in space exploration, economic strength, and national security. It is the further sense of Congress that constancy of purpose and the sustainability of the Nation’s human exploration goals and objectives should be an inherent principle of a long-term, deep space human exploration program that spans several Congresses and Administrations.

Sec. 202 Goals and objectives

(a)

In General— The Administrator is authorized under sections 20302 and 70504 of title 51, United States Code, and shall carry out plans and programs to achieve sustainable human exploration of deep space for the purpose of sending humans to the surface of Mars.

(b)

Establishment— The goal of NASA’s Moon to Mars Program shall be to land humans on Mars in a sustainable manner as soon as practicable. The Moon to Mars Program shall have the interim goal of sending a crewed mission to the lunar surface by 2028 and a goal of sending a crewed mission to orbit Mars by 2033.

(c)

Precursor Activities— The Administrator shall undertake precursor crewed missions to cis-lunar space and the lunar surface for the purpose of risk reduction for human missions to Mars by developing and testing those systems and operational practices needed for successful crewed Mars missions.

(d)

Objectives— The objectives of the human missions to Mars shall be to—

(1)

validate the capabilities required for sustained human exploration of and operations on the surface of Mars;

(2)

pursue scientific investigations, as recommended by the National Academies, that are enabled by the human exploration of Mars; and

(3)

develop and maintain the scientific, technical, program management, and human spaceflight operational skills required to support a sustainable deep space exploration program.

Sec. 203 Structure of Moon to Mars Program

(a)

Moon to Mars Program Office— The Administrator shall establish a Moon to Mars Program Office within 60 days of the enactment of this Act to lead and manage the Moon to Mars Program.

(b)

Program Director— The Administrator shall appoint a Program Director of the Office established in subsection (a) who shall report to the Associate Administrator and the Associate Administrator of the Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate.

(c)

Responsibilities— The Moon to Mars Program Office shall be responsible for developing—

(1)

requirements for a human Mars orbital mission and a human mission to the surface of Mars;

(2)

an architecture, integrated plan, and overall schedule encompassing the elements of the Moon to Mars Program to carry out a human mission to orbit Mars by 2033. The architecture and plan shall be based on the mission requirements established in paragraph (1); and

(3)

an integrated, master plan for the development of required capabilities for the human mission to Mars.

(d)

Systems Engineering and Integration— The Director of the Moon to Mars Program Office shall appoint a Systems Engineering and Integration Manager to manage the systems engineering and integration activities of the Moon to Mars Program.

(e)

Special Hiring Authorities— The Administrator shall propose to Congress any special hiring authorities that the Administrator determines are needed to ensure that personnel with the requisite skills and experience are available to the Program Office.

(f)

Program Elements— The Moon to Mars Program shall consist of the following:

(1)

A Gateway to Mars in cis-lunar space or at a Lagrangian point for the purpose of reducing the risks of the capabilities in paragraph (3) and serving as a testbed for the systems and operational techniques needed to transport crews to, from, and during operations in Mars orbit or on the surface of Mars. The Gateway to Mars shall be developed to operate autonomously and to be crew-tended, as needed, on an intermittent basis. The Gateway to Mars shall be open and available for international participation and use.

(2)

A Lunar Precursor Initiative (LPI) for the purpose of gaining and demonstrating the operational experience and systems needed to enable crewed transport to and from the surface of Mars, as well as for limited operations and habitation on Mars.

(3)

A Mars Enabling Technology Initiative (METI) for the purpose of developing and testing the technologies and capabilities needed for a human missions to Mars. Mars-enabling technologies and capabilities to be demonstrated shall include—

(A)

Mars entry, descent, and landing systems;

(B)

radiation safety;

(C)

in-space power and propulsion, including nuclear thermal propulsion;

(D)

Mars transport vehicle;

(E)

planetary ascent propulsion;

(F)

environmental control and life support systems;

(G)

Mars habitats;

(H)

extravehicular activity suits;

(I)

in-situ resource utilization of the Mars atmosphere; and

(J)

any other Mars-enabling technologies and capabilities identified by the Administrator.

(4)

A Space Launch System for the purpose of providing heavy-lift capability to carry out the Moon to Mars Program. The Administrator shall complete development of the Space Launch System and the Space Launch System variant enabled by an Exploration Upper Stage, pursuant to section 302 of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration Authorization Act of 2010. The Administrator shall take steps to develop the Block 2 variant to provide the full range of launch capability and performance available to the United States for the Administration’s crewed and robotic exploration of deep space. The Administrator shall complete the development and testing of the Exploration Upper Stage for the Space Launch System.

(5)

An Orion Crew vehicle for the purpose of crewed spaceflight for the Moon to Mars Program.

(6)

A Mars Transport Vehicle for the purposes of crewed transport to and around Mars. Not later than 180 days after the date of enactment of this Act, the Administrator shall initiate pre-formulation activities for a Mars transport vehicle.

(g)

Completion— The Administrator shall plan to have all required testing completed to enable development and manufacture of an operational crewed Mars transport vehicle on a schedule consistent with the goal of a crewed mission to orbit Mars by 2033 and the architecture, integrated plan, and schedule in subsection (c)(2).

Sec. 204 Reporting and briefings

(a)

In General— The Administrator shall provide regular reports and briefings on the progress and status of the Moon to Mars Program, and associated activities to the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate in accordance with this section.

(1)

Reporting with 60 days— Within 60 days of the date of enactment of this Act, the Administrator shall develop a list of the remaining human health risk reduction research tasks that need to be completed to enable crewed missions to Mars and that require the International Space Station, along with a plan for completing all of those tasks within 5 years of the date of the enactment of this Act.

(2)

Reporting within 120 days— Within 120 days of the date of enactment of this Act, the Administrator shall develop an overall architecture and plan, consistent with sections 203(c)(1) and 203(c)(2), including—

(A)

a list of the minimum set of human and robotic lunar surface activities that must be completed to enable a human mission to Mars, including those to be tested on the Gateway to Mars, along with a plan for completing those tasks within five years after the first human lunar landing; and

(B)

a list of the capabilities and risk reduction measures listed in section 203(f)(3).

(3)

Reporting within 270 days— Within 270 days of the date of enactment of this Act, the Administrator shall transmit—

(A)

five-year funding estimates and profiles for the Moon to Mars Program. The budget profiles should include estimated funding requirements and profiles for the program elements in section 203(f), and related infrastructure, facilities, and operations that are consistent with the achievement of a crewed mission to Mars orbit by 2033; and

(B)

the Independent Program Analysis and Evaluation Office established in section 1004 shall assess the basis of the five-year budget profiles and shall transmit the results of the assessment to the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate not later than six months after the budget profiles have been transmitted to the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate.

(b)

Biannual Briefings— The Administrator shall provide biannual briefings on the status, progress, and any challenges identified in maturing and developing the key capabilities specified in section 203(c)(3) and section 203(f)(3) to the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate.

(c)

Transmittal— The Administrator shall transmit the architecture and plans enumerated in section 204(a)(2) through section 204(a)(3) to the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate within 15 days after their scheduled completion dates.

Sec. 205 Critical enabling capabilities

(a)

Lunar Landing Mission Architecture— In order to reduce risk and complexity and make maximum use of taxpayer investments to date, the Administrator shall in the conduct of the Lunar Precursor Initiative employ an architecture that utilizes the Orion vehicle and an integrated lunar landing system carried on an Exploration Upper Stage-enhanced Space Launch System for the human lunar landing missions. The Gateway to Mars shall not be required for the conduct of human lunar landing missions.

(b)

Human-Rated Lunar Landing System— For the purposes established in section 202(c), the Administrator shall develop and operate an integrated human lunar landing system to provide human access to the lunar surface. The human-rated integrated lunar landing system shall be designed with safety, sustainability, and affordability as priorities and developed through a means that allows for the United States Government to retain—

(1)

full ownership of the human landing system;

(2)

unlimited and unfettered insight into the design, development, and testing of the integrated human landing system;

(3)

final determination on whether the system meets existing human-rating requirements;

(4)

leadership over any anomaly or accident investigation, should it be necessary to carry out such an investigation; and

(5)

shall require at least one uncrewed and one crewed in-space test and demonstration prior to its use to carry astronauts to the surface of the Moon and a plan for testing of a Mars human lander in a suitable environment.

(c)

Exploration Space Suits— The Administrator shall develop an exploration space suit to meet the requirements of the Moon to Mars Program. In developing an exploration space suit, the Administrator shall, to the greatest extent practicable, leverage prior and existing investments in advanced space suit technologies in order to maximize the benefits of such investments and technologies. The Administrator shall use the International Space Station for testing of exploration space suits.

(d)

Logistics Support— To the maximum extent possible, logistics support to the Gateway to Mars and the lunar surface shall be provided by commercial services, provided that the availability of those services does not becoming the limiting critical path factor in NASA’s ability to complete its Gateway to Mars and Lunar Precursor initiatives as scheduled. The Administrator shall develop contingency plans for the delivery of the minimum set of needed logistics in the event commercial services are not available when needed.

(e)

International Collaboration—

(1)

In general— The Administrator shall lead and encourage to the maximum extent practicable international partner participation in the implementation of the elements of the Moon to Mars Program under overall NASA leadership. The Administrator shall encourage partnerships that enhance the program.

(2)

Congressional Authorization— NASA shall seek Congressional authorization prior to finalizing any exploration architecture that depends on international or commercial partnerships for overall mission success.

(f)

Crewed Lunar Landing Missions— In order to minimize the time required for the Lunar Precursor Initiative phase of the Moon to Mars Program, NASA shall plan for and implement measures to enable a crewed lunar landing mission rate of at least two per year after the initial crewed lunar landing has been achieved.

(g)

Lunar Lander Management— The Moon to Mars Program Office shall manage the overall development of the Human Lunar Landing System, with the Johnson Space Center responsible for the crew-related elements, vehicle structure, and Human Lunar Landing System integration and the Marshall Space Flight Center responsible for the Lander propulsion systems.

(h)

Ground and Flight Test Activities— The Moon to Mars Program shall maintain a robust series of ground and flight test activities for each element of the Program, including at least one crewed flight test of each crewed system design prior to its use on a human lunar landing system or Mars mission.

(i)

Mars Landing and Ascent System Designs— To the extent funding permits, the Administrator shall maintain two competing integrated crewed Mars landing/ascent system design concepts through the critical design review milestone, at which point the Administrator shall make a selection of the system to be utilized in the first human Mars landing mission.

Sec. 206 Noncritical path activities

(a)

Lunar Outpost— Any establishment of a continuously crewed lunar outpost or research station shall not be considered an element of the Moon to Mars Program and shall be budgeted separately from the Moon to Mars Program.

(b)

Other Crewed Activities— Crewed activities on or around the surface of the Moon that do not contribute to the goal of landing humans on Mars in as sustainable manner as practical shall not be included in the Moon to Mars Program and shall be budgeted separately from the Moon to Mars Program.

(c)

Lunar In-Situ Resource Utilization— Lunar in-situ resource utilization shall not be considered as risk reduction for the initial crewed missions to orbit and land on Mars. Any lunar in-situ resource utilization activities and shall not be included in the Moon to Mars Program and shall be budgeted separately from the Moon to Mars Program.

Sec. 207 Core exploration capabilities

(a)

Sense of congress— It is the sense of Congress that ground systems, robust testing programs, and a flight cadence necessary to maintain critical human spaceflight skills are important elements of a safe and sustainable human exploration program.

(b)

Flight rate and safety— After the first crewed lunar landing, the Administrator shall, to the extent practicable, and taking into account the results of the Assessment in section 208(b), carry out a flight rate of at least two integrated Space Launch System and Orion crew vehicle missions per year, until the Lunar Precursor Initiative is complete, to maintain the critical human spaceflight production and operations skills necessary for the safety of human spaceflight activities in deep space.

(c)

Milestones— Not later than 90 days after the date of enactment of this Act, the Administrator shall transmit a list of the key milestones required for completing each of the Space Launch System variants and an estimated date on which those milestones shall be completed.

(d)

Exploration Ground Systems Infrastructure— The Administrator shall ensure that elements of a ground system infrastructure are in place to enable the preparation and use of the Space Launch System, specifically its Block 1 (70 mt) and Block 1B (105 mt) and Block 2 (130 mt) variants of the Space Launch System.

(e)

Mobile Launch Facility— In implementing the requirements in subsection (d), the Administrator shall take all necessary steps to develop and complete a second mobile launch facility that will be in place to support the first Block 1B Space Launch System.

(f)

Ground-Based Test Program in Support of Crewed Flight Test— The Administrator shall carry out a robust ground-based test program, including the full Green Run test of the Space Launch System engines and the testing and qualification of the Exploration Upper Stage.

Sec. 208 Reviews and assessments

(a)

Independent Review of Human Research Program—

(1)

In General— The Administrator shall enter into an arrangement with the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine for an independent, external review of the Human Research Program. The purpose of the review shall be to examine the effectiveness of approaches currently being taken for identifying, measuring, and mitigating, and establishing countermeasures for human health and performance risks related to long-term human spaceflight, including any human activities in deep space, and to make recommendations to improve the program. The review shall consider the translation of basic research into the Human Research Program.

(2)

Report— The Administrator shall transmit the results of the review to the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate not later than 18 months after the date of enactment of this Act.

(b)

Core Stage Production Capacity—

(1)

Assessment— The Administrator shall assess the requirements and resource needed for increasing the production capacity of the Space Launch System core stage from one to two core stages per year, and shall identify the resources, workforce, and infrastructure needed to increase the production capacity.

(2)

Report— The Administrator shall transmit the results of the assessment not later than 180 days after the date of enactment of this Act to the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate.

(c)

Vehicle Assembly Building— Not later than 270 days after the date of enactment of this Act, the Administrator shall transmit to the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate an assessment of requirements for concurrently processing 2 or more Space Launch System vehicles, including Space Launch System vehicles with an exploration upper stage.

(d)

Review of Risk Mitigation— Not later than 180 days after the date of enactment of this Act, the Administrator shall transmit to the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate a review of the Orion crew vehicle and its systems, including the European Service Module, to identify any single-point failure and zero-fault-tolerant systems, components, or designs. The review shall identify and describe all actions taken to mitigate the risks of the systems, components, or designs identified, and any risk mitigation actions that are planned to be taken.

(e)

Study on Enhanced Orion Service Module Performance— Not later than 270 days after the date of enactment of the Act, the Administrator shall transmit to the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate a report on the results of an independent technical and cost analysis of the options for developing or acquiring an enhanced Orion service module, as appropriate, that would enable direct low lunar orbit access and departure.

(f)

Environmental Control and Life Support System (ECLSS)— Not later than 180 days after the date of enactment of this Act, the Administrator shall transmit to the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate the results of a plan and schedule for the completion, full testing, qualification, and validation of the integrated ECLSS system to be used on the Orion crew vehicle. The plan shall include a schedule, milestones, and shall identify any technical or supply chain challenges, as well as approaches to overcoming the challenges, in meeting the schedule and milestone dates.

B International Space Station

Sec. 221 Extension and post-ISS support

(a)

Policy— Section 70907 of title 51, United States Code, is amended by striking “at least 2024” and inserting “at least 2028” and adding at the end “unless continued operations present an increased safety risk or Congress has authorized a detailed plan submitted by the Administration for a transition from the International Space Station to an alternate platform, platforms or other means for continued research, as determined in section 226(b) and section 307”.

(b)

Independent Cost Estimate— The Independent Program Analysis and Evaluation Office established in section 1004 shall arrange for an independent estimate of the cost of continuing International Space Station operations through 2028. The estimate shall include the cost of crew and cargo transportation and of the research to be undertaken reflecting the priorities identified in section 222. The assessment shall identify opportunities for operational efficiencies that could result in cost savings and increased research productivity.

(c)

Transmittal— The Administrator shall transmit the results of the independent cost estimate to the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate not later than 6 months after the date of enactment of this Act.

(d)

Study— Not later than 120 days after the date of enactment of this Act, the Administrator shall submit to the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate, the results of an assessment of—

(1)

technological challenges to operating the ISS until 2028; and

(2)

the potential viability of commercial space stations as an alternative to the ISS for carrying out—

(A)

the research requirements of the Human Research Program and the requirements recommended in sections 226(b) and 307;

(B)

to test systems necessary for crewed, long duration deep space missions; and

(C)

key capabilities at NASA Centers that can be leveraged for the Administration’s continued safety in and use of low Earth orbit.

Sec. 222 Priorities for ISS utilization

(a)

In General— The Administrator shall prioritize the use of available NASA allocation of crew time and resources on the International Space Station toward research and technology development that enables the Moon to Mars goal in section 202. Priority research and development areas should include—

(1)

the research of the Human Research Program, including research on reduction of human health and performance risks, behavioral and psychological risks, and astronaut safety related to long-duration human spaceflight, and the development of countermeasures to mitigate those risks;

(2)

the reduction of risks for exploration technologies, including for ECLSS, extravehicular activity and space suits, environmental monitoring, safety, and emergency response, deep space communications, among other critical enabling technologies for human exploration of deep space identified in section 203(f); and

(3)

basic space life and physical science research consistent with the priorities of the most recent space life and physical sciences National Academies decadal survey.

(b)

Biannual progress— The Administrator shall provide to the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate a biannual accounting of the use of NASA crew time and ISS resources, including allocation of such resources toward the priorities established in subsection (a).

(c)

Prohibition— The Administration is prohibited from authorizing spaceflight participants access to the International Space Station when fewer than 3 United States Government astronauts are onboard as part of an International Space Station expedition crew.

Sec. 223 Assured crew access to the International Space Station

Not later than 30 days after the date of enactment of this Act, the Administrator shall transmit to Congress a contingency plan, including an implementation timeline, for assured crew access to the International Space Station until certified commercial crew transportation services are taking place, in the event that the availability of those services is delayed or unavailable.

Sec. 224 International Space Station Deorbit Capability and Plan

Not later than 180 days after the date of enactment of this Act, the Administrator shall transmit to the Congress an International Space Station Deorbit Capability and Plan, including a cost estimate of implementing the plan.

Sec. 225 Replacement Extravehicular Mobility Units

(a)

Replacement Suits— The Administrator shall take all necessary steps to provide for upgraded and replacement International Space Station Extravehicular Mobility Units (EMUs), including spares, to ensure the safety of the International Space Station crew and crew operations. The upgraded and replacement units shall be fully tested and demonstrated, including on the ISS, to be certified by the Administration for use by crew as soon as practicable. Upgraded and replacement EMUs, including spares, shall accommodate the diversity of ISS crew, suit sizes, and other requirements established to support extravehicular activities.

(b)

Plan— Not later than 180 days after the date of enactment of this Act, the Administrator shall transmit a plan for the provision of upgraded and replacement EMUs to the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate.

Sec. 226 Low Earth orbit development

(a)

In General— The Administrator shall carry out development activities in low Earth orbit for the purposes of meeting the requirements established in subsection (b) and of supporting basic space life and physical sciences research and applications, in accordance with the requirements identified in section 307, following the end of International Space Station operations.

(b)

Requirements for Low Earth Orbit Activities and Research in Support of Human Exploration— The Administrator shall continue to develop and regularly update detailed research, development and associated requirements and capabilities that are needed to support NASA’s human spaceflight and Moon to Mars Program and that must be carried out in low Earth orbit. Requirements and capabilities for NASA human spaceflight and exploration should include—

(1)

human health and performance research;

(2)

crew accommodation and training;

(3)

cargo and crew transportation services;

(4)

technology demonstration and qualification; and

(5)

options for how such requirements could be met, including through the use of suborbital launch systems, free flying orbital platforms, and the feasibility of and potential risks associated with each option.

(c)

Transmittal— The Administrator shall transmit the requirements in subsection (b) to Congress not later than 270 days after the date of enactment of this Act and shall provide annual updates to Congress.

(d)

Request for Information— Within 1 year after the date of enactment of this Act, the Administrator shall issue a request for information for the development or provision of low Earth orbit platforms, modules, or on-orbit capabilities, including options for ownership and services provisions, that can meet the requirements transmitted in subsection (c).

(e)

Results— The Administrator shall transmit the results of the request for information to the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate not later than 120 days after the date the responses to the request for information are submitted to the Administration.