Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 119.djvu/2948

 119 STAT. 2930

PUBLIC LAW 109–155—DEC. 30, 2005 met, the impact of not meeting the requirement on the ISS research agenda and operations and international partner agreements, and what additional funding or other steps would be required to have an ability to support crew size of at least 6 persons; (4) support Crew Exploration Vehicle docking and automated docking of cargo vehicles or modules launched by either heavy-lift or commercially-developed launch vehicles; (5) support any diagnostic human research, on-orbit characterization of molecular crystal growth, cellular research, and other research that NASA believes is necessary to conduct, but for which NASA lacks the capacity to return the materials that need to be analyzed to Earth; and (6) be operated at an appropriate risk level. (c) CONTINGENCIES.— (1) POLICY.—The Administrator shall ensure that the ISS can have available, if needed, sufficient logistics and on-orbit capabilities to support any potential period during which the Space Shuttle or its follow-on crew and cargo systems are unavailable, and can have available, if needed, sufficient surge delivery capability or prepositioning of spares and other supplies needed to accommodate any such hiatus. (2) PLAN.—Not later than 60 days after the date of enactment of this Act, and before making any change in the ISS assembly sequence in effect on the date of enactment of this Act, the Administrator shall transmit to the Committee on Science of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate a plan to carry out the policy described in paragraph (1).

Deadline.

42 USC 16766.

SEC. 506. ISS RESEARCH.

The Administrator shall— (1) carry out a program of microgravity research consistent with section 305; (2) consider the need for a life sciences centrifuge and any associated holding facilities; and (3) not later than 90 days after the date of enactment of this Act, transmit to the Committee on Science of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate the research plan for NASA utilization of the ISS and the proposed final configuration of the ISS, which shall include an identification of microgravity research that can be performed in ground-based facilities and then validated in space and an assessment of the impact of having or not having a life science centrifuge aboard the ISS.

Deadline.

42 USC 16767.

SEC. 507. NATIONAL LABORATORY DESIGNATION.

(a) DESIGNATION.—To further the policy described in section 501(a), the United States segment of the ISS is hereby designated a national laboratory. (b) MANAGEMENT.— (1) PARTNERSHIPS.—The Administrator shall seek to increase the utilization of the ISS by other Federal entities and the private sector through partnerships, cost-sharing agreements, and other arrangements that would supplement NASA funding of the ISS. (2) CONTRACTING.—The Administrator may enter into a contract with a nongovernmental entity to operate the ISS

VerDate 14-DEC-2004

07:21 Oct 30, 2006

Jkt 039194

PO 00003

Frm 00398

Fmt 6580

Sfmt 6581

E:\PUBLAW\PUBL003.119

APPS06

PsN: PUBL003

�