The NASA Authorization Act of 2005 is an act of the United States Congress

United States Congress

The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....

. It was signed by the then President

President of the United States

The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....

 George W. Bush and became Public Law 109-155 on December 30, 2005.

The act requires NASA

NASA

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is the agency of the United States government that is responsible for the nation's civilian space program and for aeronautics and aerospace research...

 to carry out a balanced set of programs in human spaceflight

Human spaceflight

Human spaceflight is spaceflight with humans on the spacecraft. When a spacecraft is manned, it can be piloted directly, as opposed to machine or robotic space probes and remotely-controlled satellites....

, in aeronautics

Aeronautics

Aeronautics is the science involved with the study, design, and manufacturing of airflight-capable machines, or the techniques of operating aircraft and rocketry within the atmosphere...

 research and development and in scientific research. The act directs NASA to send robotic spacecraft

Robotic spacecraft

A robotic spacecraft is a spacecraft with no humans on board, that is usually under telerobotic control. A robotic spacecraft designed to make scientific research measurements is often called a space probe. Many space missions are more suited to telerobotic rather than crewed operation, due to...

 to study the Moon and planets, and to study astronomy

Astronomy

Astronomy is a natural science that deals with the study of celestial objects and phenomena that originate outside the atmosphere of Earth...

 and astrophysics

Astrophysics

Astrophysics is the branch of astronomy that deals with the physics of the universe, including the physical properties of celestial objects, as well as their interactions and behavior...

. The act directs NASA to use research satellite

Satellite

In the context of spaceflight, a satellite is an object which has been placed into orbit by human endeavour. Such objects are sometimes called artificial satellites to distinguish them from natural satellites such as the Moon....

s to conduct earth science

Earth science

Earth science is an all-embracing term for the sciences related to the planet Earth. It is arguably a special case in planetary science, the Earth being the only known life-bearing planet. There are both reductionist and holistic approaches to Earth sciences...

 research and research on the Sun-Earth connection. The act also directs NASA to support university research in a variety of fields.

In conducting its work, the act directs NASA to consult with other agencies, including the National Science and Technology Council

National Science and Technology Council

The National Science and Technology Council was established in the US by Executive Order 12881 on November 23, 1993.-History:The National Science and Technology Council was established in the US by Executive Order on November 23, 1993...

, and to work closely with the private sector

Private sector

In economics, the private sector is that part of the economy, sometimes referred to as the citizen sector, which is run by private individuals or groups, usually as a means of enterprise for profit, and is not controlled by the state...

, and to "involve other nations to the extent appropriate."

Vision for Space Exploration

The act makes into law, and establishes milestones for, the United States Vision for Space Exploration

Vision for Space Exploration

The Vision for Space Exploration is the United States space policy which was announced on January 14, 2004 by President George W. Bush. It is seen as a response to the Space Shuttle Columbia disaster, the state of human spaceflight at NASA, and a way to regain public enthusiasm for space...

 (VSE). Specifically it directs the NASA Administrator to develop a sustained human presence on the Moon

Lunar outpost (NASA)

A lunar outpost was an element of the George W. Bush era Vision for Space Exploration, which has been replaced with President Barack Obama's space policy. The outpost would have been an inhabited facility on the surface of the Moon. At the time it was proposed, NASA was to construct the outpost...

 with a lunar precursor program

Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter

The Lunar Precursor Robotic Program is a program of robotic spacecraft missions which NASA will use to prepare for future human spaceflight missions to the Moon. Two LPRP missions, the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter and the Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite , were launched in June 2009...

, and authorizes international collaborations in pursuit of these goals.

VSE milestones

The NASA Administrator is directed to "strive to achieve" the following milestones:

• Return Americans to the Moon no later than 2020.
• Launch the Crew Exploration Vehicle
  Crew Exploration Vehicle
  The Crew Exploration Vehicle was the conceptual component of the U.S. NASA Vision for Space Exploration that later became known as the Orion spacecraft...
  
   as close to 2010 as possible.
• Use the International Space Station
  International Space Station
  The International Space Station is a habitable, artificial satellite in low Earth orbit. The ISS follows the Salyut, Almaz, Cosmos, Skylab, and Mir space stations, as the 11th space station launched, not including the Genesis I and II prototypes...
  
   to study the impacts of long duration stays in space on the human body.
• Enable humans to land on and return from Mars and other destinations on a timetable that is technically and fiscally possible.

Aeronautics

The act requires establishment of a policy to guide U.S. aeronautics research and development programs through 2020. The act reiterates the Federal Government's interest in conducting research and development programs that:

• improve the usefulness, performance, speed, safety, and efficiency of aeronautical vehicles,
• preserve the role of the United States as a global leader in aeronautical technologies and in their application.

Science

The act directs the Administrator to develop a plan for NASA science programs through 2016. The act specifically mentions the Magnetospheric Multiscale Mission

Magnetospheric Multiscale Mission

The Magnetospheric Multiscale Mission is a NASA unmanned space mission, to study the Earth's magnetosphere using four identical spacecraft flying in a tetrahedral formation...

, SIM-Planet Quest, and the "Future Explorers Program"

Small Explorer program

The Small Explorer program is an effort within NASA to fund space exploration missions that cost no more than $120 million.- Program history :...

.

Hubble repair

The act required NASA to plan the final mission

STS-125

STS-125, or HST-SM4 , was the fifth and final space shuttle servicing mission to the Hubble Space Telescope .Launch occurred on 11 May 2009 at 2:01 pm EDT...

 to repair the Hubble Space Telescope

Hubble Space Telescope

The Hubble Space Telescope is a space telescope that was carried into orbit by a Space Shuttle in 1990 and remains in operation. A 2.4 meter aperture telescope in low Earth orbit, Hubble's four main instruments observe in the near ultraviolet, visible, and near infrared...

.

External links

• The text of the NASA Authorization Act of 2005