The NASA Authorization Act of 2010 is a U.S. law authorizing

NASA The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agency of the US federal government responsible for the civil space program, aeronautics research, and space research. NASA was established in 1958, succeeding t ...

appropriations for

fiscal year A fiscal year (or financial year, or sometimes budget year) is used in government accounting, which varies between countries, and for budget purposes. It is also used for financial reporting by businesses and other organizations. Laws in many ...

s 2011, 2012, 2013 with the same top-line budget values as requested by

US President The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States of America. The president directs the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United Stat ...

Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, Obama was the first African-American president of the U ...

. It resulted from the Augustine Commission's review of then-current crewed space flight plans. The law supports an overall growth in

science Science is a systematic endeavor that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable explanations and predictions about the universe. Science may be as old as the human species, and some of the earliest archeological evidence for ...

aeronautics Aeronautics is the science or art involved with the study, design, and manufacturing of air flight–capable machines, and the techniques of operating aircraft and rockets within the atmosphere. The British Royal Aeronautical Society identifies ...

, and

space technology Space technology is technology for use in outer space, in travel (''astronautics'') or other activities beyond Earth's atmosphere, for purposes such as spaceflight, space exploration, and Earth observation. Space technology includes space vehicles ...

and defines a long-term goal for

human spaceflight Human spaceflight (also referred to as manned spaceflight or crewed spaceflight) is spaceflight with a crew or passengers aboard a spacecraft, often with the spacecraft being operated directly by the onboard human crew. Spacecraft can also be ...

to expand a permanent human presence beyond low Earth orbit. Key objectives of this goal include full utilization of the

International Space Station The International Space Station (ISS) is the largest modular space station currently in low Earth orbit. It is a multinational collaborative project involving five participating space agencies: NASA (United States), Roscosmos (Russia), JAXA ...

(ISS), determining the ability of humans to live in

outer space Outer space, commonly shortened to space, is the expanse that exists beyond Earth and its atmosphere and between celestial bodies. Outer space is not completely empty—it is a near-perfect vacuum containing a low density of particles, pred ...

for extended periods of time, maximizing the role of

space exploration Space exploration is the use of astronomy and space technology to explore outer space. While the exploration of space is carried out mainly by astronomers with telescopes, its physical exploration though is conducted both by robotic spacec ...

and

in current and future missions, advancing knowledge and inspiring young people into

higher education Higher education is tertiary education leading to award of an academic degree. Higher education, also called post-secondary education, third-level or tertiary education, is an optional final stage of formal learning that occurs after completi ...

, and building upon international partnerships. The act was signed by President Obama on October 11, 2010. A total of $58 billion in funding is called for, spread across three years.

Human spaceflight

In regard to

, the law is intended to: *Couple human spaceflight efforts to national and global needs and challenges. *Provide a sustainable

program to incorporate new technologies and in-space capabilities. *Require immediate development of the

Space Launch System The Space Launch System (SLS) is an American super heavy-lift expendable launch vehicle developed by NASA. As of 2022, SLS has the highest payload capacity of any rocket in operational service, as well as the greatest liftoff thrust of any r ...

(SLS) as a follow-on launch vehicle to the Space Shuttle and continued development of a

crew exploration vehicle The Crew Exploration Vehicle (CEV) was a component of the U.S. NASA Vision for Space Exploration plan. A competition was held to design a spacecraft that could carry humans to the destinations envisioned by the plan. The winning design was th ...

to be capable of supporting missions beyond

low Earth orbit A low Earth orbit (LEO) is an orbit around Earth with a period of 128 minutes or less (making at least 11.25 orbits per day) and an eccentricity less than 0.25. Most of the artificial objects in outer space are in LEO, with an altitude never mor ...

starting in 2016. *Support a sound performance and cost framework by maximizing use, where possible, of the

workforce The workforce or labour force is a concept referring to the Pooling (resource management), pool of human beings either in employment or in unemployment. It is generally used to describe those working for a single types of companies, company or ...

, assets, and capabilities of the

Space Shuttle The Space Shuttle is a retired, partially reusable low Earth orbital spacecraft system operated from 1981 to 2011 by the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) as part of the Space Shuttle program. Its official program na ...

Constellation program The Constellation program (abbreviated CxP) was a crewed spaceflight program developed by NASA, the space agency of the United States, from 2005 to 2009. The major goals of the program were "completion of the International Space Station" and a " ...

, and other NASA programs.

Space technology

The law will invest in space technologies and

robotics Robotics is an interdisciplinary branch of computer science and engineering. Robotics involves design, construction, operation, and use of robots. The goal of robotics is to design machines that can help and assist humans. Robotics integrat ...

capabilities that are tied to the overall

framework and support U.S. innovation and competitiveness.

Commercial cargo and crew

In regard to commercial cargo and crew, the law will: *Continue to support commercial cargo development and provide additional funds to meet launch infrastructure requirements and accelerate development activity. *Expand the

Commercial Crew Development Development of the Commercial Crew Program began in the second round of the Commercial Crew Development (CCDev) program, which was rescoped from a technology development program for human spaceflight to a competitive development program that woul ...

Program in 2011 for concept development and supporting activities, while requiring a number of studies to ensure effective oversight of the potential initiation of a commercial crew capability procurement program no earlier than 2012.

International Space Station

In regard to the International Space Station (ISS), the law will: *Extend the ISS to at least 2020 to support international and commercial collaboration and growth, research, and technology development to maximize the scientific return on the significant investment in the ISS. *Establish an independent

non-profit A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...

to work with NASA to fully develop the ISS U.S. segment as a National Laboratory. *Require an assessment of ISS requirements for parts and equipment needed to ensure its full functionality through 2020.

Additional "launch on need" Shuttle mission

The law authorizes an additional Space Shuttle flight (

STS-135 STS-135 ( ISS assembly flight ULF7) was the 135th and final mission of the American Space Shuttle program. It used the orbiter ''Atlantis'' and hardware originally processed for the STS-335 contingency mission, which was not flown. STS-135 la ...

), contingent on a safety review, to provide necessary support for the extension of the ISS.

Science and aeronautics

The law protects a balanced portfolio for NASA, including full funding of

Earth science Earth science or geoscience includes all fields of natural science related to the planet Earth. This is a branch of science dealing with the physical, chemical, and biological complex constitutions and synergistic linkages of Earth's four spheres ...

and

space science Space is the boundless three-dimensional extent in which objects and events have relative position and direction. In classical physics, physical space is often conceived in three linear dimensions, although modern physicists usually consider ...

Education

In regard to education, the law will: *Support new education initiatives, such as teacher training programs, to reinforce NASA's role in developing a

with strong

technology Technology is the application of knowledge to reach practical goals in a specifiable and reproducible way. The word ''technology'' may also mean the product of such an endeavor. The use of technology is widely prevalent in medicine, science, ...

engineering Engineering is the use of scientific method, scientific principles to design and build machines, structures, and other items, including bridges, tunnels, roads, vehicles, and buildings. The discipline of engineering encompasses a broad rang ...

, and

mathematics Mathematics is an area of knowledge that includes the topics of numbers, formulas and related structures, shapes and the spaces in which they are contained, and quantities and their changes. These topics are represented in modern mathematics ...

skills. *Increase the investment in

NASA EPSCoR The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agency of the US federal government responsible for the civil space program, aeronautics research, and space research. NASA was established in 1958, succeeding t ...

(Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research) and NASA Space Grant program.

Rescoping and revitalizing institutional capabilities

The law requires NASA to examine alternative

management Management (or managing) is the administration of an organization, whether it is a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government body. It is the art and science of managing resources of the business. Management includes the activities o ...

models for NASA's

, centers, and capabilities, while enforcing short-term prohibitions on major center displacements and reductions-in-force until the study is completed.

References

{{Reflist, refs= {{cite web , url=http://commerce.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?p=Legislation&ContentRecord_id=8d7c1465-f852-4835-ba84-25faf56bbb36&ContentType_id=03ab50f5-55cd-4934-a074-d6928b9dd24c&Group_id=6eaa2a03-6e69-4e43-8597-bb12f4f5aede , title=Featured Legislation: The NASA Authorization Act of 2010 , date=July 15, 2010 , publisher=

United States Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and pow ...

, archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110410161657/https://www.commerce.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?p=Legislation&ContentRecord_id=8d7c1465-f852-4835-ba84-25faf56bbb36&ContentType_id=03ab50f5-55cd-4934-a074-d6928b9dd24c&Group_id=6eaa2a03-6e69-4e43-8597-bb12f4f5aede , archivedate=April 10, 2011 , url-status=dead , accessdate=February 2, 2011 {{cite news , title=NASA Has New Authorization but Future Remains Uncertain , first=Amy , last=Klamper , url=http://www.spacenews.com/policy/101011-obama-signs-nasa-bill.html , archive-url=https://archive.today/20120910200628/http://www.spacenews.com/policy/101011-obama-signs-nasa-bill.html , url-status=dead , archive-date=September 10, 2012 , newspaper=spacenews.com , date=October 11, 2010 , accessdate=February 2, 2011 {{cite web , url=https://www.congress.gov/bill/111th-congress/senate-bill/3729 , title=S.3729 - National Aeronautics and Space Administration Authorization Act of 2010 , date=October 11, 2010 , publisher=

United States Congress The United States Congress is the legislature of the federal government of the United States. It is bicameral, composed of a lower body, the House of Representatives, and an upper body, the Senate. It meets in the U.S. Capitol in Washing ...

NASA oversight Human spaceflight Acts of the 111th United States Congress Presidency of Barack Obama Space policy of the United States