Congressman Rohrabacher has introduced two bills relevant to NEO surveys. According to his website, Rohrabacher is in his eighth term representing California's 46th District in Orange County and Los Angeles. He is Chairman of the Space and Aeronautics Subcommittee, of the House Science Committee, and is also a member of the Research Subcommittee, overseeing research of the National Science Foundation, and the science policy functions of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. The first piece of legislation (the Pete Conrad Bill) sets up two prizes for American amateur astronomers who make the greatest contributions in finding and tracking NEAs. This bill just passed in the House almost unanimously (404-1). It has not yet been acted on in the Senate. The second bill (the George R. Brown Near-Earth Object Survey Act) authorizes NASA to spend up to $20 million in each of the next two fiscal years (2005 and 2006) to plan, develop, and implement a Near-Earth Object Survey program to detect, track, catalogue, and characterize the physical characteristics of near-Earth asteroids and comets equal to or greater than 100 meters in diameter. This bill has not been acted upon yet in either the House or the Senate. In order to spend these funds, they would have to be appropriated to NASA as well as authorized, in a separate set of actions from the House and Senate. David Morrison ================================= U.S. CONGRESS VOTES TO REWARD AMATEUR ASTEROID CHASERS Information from Benny Peisers CCNet USAToday, 4 March 2004 WASHINGTON (AP) - Amateur astronomers could receive awards of $3,000 for discovering and tracking near-Earth asteroids under legislation approved by the House Wednesday. "Given the vast number of asteroids and comets that inhabits Earth's neighborhood, greater efforts for tracking and monitoring these objects are critical," said Rep. Dana Rohrabacher, R-Calif., sponsor of the legislation that passed 404-1. Astronomers estimate there are between 900 and 1,100 near-Earth asteroids with a diameter of at least one kilometer - about six-tenths of a mile - or larger. Of those, nearly 700 already have been discovered and cataloged. Asteroids capable of inflicting damage on a global scale hit the Earth roughly every million years. An asteroid is believed responsible for wiping out the dinosaurs 65 million years ago. The bill, which still needs Senate action, directs the NASA administrator to make the awards, based on recommendations by the Smithsonian Minor Planet Center. One award is to be issued annually to the amateur astronomer or group of amateurs who in the previous year discovered the intrinsically brightest, near-Earth asteroid. Another award would go to the amateur who makes the greatest contribution to the Minor Planet Center's mission of cataloguing near-Earth asteroids. The bill is named after Pete Conrad, the third man to walk on the moon. The lone dissenting vote was Rep. Ron Paul, R-Texas. Copyright 2004, AP ======================== Congressman Dana Rohrabacher introduced the following bill (H.R.3813) to the US House of Representatives on February 11, 2004. This act is cited as the "George R. Brown Near-Earth Object Survey Act". Information from Michael Paine. HR 3813 IH -- George R. Brown Near-Earth Object Survey Act To provide for a Near-Earth Object Survey program to detect, track, catalogue, and characterize certain near-earth asteroids and comets. IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES February 11, 2004 Mr. ROHRABACHER introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Science A BILL To provide for a Near-Earth Object Survey program to detect, track, catalogue, and characterize certain near-earth asteroids and comets. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. This Act may be cited as the `George R. Brown Near-Earth Object Survey Act'. SEC. 2. FINDINGS. The Congress makes the following findings: (1) Near-Earth objects pose a serious and credible threat to humankind, as scientists are certain that a major asteroid or comet was responsible for the mass extinction of the majority of the Earth's species, including the dinosaurs, nearly 65,000,000 years ago. (2) Similar objects have struck the Earth or passed through the Earth's atmosphere several times in the Earth's history and pose a similar threat in the future. (3) Several such near-Earth objects have only been discovered within days of the objects' closest approach to Earth, and recent discoveries of such large objects indicate that many large near-Earth objects remain undiscovered. (4) The efforts taken to date by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration for detecting and characterizing the hazards of Earth orbit-crossing asteroids and comets are not sufficient to the threat posed by such objects to cause widespread destruction and loss of life. SEC. 3. DEFINITION. For purposes of this Act, the term `Administrator' means the Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. SEC. 4. NEAR-EARTH OBJECT SURVEY. (a) Survey Program- The Administrator shall plan, develop, and implement a Near-Earth Object Survey program to detect, track, catalogue, and characterize the physical characteristics of near-Earth asteroids and comets equal to or greater than 100 meters in diameter in order to assess the threat of such near-Earth objects in striking the Earth. (b) Amendments- Section 102 of the National Aeronautics and Space Act of 1958 (42 U.S.C. 2451) is amended-- (1) by redesignating subsection (g) as subsection (h); (2) by inserting after subsection (f) the following new subsection: `(g) The Congress declares that the general welfare and security of the United States require that the unique competence of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration in science and engineering systems be directed to detecting, tracking, cataloguing, and characterizing near-Earth asteroids and comets in order to provide warning and mitigation of the potential hazard of such near-Earth objects impacting the Earth.'; and (3) in subsection (h), as so redesignated by paragraph (1) of this subsection, by striking `and (f)' and inserting `(f), and (g)'. (c) Annual Report- The Administrator shall transmit to the Congress, not later than February 28 of each of the next 5 years beginning after the date of enactment of this Act, a report that provides the following: (1) A summary of all activities taken pursuant to subsection (a) for the previous fiscal year. (2) A summary of expenditures for all activities pursuant to subsection (a) for the previous fiscal year. (3) A detailed plan and budget request for all activities pursuant to subsection (a) for the next five fiscal years from the year that the annual report is submitted. (d) Authorization of Appropriations- There are authorized to be appropriated to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration for the Near-Earth Object Survey program described in subsection (a) $20,000,000 for each of the fiscal years 2005 and 2006. Amounts appropriated under this subsection shall remain available for 2 fiscal years. |
