National Aeronautics and Space Administration Authorization Act of 2008/Title III

TITLE III—AERONAUTICS

SEC. 301. SENSE OF CONGRESS.

It is the sense of Congress that—

(1) aeronautics research continues to be an important core element of NASA's mission and should be supported;

(2) NASA aeronautics research should be guided by and consistent with the national policy to guide aeronautics research and development programs of the United States developed in accordance with section 101(c) of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration Authorization Act of 2005 (42 U.S.C. 16611); and

(3) technologies developed by NASA as described in paragraph (2) would help to secure the leadership role of the United States in global aviation and greatly enhance competitiveness of the United States in aeronautics in the future.

SEC. 302. ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY AIRCRAFT RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT INITIATIVE.

The Administrator shall establish an initiative involving NASA, universities, industry, and other research organizations as appropriate, of research, development, and demonstration, in a relevant environment, of technologies to enable the following commercial aircraft performance characteristics:

(1) Noise levels on takeoff and on airport approach and landing that do not exceed ambient noise levels in the absence of flight operations in the vicinity of airports from which such commercial aircraft would normally operate, without increasing energy consumption or nitrogen oxide emissions compared to aircraft in commercial service as of the date of enactment of this Act.

(2) Significant reductions in greenhouse gas emissions compared to aircraft in commercial services as of the date of enactment of this Act.

SEC. 303. RESEARCH ALIGNMENT.

In addition to pursuing the research and development initiative described in section 302, the Administrator shall, to the maximum extent practicable within available funding, align the fundamental aeronautics research program to address high priority technology challenges of the National Academies' Decadal Survey of Civil Aeronautics, and shall work to increase the degree of involvement of external organizations, and especially of universities, in the fundamental aeronautics research program.

SEC. 304. RESEARCH PROGRAM TO DETERMINE PERCEIVED IMPACT OF SONIC BOOMS.

(a) In General—

The ability to fly commercial aircraft over land at supersonic speeds without adverse impacts on the environment or on local communities would open new markets and enable new transportation capabilities. In order to have the basis for establishing appropriate sonic boom standards for such flight operations, a research program is needed to assess the impact in a relevant environment of commercial supersonic flight operations.

(b) Establishment—

The Administrator shall establish a cooperative research program with industry, including the conduct of flight demonstrations in a relevant environment, to collect data on the perceived impact of sonic booms. The data could enable the promulgation of appropriate standards for overland commercial supersonic flight operations.

(c) Coordination—

The Administrator shall ensure that sonic boom research is coordinated as appropriate with the Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration, and as appropriate make use of the expertise of the Partnership for Air Transportation Noise and Emissions Reduction Center of Excellence sponsored by NASA and the Federal Aviation Administration.

SEC. 305. EXTERNAL REVIEW OF NASA'S AVIATION SAFETY-RELATED RESEARCH PROGRAMS.

(a) Review—

The Administrator shall enter into an arrangement with the National Research Council for an independent review of NASA's aviation safety-related research programs. The review shall assess whether—

(1) the programs have well-defined, prioritized, and appropriate research objectives;

(2) the programs are properly coordinated with the safety research programs of the Federal Aviation Administration and other relevant Federal agencies;

(3) the programs have allocated appropriate resources to each of the research objectives; and

(4) suitable mechanisms exist for transitioning the research results from the programs into operational technologies and procedures and certification activities in a timely manner.

(b) Report—

Not later than 18 months after the date of enactment of this Act, the Administrator shall submit to the Committee on Science and Technology of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate a report on the results of the review required in subsection (a).

SEC. 306. AVIATION WEATHER RESEARCH PLAN.

The Administrator and the Administrator of NOAA shall develop a collaborative research plan on convective weather events. The goal of the research is to significantly improve the reliability of 2-hour to 6-hour aviation weather forecasts. Within 270 days after the date of enactment of this Act, the Administrator and the Administrator of NOAA shall submit this plan to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate and the Committee on Science and Technology of the House of Representatives.

SEC. 307. FUNDING FOR RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT ACTIVITIES IN SUPPORT OF OTHER MISSION DIRECTORATES.

Research and development activities performed by the Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate with the primary objective of assisting in the development of a flight project in another Mission Directorate shall be funded by the Mission Directorate seeking assistance.

SEC. 308. ENHANCEMENT OF GRANT PROGRAM ON ESTABLISHMENT OF UNIVERSITY-BASED CENTERS FOR RESEARCH ON AVIATION TRAINING.

Section 427(a) of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration Authorization Act of 2005 (Public Law 109-155) is amended by striking `may' and inserting `shall'.