"As we enter the Second Space Age, we must give NASA the rules and tools it needs to succeed," said Chairman Calvert. "NASA is an agency is transition. This bill gives the agency direction as it plans the next steps in space exploration, aeronautics, and other science programs. For the first time, today's vote gave Congressional approval to the President's Vision, which was announced in January 2004.

"Other nations are actively pursuing human spaceflight and exploration. China alone graduates almost as many engineers in a month as we do in a year. India too graduates five times as many engineers per year as we do. NASA, with its excellent reputation in exploration, science and aeronautics is the one national agency which can focus and inspire America's youth to take up the challenging work of math and science careers."

Chairman Calvert added, "I want to thank Chairman Boehlert and Ranking Members Gordon and Udall for their work on this bill. Space exploration, aeronautics, and the sciences have always been bipartisan and I am pleased that tradition continued today."

A manager's amendment offered by Chairman Boehlert was agreed to by voice vote. In addition to making technical and clarifying changes, the amendment:

• Increases the amount of funding authorized to be appropriated for NASA to support the President's budget request for exploration for fiscal years 2006 and 2007;

• Expresses the Sense of the Congress that NASA should return the Space Shuttle to flight as soon as the Administrator determines that it can be accomplished with an acceptable level of safety;

• Allows the Administrator to complete the International Space Station in such a configuration as to support fewer than six persons, but only after transmitting a report to Congress explaining why a six-person requirement should not be met;

• Requires NASA to report information to Congress regarding minority participation in NASA's education programs; and

• Raises the threshold for major programs that require additional reporting to Congress to $150 million from $100 million.

By voice vote, the House approved an amendment by Representative Nydia Velazquez (D-NY) that requires the NASA Administrator to submit a quarterly report to Congress detailing the agency's outreach activities in the Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization.

The House also approved by voice vote an amendment by Representative Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX) that requires the NASA Administrator to transmit to Congress a plan describing steps NASA will take to protect employees who raise concerns about a potentially catastrophic risk to health or safety.

Representative Jackson Lee offered and withdrew an amendment that would have specified funding for Historically Black Colleges and universities under NASA education programs to the FY04 funding level of $69.2 million for FY06 and $71.2 million for FY07.

By a vote of 192 to 206, the House defeated an amendment by Representative Velazquez that would have established a four-year pilot grant program to "develop buildings" on minority campuses that would be turned over to industry.

H.R. 3070 was approved by the Subcommittee on Space and Aeronautics on June 29 and unanimously passed the full Science Committee by a vote of 36 to 0 on July 14.

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