12 2 STA T .478 4 PUBLIC LA W 11 0– 422 —O CT. 1 5, 2008 (7)ForInspect or G ener al,$35 ,5 0 0,000 .TI T LE II — E AR T HSC IE N CE SEC.201 . GOAL . Th e g oal f or NAS A ’ s E arth Sc i ence progra m shall b etop u rsue a program of Earth obser v ations, research, an d applications activi - ties to better understand the Earth, ho w it supports life, and how human activities affect its abilit y to do so in the future. In pursuit of this goal, NASA’s Earth Science program shall ensure that securing practical benefits for society will be an important measure of its success in addition to securing new k nowledge about the Earth system and climate change. In further pursuit of this goal, NASA shall, together with N O AA and other relevant agencies, provide U nited States leadership in developing and carrying out a cooperative international Earth observations-based research pro- gram. SEC. 202. GO V E RN ANCE O FU N IT E D STATES EART H O B SERVATIONS ACTIVITIES. (a) S TUDY . — The D irector of OST P shall consult with NASA, NOAA, and other relevant agencies with an interest in Earth observations and enter into an arrangement with the National Academies for a study to determine the most appropriate govern- ance structure for United States Earth Observations programs in order to meet evolving United States Earth information needs and facilitate United States participation in global Earth Observations initiatives. (b) REPOR T.—The Director shall transmit the study to the C om- mittee on Science and Technology of the H ouse of Representatives and the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate not later than 18 months after the date of enactment of this Act, and shall provide OSTP’s plan for implementing the study’s recommendations not later than 24 months after the date of enactment of this Act. SEC. 20 3 . DECADAL SURVE YM ISSIONS. (a) I N GENER AL .—The missions recommended in the National Academies’ decadal survey ‘ ‘Earth Science and Applications from Space’’ provide the basis for a compelling and relevant program of research and applications, and the Administrator should work to establish an international cooperative effort to pursue those missions. (b) PLAN.—The Administrator shall consult with all agencies referenced in the survey as responsible for spacecraft missions and prepare a plan for submission to Congress not later than 270 days after the date of enactment of this Act that shall describe how NASA intends to implement the missions recommended for NASA to conduct as described in subsection (a), whether by means of dedicated NASA missions, multi-agency missions, international cooperative missions, data sharing, or commercial data buys, or by means of long-term technology development to determine whether specific missions would be e x ecutable at a reasonable cost and within a reasonable schedule. Consulta t i on .De a d line. P lan. Consultation. 42US C 17 711.
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