12 2 STA T .478 7 PUBLIC LA W 11 0– 422 —O CT. 1 5, 2008 (2)Sign i f i ca n tredu cti o n s in green h ouse gas e m issions com -p ared to aircraft in commercia l ser v ices as of the date of enact- ment of this A ct .SEC.30 3. R ESE A RC H A LIGNM EN T . I n addition to pursuing the research and development initiative descri b ed in section 30 2 , the Administrator shall, to the ma x imum extent practicable w ithin available funding, align the fundamental aeronautics research program to address high priorit y technology challenges of the N ational Academies ’D ecadal Survey of C ivil Aero- nautics, and shall wor k to increase the degree of involvement of external organi z ations, and especially of universities, in the funda- mental aeronautics research program. SEC. 30 4 . RESEARCH P R O GRAM TO D ETERMINE PERCEI V ED IMPACT O F SONIC B OOMS. (a) I NGE NE RAL . —T he ability to fly commercial aircraft over land at supersonic speeds without adverse impacts on the environ- ment 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 oper- ations, a research program is needed to assess the impact in a relevant environment of commercial supersonic flight operations. (b) EST A B L I S HM ENT.—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) C O OR D INATION.—The Administrator shall ensure that sonic boom research is coordinated as appropriate with the Administrator of the F ederal Aviation Administration, and as appropriate make use of the expertise of the P artnership for Air Transportation Noise and Emissions R eduction Center of Excellence sponsored by NASA and the Federal Aviation Administration. SEC. 30 5 .E X TERNAL REVIE W OF NASA ’ S AVIATION SAFET Y- RELATED RESEARCH PROGRAMS. (a) RE V IE W .—The Administrator shall enter into an arrange- ment 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 appro- priate research ob j ectives
(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) RE P ORT.—Not later than 1 8 months after the date of enact- ment of this Act, the Administrator shall submit to the Committee on Science and Technology of the H ouse of Representatives and the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate a report on the results of the review re q uired in subsection (a). 42USC17 72 3. 42 USC 17722.
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