duct research for the solution of problems of flight within and outside the Earth's atmosphere; to develop, construct, test, and operate aeronautical and space vehicles for research purposes; to operate a space transportation system including the space shuttle, upper stages, space program, space station, and related equipment; and to perform such other activities as may be required for the exploration of space. The term aeronautical and space vehicles means aircraft, missiles, satellites, and other space vehicles, together with related equipment, devices, components, and parts. It conducts activities required for the exploration of space with manned and unmanned vehicles and arranges for the most effective utilization of the scientific and engineering resources of the United States with other nations engaged in aeronautical and space activities for peaceful purposes.

§ 1201.103 Administration.

(a) NASA is headed by an Administrator, who is appointed from civilian life by the President by and with the advice and consent of the Senate. The Administrator is responsible, under the supervision and direction of the President, for exercising all powers and discharging all duties of NASA.

(b) The Deputy Administrator of NASA is also appointed by the President from civilian life by and with the advice and consent of the Senate. The Deputy Administrator acts with or for the Administrator within the full scope of the Administrator's responsibilities. In the Administrator's absence, the Deputy Administrator serves as Acting Administrator.

located in Washington, DC. NASA Headquarters is comprised of:

(1) The Office of the Administrator which includes the Administrator, Deputy Administrator, Associate Deputy Administrator, Assistant Deputy Administrator, and the Executive Officer.

(2) Four Program Offices which are responsible for planning, direction, and management of agencywide research and development programs. Officialsin-Charge of these Program Offices report directly to the Administrator and they consist of:

(i) The Office of Aeronautics, Exploration and Technology which is responsible for conducting programs to develop advanced technology to enable and enhance an aggressive pursuit of national objectives in aeronautics, space, and transatmospherics, including the National Aero-Space Plane Program; to demonstrate the feasibility of this advanced technology in ground, flight, and in-space facilities to ensure its early utilization; and to ensure the application of agency capabilities and facilities to programs of other agencies and the United States aerospace industry. The Office is the focal point for the Space Exploration Initiative, a longterm program of robotic and human exploration which will include sending humans to the Moon early in the 21st century to establish a permanent outpost, and then conducting human missions to the planet Mars. In addition, the Office is responsible for managing the Ames, Langley, and Lewis Research Centers.

(ii) The Office of Space Science and Applications is responsible for efforts to understand the origin, evolution, and structure of the universe, the solar system, and the integrated functioning of the Earth. The Office conducts space application activities, such as remote sensing of the Earth, developing and understanding microgravity processes, and developing and testing advanced space communications as well as basic and applied science to facilitate life in space. The Office also is responsible for managing the Goddard Space Flight Center and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory and maintaining contacts with the Space Science Board of the National Academy of Sciences, the Space Applications Board, and other science

advisory boards and committees. The Office coordinates its program with various government agencies, foreign interests, and the private sector. Its objectives are accomplished through research and development in astrophysics, life sciences, Earth sciences and applications, solar system exploration, space physics, communications, microgravity science and applications, and communications and information systems. The Office also utilizes the space shuttle, expendable launch vehicles, automated spacecraft, human-occupied spacecraft, sounding rockets, balloons, aircraft, and ground-based research to conduct its programs.

(iii) The Office of Space Flight is responsible for advancing the space shuttle, for developing Freedom, a permanently manned space station, and for carrying out space transportation and other associated programs, including the management of the Johnson Space Center, Marshall Space Flight Center, Kennedy Space Center, and John C. Stennis Space Center. The Office plans, directs, and executes the development, acquisition, testing, and operations of all elements of the Space Transportation System; plans, directs, and manages execution of prelaunch, launch, flight, landing, postflight operations, and payload assignments; maintains and upgrades the design of ground and flight systems throughout the operational period; procures recurring system hardware; manages all U.S. Government civil launch capabilities and spacelab development, procurement, and operations; develops and implements necessary policy with other government and commercial users of the Space Transportation System; and coordinates all research. The Office is also responsible for managing and directing all aspects of the Space Station Freedom Program and achieving the goals established by the President. These goals include developing a permanently manned space station in the mid-1990's and involving other countries in the program, and promoting scientific research, technology development, and private-sector investment in space. The Johnson Space Center, the Marshall Space Flight Center, the Goddard Space Flight Center, and the Lewis Research Center are responsible

for developing major elements of the space station. The concept of the Space Station Freedom Program is to provide a manned base, initially accommodating a crew of eight people.

(iv) The Office of Space Operations is responsible for an array of functions critical to operations of this Nation's space programs. They include spacecraft operations and control centers; ground and space communications; data acquisition and processing; flight dynamics and trajectory analyses; spacecraft tracking; and applied research and development of new technology. The Space Transportation System, Tracking and Data Relay Satellite System, Deep Space Network, Spaceflight Tracking and Data Network, and various other facilities currently provide the requirements for NASA's space missions. A global communications system links tracking sites, control centers, and data processing facilities that provide real-time data processing for mission control, orbit, and attitude determination, and routine processing of telemetry data for space missions.

(3) Thirteen Headquarters Offices which provide agencywide leadership in management and administrative processes. Officials-in-Charge of these offices report to the Administrator.

(b) Directors of NASA Field Installations and other component installations are responsible for execution of NASA's programs, largely through contracts with research, development, and manufacturing enterprises. A broad range of research and development activities are conducted at NASA field installations and other component installations by Government-employed scientists, engineers, and technicians to evaluate new concepts and phenomena and to maintain the capability required to manage contracts with private enterprises. Although these field installations have a primary program responsibility to the program office to which they report, they also conduct work for the other program offices.

(c) The NASA field installations and a brief description of their responsibilities are as follows:

(1) Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA 94035. The Center manages a diverse program of research and devel

opment in support of the Nation's aerospace program and maintains unique research and test facilities including wind tunnels, simulators, supercomputers, and flight test ranges. Current areas of emphasis include the development of aerospace vehicle concepts through synergistic application of the Center's complete capabilities, ranging from computation and experimentation (in wind tunnels and simulators) to flight testing; research in support of human adaptation and productivity in the microgravity environment; and research and development of human/machine interfaces and levels of automation to optimize the operation of future aerospace systems, as well as future hypersonic vehicles and probes. Specifically, the Center's major program responsibilities are concentrated in computational and experimental fluid dynamics and aerodynamics; fluid and thermal physics; rotorcraft, poweredlift, and high-performance aircraft technology; flight simulation and research; controls and guidance; aerospace human factors; automation sciences, space and life sciences; airborne sciences and applications; space biology and medicine; and ground and flight projects in support of aeronautics and space technology. In addition to these major program responsibilities, the Center provides support for military programs and major agency projects such as the Space Transportation System, Space Station, and the National Aero-Space Plane.

(2) Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD 20771. The Center conducts Earth-orbital spacecraft and experiment development flight operations. It develops and operates tracking and data acquisition systems and conducts supporting mission operations. It also develops and operates spacelab payloads; space physics research program; Earth science and applications programs; life science programs; information systems technology; sounding rockets and sounding rocket payloads; launch vehicles; balloons and balloon experiments; planetary science experiments; and sensors for environmental monitoring and ocean dynamics.

(3) John F. Kennedy Space Center, Kennedy Space Center, FL 32899. The Center designs, constructs, operates, and