LIFE SCIENCES STRATEGIC PLAN.

SEC. 113. LIFE SCIENCES STRATEGIC PLAN. “(a) Findings.— The Congress finds that— (1) the current knowledge base in life sciences is not compatible with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s current objectives in space, and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration lacks an adequate strategic plan to acquire a knowledge base; (2) it is critical to the success of manned missions in space, be they commercial operations of microgravity laboratories or manned missions to Mars, that a realistic appraisal of the influences of the space environment on biological systems is completed and appropriate protective countermeasures developed; (3) the space station is rapidly approaching design maturity without a corresponding development of the physiological and other human factors knowledge base necessary for long-term manned operations in space; and (4) space station laboratory hardware specifications are being fixed before fully establishing the objectives and requirements for life sciences research. (b) Strategic Plan.— The Administration shall— (1) review currently proposed manned space flight missions in order to— (A) identify the physiological and other human factors knowledge base necessary to determine the human capacity to adapt to and perform effectively in the space environment according to mission requirements, including identifying which life sciences parameters must be measured and which technologies, processes, and procedures must be developed; and (B) develop a schedule indicating when specific components of information, technologies, processes, or procedures identified under subparagraph (A) will need to be acquired or developed in order to verify that human adaptability 104 STAT. 3200requirements of manned space flight missions can be achieved; (2) develop a strategy plan for life sciences research and technology development sufficient to accomplish the life sciences knowledge base acquisition schedule developed under paragraph (1)(B), including— (A) a crew certification plan setting acceptable crew conditioning standards for Extended Duration Orbiter operations and verifying countermeasures sufficient to meet those standards before actual Extended Duration Orbiter operations; and (B) a life sciences implementation plan for the design and development of the space station, to be provided as part of the Preliminary Design Review for the space station, and to include crew adaptability standards; and (3) verify the physiological and technical feasibility of the life sciences implementation plan developed under paragraph (2)(B), as part of the Critical Design Review for the space station.