[Code of Federal Regulations]

[Title 14, Volume 5]

[Revised as of January 1, 2006]

From the U.S. Government Printing Office via GPO Access

[CITE: 14CFR1201.200]



[Page 5-9]

 

                     TITLE 14--AERONAUTICS AND SPACE

 

                          SPACE ADMINISTRATION

 

PART 1201_STATEMENT OF ORGANIZATION AND GENERAL INFORMATION--Table of 

Contents

 

                         Subpart 2_Organization

 

Sec. 1201.200  General.





    (a) NASA's basic organization consists of the Headquarters, eight 

field installations, the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (a Government-owned, 

contractor-operated facility), and several component installations which 

report to Directors of Field Installations. Responsibility for overall 

planning, coordination, and control of NASA programs is vested in NASA 

Headquarters



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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. Officials-in-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 long-term 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



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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 development 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, powered-lift, 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



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maintains space vehicle facilities and ground support equipment for 

launch and recovery operations. The Center is also responsible for 

prelaunch operations, launch operations, and payload processing for the 

space shuttle and expendable launch vehicle programs, and landing 

operations for the space shuttle orbiter; also recovery and 

refurbishment of the reusable solid rocket booster.

    (4) Langley Research Center, Hampton, VA 23665. The Center performs 

research in long-haul aircraft technology; general aviation commuter 

aircraft technology; military aircraft and missile technology; National 

Aero-Space Plane; fundamental aerodynamics; computational fluid 

dynamics; propulsion/airframe integration; unsteady aerodynamics and 

aeroelasticity; hypersonic propulsion; aerospace acoustics; aerospace 

vehicle structures and materials; computational structural mechanics; 

space structures and dynamics; controls/structures interaction; 

aeroservoelasticity; interdisciplinary research; aerothermodynamics; 

aircraft flight management and operating procedures; advanced displays; 

computer science; electromagnetics; automation and robotics; reliable, 

fault-tolerant systems and software; aircraft flight control systems; 

advanced space vehicle configurations; advanced space station 

development; technology experiments in space; remote sensor and data 

acquisition and communication technology; space electronics and control 

systems; planetary entry technology; nondestructive evaluation and 

measurements technology; atmospheric sciences; Earth radiation budget; 

atmospheric dynamics; space power conversion and transmission; space 

environmental effects; and systems analysis of advanced aerospace 

vehicles.

    (5) Lewis Research Center, Cleveland, OH 44135. The Center manages 

the design and development of the power generation, storage, and 

distribution system for Space Station Freedom. The Center is also 

responsible for conducting research and technology activities in the 

following areas: airbreathing propulsion systems, including those needed 

for the National Aero-Space Plane; turbomachinery thermodynamics and 

aerodynamics; fuel and combustion; aero and space propulsion systems; 

space power; power transmission; tribology; internal engine 

computational fluid dynamics; materials; structural analysis; 

instrumentation; space communications, including design and development 

of the Advanced Communications Technology Satellite (ACTS); the ACTS 

experiments program; design, development, and fabrication of 

microgravity space experiments; and the procurement of intermediate and 

large-class expendable launch vehicle launch services. The Center also 

plays an important role in planning the Space Exploration Initiative and 

in implementing the Exploration Technology Program. In addition, the 

Center provides research and technology support to the Department of 

Defense and assists the private sector in identifying potential 

industrial applications and commercialization of NASA-developed 

technology.

    (6) Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center, Houston, TX 77058. The Center 

manages the development and operation of the space shuttle, a manned 

space transportation system developed for the United States by NASA. The 

shuttle is designed to reduce the cost of using space for commercial, 

scientific, and defense needs. The Center is responsible for 

development, production, delivery, and flight operation of the orbiter 

vehicle, that portion of the space shuttle that is designed to take crew 

and experiments into space, place satellites in orbit, retrieve ailing 

satellites, etc. The shuttle crew (up to seven people) includes pilots, 

mission specialists, and payload specialists. Crew personnel (other than 

payload specialists) are recruited, selected, and trained by the Center. 

It is also responsible for design, development, and testing of 

spaceflight payloads and associated systems for manned flight; for 

planning and conducting manned spaceflight missions; and for directing 

medical, engineering, and scientific experiments that are helping us 

understand and improve the environment. For the space station program, 

the Center provides support in the areas of headquarters level A 

responsibilities and project management.



[[Page 9]]



    (7) George C. Marshall Space Flight Center, Marshall Space Flight 

Center, AL 35812. The Center manages, develops, and tests the External 

Tank, Solid Rocket Booster, and main engines, which are major portions 

of the space shuttle project; oversees the development of the U.S. 

Spacelab; manages the space telescope; and conducts research in 

structural systems, materials science engineering, electronics, 

guidance, navigation, and control.

    (8) John C. Stennis Space Center, Stennis Space Center, MS 39529. 

The Center plans and manages research and development activities in the 

field of space and terrestrial applications; space flight; research in 

oceanography, meteorology, and environmental sciences. The Center 

coordinates research between the Administration and other government 

agencies.

    (d) The NASA Office of Inspector General is established pursuant to 

Act of Congress, Public Law 95-452, as amended, 5 U.S.C. App. III. The 

Inspector General is appointed by the President, by and with the advice 

and consent of the Senate, without regard to political affiliation and 

solely on the basis of integrity and demonstrated ability in accounting, 

auditing, financial analysis, law, management analysis, public 

administration, or investigations. The Inspector General appoints an 

Assistant Inspector General for Auditing, who is responsible for 

supervising the performance of auditing activities relating to NASA's 

programs and operations, and an Assistant Inspector General for 

Investigations, who is responsible for supervising the performance of 

NASA's investigative activities. It is the duty and responsibility of 

the Inspector General to provide policy direction, to conduct, supervise 

and coordinate audits and investigations related to NASA's programs and 

operations in order to promote economy and efficiency, and to prevent 

and detect fraud and abuse in these programs and operations. The 

Inspector General must report expeditiously to the Attorney General 

whenever the Inspector General has reasonable grounds to believe there 

has been a violation of Federal criminal law. The Inspector General is 

responsible for keeping the Administrator and Congress fully and 

currently informed, by reports concerning fraud and other serious 

problems, abuses, and deficiencies related to NASA's programs and 

operations, for recommending corrective actions, and for reporting on 

the progress in implementing such corrective actions. The Inspector 

General reports to the Administrator, but neither the Administrator nor 

the Deputy Administrator can prevent or prohibit the Inspector General 

from initiating, carrying out, or completing any audit or investigation, 

or from issuing any subpoena under authority of the Inspector General 

Act. In carrying out the responsibilities, the Inspector General shall 

comply with standards established by the Comptroller General of the 

United States for audits of governmental organizations, programs, 

activities, and functions. The Inspector General reports to Congress on 

a semiannual basis, summarizing the activities of the office. These 

reports are available to the public upon request within 60 days of their 

transmission to the Congress. Anyone wishing to report instances of 

fraud, waste, or mismanagement in NASA's programs and operations can 

call the Inspector General Hotline at 755-3402 in the Washington, DC, 

area or toll free (800) 424-9183 for all other areas. The office 

maintains a 24-hour answering service. Identities of complainants can be 

kept confidential. Written complaints can be sent to the NASA Inspector 

General, P.O. Box 23089, L'Enfant Plaza Station, Washington, DC 20026.

    (e) For more detailed description of NASA's organizational 

structure, see the ``U.S. Government Manual.''