[Code of Federal Regulations]
[Title 14, Volume 5]
[Revised as of January 1, 2007]
From the U.S. Government Printing Office via GPO Access
[CITE: 14CFR1201.200]

[Page 5-9]
 
                     TITLE 14--AERONAUTICS AND SPACE
 
                   CHAPTER V--NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND
                          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.

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    (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.''