14 C.F.R. PART 1201—STATEMENT OF ORGANIZATION AND GENERAL INFORMATION
Title 14 - Aeronautics and Space
Authority: 5 U.S.C. 552.
Source: 55 FR 37222, Sept. 10, 1990, unless otherwise noted.
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration was established by the National Aeronautics and Space Act of 1958 (72 Stat. 426, 42 U.S.C. 2451 et seq.), as amended (hereafter called the “Act”). It is the purpose of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration to carry out aeronautical and space activities of the United States. Such activities shall be the responsibility of, and shall be directed by, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, except that activities peculiar to or primarily associated with the development of weapons systems, military operations, or the defense of the United States shall be the responsibility of, and shall be directed by, the Department of Defense. In order to carry out the purpose of the Act, NASA is authorized to conduct 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. (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. (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 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 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 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. (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.” Various boards and committees have been established as part of the permanent organization structure of NASA. These include: (a) Board of Contract Appeals. (1) The Board is established in accordance with the Contract Disputes Act of 1978 (41 U.S.C. 601–613). The function of the Board is to decide appeals from decisions of contracting officers relating to a contract made by NASA. (2) The charter of the Board is set forth in subpart 1 of part 1209 of this chapter. The Board's rules of procedure are set forth in 14 CFR part 1241. (3) The texts of decisions of the Board are published by Commerce Clearing House, Inc., in Board of Contract Appeals Decisions, and are hereby incorporated by reference. All decisions and orders are available for inspection and for purchase from the Recorder of the Board of NASA Headquarters, Washington, DC. Decisions and orders issued after July, 1967, area available for inspection and for purchase at NASA Information Centers. (b) Contract Adjustment Board. (1) The function of the Board is to consider and dispose of requests by NASA contractors for extraordinary contractual adjustments pursuant to Public Law 85–804 (50 U.S.C. 1431–35) and Executive Order 10789 dated November 14, 1958 (23 FR 8397). (2) The charter of the Board is set forth at subpart 3 of part 1209 of this chapter. The Board's rules of procedure are set forth at 48 CFR part 1850. (3) Indexes of and texts of decisions of the Board are available for inspection and for purchase from the Chairperson of the Board, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Washington, DC 20546, and from the NASA Information Centers. (c) Inventions and Contributions Board. (1) The function of the Board is to consider and recommend to the Administrator the action to be taken with respect to: (i) Petitions for waiver of rights to any invention or class of inventions made during the performance of NASA contracts; and (ii) Applications for award for scientific and technical contributions determined to have significant value in the conduct of aeronautical and space activities, pursuant to the National Aeronautics and Space Act of 1958, as amended (42 U.S.C. 2457 (f) and (g), 2458), and the Government Employees Incentive Awards Act (5 U.S.C. 2121–23), respectively. (2) The charter of the Board is set forth at subpart 4 of part 1209 of this chapter. The Board's rules of procedure are set forth at 14 CFR parts 1240 and 1245. (3) The decisions of the Board on requests for waiver are available for inspection at NASA Headquarters, Office of Inventions and Contributions Board. (a) The Office of Procurement, headed by the Assistant Administrator for Procurement, serves as a central point of control and contact for NASA procurements. Although the procurements may be made by the field installations, selected contracts and contracts of special types are required to be approved by the Assistant Administrator for Procurement prior to their execution. The Office of Procurement is also responsible for formulation of NASA procurement policies and provides overall assistance and guidance to NASA field installations to achieve uniformity in NASA procurement processes. (b) The NASA procurement program is carried out principally at the NASA field installations listed in subpart 2 of this part and in the “U.S. Government Manual.” The Headquarters Acquisition Division is responsible for contracts with foreign governments and foreign commercial organizations, the procurement of materials and services required by Headquarters offices except for minor office supplies and services procured locally, and the award of grants and cooperative agreements for Headquarters. The Headquarters Space Station Freedom Procurement Office is responsible for managing and directing the full range of acquisition functions in support of the Space Station Freedom Program Office. (c) All procurements are made in accordance with the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) (48 CFR chapter 1) and the NASA Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement (NASA/FAR Supplement) (48 CFR chapter 18). Copies of these publications are available from the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, DC 20402, on an annual subscription basis. NASA provides the National Technical Information Service (NTIS), U.S. Department of Commerce, 5285 Port Royal Road, Springfield, VA 22161, with copies of NASA and/or NASA-sponsored unclassified unlimited documents to provide availability to the public. These documents may be reproduced by NTIS and sold at prices established by NTIS. NASA also uses the regional depository libraries established through the Federal Depository Library Program by chapter 19 of title 44 of the U.S. Code under the Government Printing Office (GPO) to make its technical documents and bibliographic tools available to the general public. These depository libraries are responsible for permanent retention of material, interlibrary loan, and reference services. (a) As part of its Technology Utilization Program—a program designed to transfer new aerospace knowledge and innovative technology to nonaerospace sectors of the economy—NASA operates a network of Industrial Applications Centers. These centers serve U.S. industrial clients on a fee paying basis by providing access to literally millions of scientific and technical documents published by NASA and by other research and development organizations. Using computers, the NASA Industrial Applications Centers conduct retrospective and current awareness searches of available literature in accordance with client interests, and assist in the interpretation and adaption of retrieved information to specified needs. Such services may be obtained by contacting one of the following: (1) Aerospace Research Applications Center (ARAC), Indianapolis Center for Advanced Research, 611 N. Capital Avenue, Indianapolis, IN 46204. (2) Southern Technology Applications Center, Progress Center, Box 24, 1 Progress Boulevard, Alachua, FL 32615. (3) NASA/UK Technology Applications Program, University of Kentucky, 10 Kinkead Hall, Lexington, KY 40506–0057. (4) NASA Industrial Applications Center, 823 William Pitt Union, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15260. (5) New England Research Application Center (NERAC), One Technology Drive, Tolland, CT 06084. (6) North Carolina Science and Technology Research Center, P.O. Box 12235, Research Triangle Park, NC 27709. (7) Technology Application Center (TAC), University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM 87131. (8) Kerr Industrial Applications Center, Southeastern Oklahoma State University, Station A, Box 2584, Durant, OK 74701. (9) NASA Industrial Applications Center, Research Annex, Room 200, University of Southern California, 3716 South Hope Street, Los Angeles, CA 90007. (10) NASA/SU Industrial Applications Center, Southern University, Department of Computer Science, Baton Rouge, LA 70813–2065. (b) To obtain access to NASA-developed computer software, contact: Computer Software Management and Information Center (COSMIC), University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602.
Title 14: Aeronautics and Space
PART 1201—STATEMENT OF ORGANIZATION AND GENERAL INFORMATION
Section Contents
§ 1201.100 Creation and authority.
§ 1201.101 Purpose.
§ 1201.102 Functions.
§ 1201.103 Administration.
§ 1201.200 General.
§ 1201.300 Boards and committees.
§ 1201.400 NASA procurement program.
§ 1201.401 Special document depositories.
§ 1201.402 NASA Industrial Applications Centers.
Subpart 1—Introduction
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§ 1201.100 Creation and authority.
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§ 1201.101 Purpose.
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§ 1201.102 Functions.
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§ 1201.103 Administration.
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Subpart 2—Organization
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§ 1201.200 General.
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Subpart 3—Boards and Committees
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§ 1201.300 Boards and committees.
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Subpart 4—General Information
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§ 1201.400 NASA procurement program.
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§ 1201.401 Special document depositories.
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§ 1201.402 NASA Industrial Applications Centers.
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