H.R. 2617 — Introduced in House

I 113th CONGRESS 1st Session H. R. 2617 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES July 8, 2013 Ms. Edwards (for herself and Ms. Eddie Bernice Johnson of Texas) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, and in addition to the Committee on Natural Resources, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned A BILL To establish the Apollo Lunar Landing Sites National Historical Park on the Moon, and for other purposes. 1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Apollo Lunar Landing Legacy Act. 2. Findings Congress finds that— (1) on July 20, 1969, Neil A. Armstrong and Edwin E. Buzz Aldrin Jr. became the first people to set foot on another celestial body, during the Apollo 11 mission; (2) between 1969 and 1972, Apollo Missions 11, 12, 14, 15, 16, and 17 all saw American astronauts visit the surface of the Moon; (3) the 1970 Apollo 13 mission, which was aborted due to a serious malfunction en route to the Moon, also circled the Moon; (4) the Apollo lunar program was one of the greatest achievements in American history; (5) as commercial enterprises and foreign nations acquire the ability to land on the Moon it is necessary to protect the Apollo lunar landing sites for posterity; and (6) establishing the Historical Park under this Act will expand and enhance the protection and preservation of the Apollo lunar landing sites and provide for greater recognition and public understanding of this singular achievement in American history. 3. Purposes The purposes of this Act are— (1) to preserve and protect for the benefit of present and future generations the nationally significant historic sites associated with the Historical Park; (2) to preserve and protect for scientific inquiry the artifacts described in section 5(b); and (3) to improve public understanding of the Apollo program and its legacy through preservation of the historic resources associated with the Apollo lunar landing sites. 4. Definitions In this Act: (1) Administrator The term Administrator means the Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. (2) Apollo lunar landing sites The term Apollo lunar landing sites means all areas of the Moon where astronauts and instruments connected to the Apollo program between 1969 and 1972 touched the lunar surface. (3) Historical Park The term Historical Park means the Apollo Lunar Landing Sites National Historical Park established under section 5. (4) Secretary The term Secretary means the Secretary of the Interior. 5. Establishment of Apollo Lunar Landing Sites National Historical Park (a) Establishment Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of this Act, there shall be established as a unit of the National Park System the Apollo Lunar Landing Sites National Historical Park. (b) Park components The Historical Park may only be comprised, as determined by the Secretary in consultation with the Administrator, of— (1) the artifacts on the surface of the Moon associated with the Apollo 11 mission, which landed on the lunar surface July 20, 1969, at Mare Tranquillitatis; (2) the artifacts on the surface of the Moon associated with the Apollo 12 mission, which landed on the lunar surface November 19, 1969, at Oceanus Procellarum; (3) the artifacts on the surface of the Moon associated with the Apollo 13 mission, which had an instrumentality crash land on the lunar surface April 14, 1970; (4) the artifacts on the surface of the Moon associated with the Apollo 14 mission, which landed on the lunar surface February 5, 1971, at Fra Mauro; (5) the artifacts on the surface of the Moon associated with the Apollo 15 mission, which landed on the lunar surface July 30, 1971, at Hadley-Apennines; (6) the artifacts on the surface of the Moon associated with the Apollo 16 mission, which landed on the lunar surface April 21, 1972, at Descartes; and (7) the artifacts on the surface of the Moon associated with the Apollo 17 mission, which landed on the lunar surface December 11, 1972, at Taurus-Littrow. 6. Administration (a) In general The Secretary shall administer the Historical Park in accordance with— (1) this Act; (2) the laws generally applicable to units of the National Park System, including— (A) the National Park System Organic Act (16 U.S.C. 1 et seq.); and (B) the Act of August 21, 1935 (16 U.S.C. 461 et seq.); and (3) applicable international law and treaties. (b) General management plan Not later than 18 months after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary and the Administrator, pursuant to the interagency management agreement entered into under section 7(a), shall jointly complete a general management plan for the Historical Park. (c) Donations; cooperative agreements (1) Agreements with other Federal agencies The Secretary may enter into one or more agreements with the head of a Federal agency to provide public access to, and management, interpretation, and historic preservation of, historically significant Apollo lunar landing site resources under the jurisdiction or control of the Federal agency. (2) Donations; cooperative agreements The Secretary may accept donations from, and enter into cooperative agreements with, foreign governments and international bodies, organizations, or individuals to further the purpose of an interagency agreement entered into under paragraph (1) or to provide visitor services and administrative facilities within reasonable proximity to the Historical Park. (3) Donations to nasa For the purposes of this Act, the Administrator may accept, hold, administer, and use gifts, bequests, and devises (including labor and services). 7. Management agreement (a) In general Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary and the Administrator shall enter into an agreement providing for the primary management of the Historical Park by the Administrator. The agreement shall delineate the respective duties and responsibilities of the Secretary and the Administrator in managing the Historical Park. Responsibilities of the Administrator shall specifically include— (1) ensuring proper monitoring of the Apollo lunar landing sites; (2) managing access to the sites, including through coordination with other spacefaring nations and entities; and (3) in conjunction with the Director of the Smithsonian Institution, ensuring an accurate cataloguing of items in the Historical Park. (b) Other agencies The Secretary and the Administrator shall consult with other agencies, as needed, to effectively carry out management of the Historical Park. 8. World Heritage Site designation Not later than 1 year after the establishment of the Historical Park, the Secretary, in consultation with the Administrator, shall submit the Apollo 11 lunar landing site to the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) for designation as a World Heritage Site. 9. Smithsonian Institution Nothing in this Act shall be construed to alter or terminate any existing agreements between the National Aeronautics and Space Administration and the Smithsonian Institution concerning the management of National Aeronautics and Space Administration historical artifacts.